Estuary Blending Water: Your Go-To Mixer For An Enhanced Taste
Tonic water (carbonated soda water) is our go-to blender for alcohol. For whisky tipplers, water, such as packaged, RO, mineral, and tap water is an ideal mixer. The varying water types, however, impact the spirit's flavour, altering the taste and making the flavour inconsistent, Estuary founder Devashish Kamdar told us. This prevailing challenge in the spirits industry, involving inconsistency in the taste of matured spirits, prompted Kamdar to build a brand that could simplify the problem and deliver consistency in flavours, giving birth to Estuary Blending Water.
"As India's world's first blending water — Estuary identifies the need for consistent, high-quality water that complements spirits, ensuring an authentic distillery experience," Kamdar shared.
Excerpts from the interview:
How is Estuary Blending Water different from packaged drinking water?
Estuary Blending Water is formulated and explicitly toned to blend with whiskies, ensuring a smoother and cleaner drinking experience that entices consumers to indulge in their spirits. Not many people know that adding ice or even normal water diminishes the taste of the spirits, while soda masks flavours. Using regular or packaged water alters the taste of whisky, creating distinct flavours when mixed. On the other hand, blending water enhances the flavour of whisky, cutting through the layer of ethanol almost 100 per cent more than regular water would. It opens whiskies' primary, secondary and tertiary notes, giving consumers a superior epicurean experience.
What innovations went into ensuring that Estuary Blending Water remains an ideal companion for whisky enthusiasts exploring different whisky experiences worldwide?
Estuary's innovation lies in its commitment to a consistent water profile, ensuring an ideal companion for whisky enthusiasts worldwide. The focus is on understanding market dynamics, creating demand, and offering a unique category of blending water that complements the diversity of whisky experiences.
Estuary Blending Water is building on a culture of blending and authenticity. This category-creation process demands a lot of precision, patience and innovation. We have partnered with several whisky enthusiasts, spirit connoisseurs, and whisky communities across the globe.
Estuary has been officially recommended as pairing water by the Scottish Whisky Awards in Edinburgh for three consecutive years. We have been an integral part of the Nth Universal Whisky Experience in Las Vegas, and our blending water has also been appreciated by the Master Distiller Richard Paterson.
What sparked the idea behind creating blending water, and how did Estuary identify the need for such a product in the luxury beverage market?
Most Asian whisky drinkers add water, but using different types alters the taste. Pour four glasses of the same whisky and add bottled, RO, mineral, and tap water—they'll all taste different. The varying water types significantly impact the spirit's flavour. This prevailing challenge in the spirits industry, involving global inconsistency in the taste of matured spirits, prompted the need to build a brand that could simplify the problem and deliver consistency in flavours. Through extensive research and science-backed knowledge, we launched the world's first blending water — Estuary Blending Water.
How is blending water being incorporated into a rapidly growing cocktail culture?
Blending water is known to alter and refine the taste and experience of spirits, particularly whisky and single malts. It's distinguished for reducing the ethanol layer significantly more than regular water. Estuary Blending Water enhances the cocktail experience by providing a consistent water profile that complements the phenolic compounds in spirits. This innovation ensures a reliable and elevated taste experience in cocktails, contributing to the growth of the cocktail culture.
Estuary Blending Water is officially recommended by the Scottish Whisky Association, along with connoisseurs and spirit enthusiasts from all over the globe. Available across all leading outlets in India, our blending water is also sold in the USA, UK, UAE, Singapore, and Japan.
What makes your blending water sustainable?
In an era where sustainability is increasingly valued, consumers actively seek brands committed to eco-conscious practices. Estuary is strongly committed to eco-conscious practices, taking pride in our role as a guiding light. Our blending water is sourced ethically, paying tribute to Scotland's pristine landscapes. Our dedication extends to creating a sustainable production cycle where innovation and tradition seamlessly merge, always mindful of nature's delicate equilibrium. By endorsing Estuary and embracing our unique materials, you showcase discerning taste and make a powerful statement of dedication to the environment, aligning with the rich legacy of our Scottish origins.
What sets Estuary apart from other beverage companies aiming to cater to the luxury spirits market?
Estuary is the world's first blending water, designed to match the phenolic compounds — a colourless crystalline solid compound in spirits. Its USP lies in its promise of authenticity, originality, and a consistent water profile, setting it apart as an industry game-changer. Blending water triggers molecules that reveal nuanced, concealed flavours in spirits. These flavours, typically overshadowed and suppressed by the alcohol content, sugary mixers and even ordinary water, are brought to the forefront. Born as a homage to undiscovered dimensions of spirits, Estuary came into existence to fulfil the desires of global connoisseurs who craved authentic taste.
What was the process like in developing the proprietary TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) levels to complement the flavours of different spirits?
The development process involved meticulous formulation to match the phenolic compounds in spirits. Estuary blending water is processed through a multistage proprietary filtration process. The process is patented globally and can be replicated across the globe. This makes it possible to meet the volumetric demand of the alcoholic beverage industry. The TDS levels are toned and balanced to match the compounds of spirits exclusively, just like fine-tuning music.
Could you describe the collaborative process between Estuary and whisky makers to ensure the synergy between the blending waters and various whiskies?
Estuary is toned and formulated to open up spirits' primary, secondary and tertiary notes. Estuary ensures a distillery experience for the consumers by giving the original aroma, palate and finish of the spirit as mastered by the distiller. Whisky makers overcome the challenge of the changing tastes of spirits as per the locally available mixers and look at blending them right to ensure an authentic experience.
What next for Estuary?
Estuary aims to establish itself in the consumer industry by creating a distinct category complementary to alcohol. The strategy involves product development, widespread distribution, a strong brand identity, strategic placement, and collaborations. Targeting high-net-worth individuals and expanding to the aspiring segment, Estuary aims to establish blending water as a recognised category globally.
