BLUE MOON MINTY JAMUN WINS GOLD AT THE VODKA MASTERS 2026

Blue Moon Minty Jamun, from House of NV Group, has secured a Gold medal at The Vodka Masters 2026 in London, recognised in the Flavoured/Infused Vodka category. The accolade highlights the brand’s success in translating a distinctly Indian flavour pairing into a contemporary vodka, judged blind by international spirits experts.

Blue Moon Minty Jamun, the rice-based flavoured vodka from House of NV Group, has won a Gold medal at The Vodka Masters 2026 in London, organised under The Spirits Business’ Global Spirits Masters Competitions. The expression was recognised in the Flavoured/Infused Vodka category, placing it among the Gold medallists in a blind tasting of international vodka entries.  

The award is particularly significant for the flavour profile it represents. Minty Jamun combines the tart fruitiness of jamun with the cooling character of mint, translating a distinctly Indian pairing into a contemporary vodka. The recognition gives NV Group an international accolade for a spirit rooted in Indian taste memory, rather than conventional flavoured-vodka cues.  

The Vodka Masters, established in 2008, is one of the specialist competitions under the Global Spirits Masters framework. Built around blind tastings, spirits are assessed on their own merits by independent judges and awarded Silver, Gold or Master medals. The 2026 judging panels included Melita Kiely, Editor-in-Chief of The Spirits Business; spirits writer David T Smith; India market specialist Ruchira Neotia; spirits buyer Bryan Rodriguez-Curtis; Luciano Marino of The Savoy, London; and consultants Marie Cheong-Thong and Matt Chambers. Their breadth of expertise reflects the competition’s trade-focused approach to evaluating spirits.  

Varun Jain, CEO & Founder, Smoke Lab, NV Group, said: “The value of this recognition lies in the fact that the product was judged blind, without the context of the brand or the story behind it. Minty Jamun was conceived around a flavour that is unmistakably Indian, but our intent was never to make that the novelty. The challenge was to create a vodka where the flavour itself had enough definition and balance to stand on its own. A Gold at The Vodka Masters gives us a useful external measure of how that proposition is being received by experienced spirits professionals.”  

Launched in India in 2026, Blue Moon Minty Jamun is triple distilled and bottled at 37.5% ABV. The Gold medal adds momentum to NV Group’s growing portfolio of contemporary spirits and contributes to the wider conversation around Indian brands expressing local flavour and drinking culture while competing on international stages.