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Goa has produced some really good spirits over the years, and the state's growing craft distilling scene has given drinkers quite a few bottles to look beyond the usual names. From gin to whisky and rum, local distillers have been experimenting with Indian ingredients while building spirits that feel more contemporary. Maka Zai is one of the names that helped push the conversation around Indian craft rum forward. Launched in Goa in January 2021 by Stilldistilling Spirits, the brand was created by former banker-turned-distiller Kasturi Banerjee. It started with two expressions, White and Gold, and has since expanded its rum portfolio.
Maka Zai is an Indian craft rum brand made in Goa by Stilldistilling Spirits. The name comes from Konkani and means "I want", which fits rather nicely with the brand's straightforward approach to making rum. The company was founded by Kasturi Banerjee, who moved from a career in banking into bartending and eventually spirit production.
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When Maka Zai arrived in 2021, the Indian premium rum market was still fairly small. Hindustan Times reported in 2024 that Banerjee's brand had been the only craft rum on Indian retail shelves when it launched, although the category had expanded to more than ten craft rums within three years.
The brand's rums are blended and bottled in Goa, while its raw materials come from different parts of India. The White Rum, for instance, uses sugarcane grown around the Panchaganga River in Maharashtra.
The commonly listed strength for Maka Zai's core rums is 42.8% ABV. That puts it slightly above the 40% ABV mark used by many mainstream rum brands.
The higher strength works particularly well with the brand's positioning. Maka Zai isn't trying to be an overly sweet, easy-drinking rum that disappears into cola. Its White expression is designed primarily with cocktails in mind, while the Gold is intended more as a sipping rum.
A 42.8% ABV bottle also gives bartenders a little more room to work with when building drinks, particularly cocktails where rum is supposed to remain noticeable rather than getting buried beneath mixers.
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The Bartender's Edition is Maka Zai's White Rum and was one of the two original expressions launched in 2021.
It is a clear, relatively light rum with floral, sweet, spicy and herbaceous characteristics. The brand has described it as a medium-bodied spirit with sugarcane-led notes, making it quite different from the heavier profile many drinkers associate with dark Indian rum. Condé Nast Traveller described the White as floral and herbaceous, with a smooth, medium-bodied character. This is the Maka Zai bottle to reach for if cocktails are the priority.
It works particularly well in a Daiquiri, where the rum gets to sit alongside lime and sugar without being drowned out. The brand has also suggested using it with ginger ale, pomegranate juice and kombucha.
In Goa, the current listed price for a 750ml bottle is around INR 1,100. In Maharashtra, Livcheers currently lists it at approximately INR 1,995. Prices can differ between states because alcohol taxation and retail pricing vary considerably across India.
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The Tribute Edition is the darker and richer of the original two expressions. It was created as a sipping rum, although it can obviously be used in cocktails too.
The flavor profile is considerably more dessert-like than the White. Expect notes of praline, figs, dry dates, caramel, cinnamon and honey, with a creamy mouthfeel. It is made using a blend that includes molasses spirit and oak barrel-aged rum.
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This is probably the more interesting bottle for someone who normally drinks whisky or aged rum. It has enough sweetness and oak character to drink neat, and it doesn't need cola to make it enjoyable.
In Goa, the current listed price for a 750ml bottle is around INR 1,500. In Mumbai and Maharashtra, the listed price is approximately INR 2,595.
Maka Zai's portfolio has expanded beyond the original White and Gold expressions. The brand now also appears in the Goa market as a Dark Jaggery Rum.
Current Goa listings put the 750ml bottle at approximately INR 650, making it considerably cheaper than the White and Gold expressions.
This expression is particularly interesting because jaggery brings a different Indian identity to the category. A recent tasting note describes the rum as being based on a combination of Goan sugarcane jaggery, or kakavi, and West Bengal date-palm jaggery, with the bottle listed at 42.8% ABV.
If you are looking for the most distinctly Indian expression in the range, this is probably the one worth investigating.
That depends on which bottle you pick.
White Rum: Floral, lightly sweet, spicy and herbaceous, with a clean sugarcane character. It is relatively easy to work with in cocktails.
Gold Rum: Richer and rounder, with praline, fig, honey, caramel, cinnamon and vanilla-like notes, followed by a more noticeable oak character.
Dark Jaggery Rum: A deeper style built around jaggery and darker sugar-led flavours, with a fuller profile than the White.
The important thing is that Maka Zai doesn't treat rum as a single style. The three expressions have different jobs.
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The White Rum is the obvious choice for cocktails.
Use White Rum, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled glass. The citrus cuts through the rum while allowing its floral and herbal notes to remain noticeable.
This is an easy one. Use Maka Zai White Rum, plenty of ice and ginger ale. Add a squeeze of lime if you want more acidity. The brand itself recommends the combination.
The Gold works particularly well here. Its richer caramel, honey and dried-fruit character gives the cocktail more depth than a very neutral white rum would.
For something more spirit-forward, try the Gold with sweet vermouth and Campari. The richer rum profile can stand up to the bitterness.
This is where the Gold really makes sense. Pour it over a large cube, or simply try it neat first. If you like whisky, there is a good chance you'll enjoy exploring it this way.
Maka Zai is worth knowing if you want to understand how India's craft rum scene has changed. It arrived at a time when premium Indian rum was still a relatively unexplored category and helped make the case that rum could be more than a winter drink or a simple rum-and-cola pour. Its White Rum is the practical cocktail bottle, the Gold is the richer sipping option, and the newer Dark Jaggery expression takes the brand further into distinctly Indian territory. Goa has clearly become an important base for India's modern spirits movement, and Maka Zai is one of the bottles that helped put that story on the map.
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