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ZigZag Vodka Makes Its Mark with Four Medals at the Asia World Spirits Competition 2025
Within its first year, ZigZag Vodka sweeps international honours at the Asia World Spirits Competition, signalling a bold new era for Indian spirits.
India’s alco-bev exports have long been defined by whisky. Other spirits, vodka in particular, were usually seen as imports, not as categories where Indian brands competed. That perception shifted in August 2025, when ZigZag Vodka, only months into its launch, picked up multiple medals at the Asia World Spirits Competition, organised by The Tasting Alliance.
In its very first outing, ZigZag managed a clean sweep: three Silver medals for its Original, Green Apple, and Orange vodkas, and a Bronze for Lime. Recognition for the entire portfolio at a respected international platform is unusual anywhere, but for a brand this new, it is striking.
For an industry where global acknowledgement has often taken years, ZigZag’s debut performance shows how quickly the narrative is changing.
Recognition Across the Range
Many brands test the waters with a single expression before diversifying. ZigZag took a different path. From the outset, it launched with a portfolio of four vodkas, each distinct yet tied together by a bold, design-led identity.
The competition results validated that strategy. Every variant found recognition. No weak link, no uneven performance, just a full set of medals. For co-founder Ishwaraj Singh Bhatia, who also helped build Simba Beer, the moment was a milestone:
“This is a proud moment for Indian spirits. ZigZag is officially the Indian vodka brand to win international honours across its entire range, and that too, within our very first year. It’s an honour to be recognised on a global stage, and it strengthens our belief in what we’re building — a bold, design-led spirit from India that’s ready to be celebrated worldwide.”
The Asia World Spirits Competition Explained
The Asia World Spirits Competition is not just another medal event. Run by The Tasting Alliance, the same group that oversees the San Francisco and New York World Spirits Competitions, it has built a reputation as one of the most respected platforms for evaluating spirits.
Its judging panels are made up of experienced distillers, critics, and industry professionals. Medals carry weight precisely because they come from blind tastings, where each product is assessed only on quality and adherence to style.
Over the years, awards from The Tasting Alliance have been known to influence distribution discussions, open doors to new markets, and establish credibility with partners. For young brands, recognition here acts as a stamp of authenticity that can accelerate growth. Against that backdrop, ZigZag’s clean sweep in its debut year highlights both ambition and execution.
What Makes These Wins Important
For a long time, India’s place in the global alco-bev trade was dominated by whisky. Vodka, gin, and other white spirits were more often things India consumed than produced. ZigZag’s success challenges that pattern, showing that Indian labels can now compete in categories where they had little presence before.
The recognition works on several levels. For new entrants, it’s validation. Launching a vodka brand in India and putting it on the global stage within months is a bold move; seeing all four variants win medals proves it’s not just clever branding but genuine quality. For partners, i.e. distributors, retailers, bartenders, awards like these are reassuring signals when deciding whether to back a young brand. For the Indian spirits ecosystem, ZigZag’s global honours bring pride and reinforce confidence that homegrown labels can stand shoulder to shoulder with international peers.
In that sense, ZigZag’s medals are more than trophies for one company. They serve as a marker for the wider Indian spirits industry, proof that the country can be part of the conversation in vodka just as it has been in whisky.
Inside ZigZag’s Vision
ZigZag’s identity is rooted in going against the grain. Its tagline, “Never Walk Straight”, captures the brand’s ethos. The brand was designed to represent boldness, individuality, and creativity.
Rather than play it safe, ZigZag launched with a design-led philosophy. Bottles, branding, and even the choice of flavours were meant to signal something different: that an Indian vodka could be as stylish and daring as its global counterparts.
The decision to debut with four expressions instead of one was deliberate. The team wanted to showcase breadth and flexibility early on, building recognition not on a single flagship but on a cohesive range. The Asia World Spirits Competition results suggest the gamble worked.
A Changing Industry Landscape
ZigZag’s success arrives at a time when India’s alco-bev sector is undergoing transformation. Industry estimates place the market at over $50 billion by 2025, with the fastest growth coming from premium and craft segments. Consumers are seeking variety, design, and flavour-forward experiences rather than just volume.
For years, whisky dominated India’s export identity. Vodka rarely figured into the conversation. That is now shifting, thanks to entrepreneurs who are less constrained by tradition and more confident about competing internationally.
ZigZag is part of this generational wave. Brands in beer, gin, and now vodka are showing that Indian labels can participate credibly in global categories. The medals from The Tasting Alliance signal that India is no longer a one-spirit story.
Generational Shift in Founders
Co-founder Ishwaraj Singh Bhatia is representative of a new cohort of alco-bev entrepreneurs. Instead of waiting years before testing international waters, they are entering global competitions early.
Their bets are on bold branding, unconventional design, and flavour diversity. It reflects a belief that today’s market, both in India and abroad, responds as much to story and identity as to what is in the glass. ZigZag is built on that thinking, and its debut recognition shows the strategy has traction.
What Simba Taught the Team
While ZigZag stands on its own, it benefits from the experience of its founding team. The same group launched Simba Beer in 2016, one of India’s earliest craft beer players. With Simba, they learned how to build a challenger brand against industrial-scale competitors.
ZigZag applies those lessons in a new category. Where Simba disrupted lager-dominated beer with craft identity, ZigZag is attempting something similar in vodka, but with even sharper focus on design and cultural positioning.
The medals at the Asia World Spirits Competition suggest that the approach has been noticed internationally. And with distribution knowledge carried over from Simba, ZigZag is better positioned than most first-year entrants to scale.
Redefining India’s Presence Abroad
For a long time, the global alco-bev industry looked at India as a market, not as a source of premium exports. ZigZag’s recognition complicates that view. It shows that Indian brands can create products with international appeal, built on both quality and creativity.
This matters because it reframes how Indian spirits are perceived abroad. Instead of being boxed into tradition-heavy categories like whisky, Indian entrepreneurs are now playing in categories like vodka, which are associated with modernity and trendsetting.
Saltborn’s Larger Vision
Both Simba Beer and ZigZag Vodka are part of Saltborn, a collective focused on craftsmanship, authenticity, and innovation. Saltborn’s mission is to curate brands that are globally ambitious while staying true to their origins.
ZigZag’s four medals are not just a personal win but an example of this larger philosophy at work. By nurturing pioneers like Simba and disruptors like ZigZag, Saltborn is slowly reshaping India’s position in the global beverage conversation.
For ZigZag, the recognition at the Asia World Spirits Competition is a foundation. For Saltborn, it is another proof point in a journey aimed at showing the world that Indian brands can be bold, credible, and globally relevant.
Looking Forward
ZigZag’s debut year will be remembered for its immediate impact. Few brands manage to secure international honours across an entire portfolio so quickly.
The medals at the Asia World Spirits Competition 2025 are an achievement, but they are also a beginning. They give ZigZag credibility, visibility, and confidence to push boundaries further. And for India’s alco-bev industry, they signal that a new chapter has begun, one where vodka, too, can carry an Indian label onto the global stage.
Note to the Reader: This article has been produced on behalf of the brand by HT Brand Studio and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Readers are advised that the consumption of alcohol is injurious to health and addictive and is prohibited for people below the legal drinking age. Not for promotion.
