Humble feni's second coming: Can Goans turn it into the next tequila?

Feni has started making inroads into foreign markets. Several brands are being exported to the UK, Canada, Australia, Taiwan and Japan

After six years of experimenting, Hansel Vaz, known in Goa as the Feni Doutor (Portuguese for feni doctor), stood before an eclectic mix of 13 spirits experts — from international bartenders and writers to distillers and distributors — at the ballroom of a boutique hotel in Benaulim this June. He held his breath.

 

In his hand was a Garrafao —a potbellied glass bottle — that had been resting underwater in a fresh water pond in a village in South Goa since June 2023. This was the second time Vaz had “let the feni meditate” underwater for three years to ensure he gets the same results.

 

As he opened the cork and poured the drink into the glass, Vaz could sense almost immediately he was on to something special.

 

“It was the most incredible liquor I had ever tasted. The process doesn’t alter the colour, it remains colourless, but is deceptively smooth. The heat had settled, the cashew no longer rushed forward. It’s almost as if it waits, revealing itself slowly on the tongue,” Vaz said.

 

“Everyone had heard of feni being kept underwater. I collected these stories and pieced them together to rest the feni for three years. India has never done anything like this for any of its indigenous spirits. We believe the greatest opportunity is still ahead of us.”

 

Feni is a Goan alcoholic drink that dates back to the time the Portuguese introduced cashew along the Malabar Coast in the 16th century. It comes in two varieties — cashew feni, made from the fermented juice of ripe cashew apples, and coconut feni, which uses fermented toddy (sap) tapped from coconut palm trees.

 

Woven into the Goan social and religious fabric, feni has often been likened to other regional spirits such as Mezcal in Mexico, Sake in Japan, and Arrack in Southeast Asia.

 

But with its distinctive strong flavour and aroma, it has always been more of a local favourite than a fixture at tables of luxury restaurants. Now, however, it’s attracting increasing interest, with more experimentation, newer brands and global recognition, thanks to a small bunch of Goan dreamers.

 

Vaz’s own creation — Dukshiri, coconut feni infused with Indian sarsaparilla root — took the silver medal in the alcohol and spirits section of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles last year.

 

Vaz and other Goan feni makers’ big dream now is to do with feni what Europe did with Scotch whisky and Mexico with Tequila.

 

These innovators have their work cut out. Even within Goa, feni’s share in the liquor market is small, growing from around 1.5-2 per cent in 2022 to 5-7 per cent currently, according to industry estimates. The total number of licences given to bottlers of feni has increased from only 19 in 2007 to 49 as of January 31, 2026, according to excise department data.

 

“The average experience of feni is a drink that throws one off because of the quality available. But, if brewed by a master distiller, it is equivalent to Mezcal or Tequila,” said Keshav Prakash, an international spirits expert.

 

“Feni is one of the few indigenous spirits of India. The pieces are there, it has to be put into action,” Prakash said, giving the examples of the wine-growing Cognac region of France and the Mexican Association of Tequila, which he said were highly organised and received strong government support.  

 

Shedding the old

 

Feni received a geographical indicator (GI) tag back in February 2009 but only one brand — Ozzo Feni made by Cazcar Distillery — has got the tag so far. Industry players say that the local distillers do not want to open themselves to the level of regulatory scrutiny required to get a GI tag as distilling processes differ from village to village.

 

The recent UK free trade agreement included feni as a zero duty product, but, without GI certification not many can use this benefit yet.

 

None of this has deterred new entrants from experimenting with aging, infusing flavours to feni and getting them on the bar shelves.

 

For instance, Karun Sanghi, an industrial engineer who entered the feni business during the Covid years, decided to experiment with aging feni in oak barrels. After three years of aging, Sanghi entered his spirit — branded Sentari – in the London Spirits contest and won the gold two years in a row in 2025 and 2026.

 

“A lot of people have baggage about feni. But I have seen people go from ‘I don’t drink feni’ to saying ‘it’s really quite amazing’.”

 

Yash Sawardekar, cofounder of the award-winning Goenchi feni brand, has had a similar journey. Feni, for him, became a way to connect to his roots in Goa after the pandemic.

 

“Tequila and gin have become global. Feni was known more as country liquor, which gave it a very downgraded vibe,” he said.

 

Going back to his ancestral farms, Sawardekar followed the traditional ways, but also brought something new to the table.

 

His unique process involves fermenting the cashew juice naturally without any yeast or chemicals and then putting it into copper cauldrons sealed with ant-hill mud, which does not crack in high temperatures. He has also debuted a Kokum-infused feni, and is now experimenting with a mango blend.

 

Helpfully, Goa’s feni policy was revised in September 2026 to recognise blended or infused feni.

 

“Alcohol is such a taboo topic in India. We don’t take pride in our spirits… The feni industry has to unite if we want to take the spirit to the next level,” Sawardekar said.

 

Revival bid

 

Goa’s feni enthusiasts have a long way to go. The feni industry has seen a decline in the number of distilleries as well as master distillers over decades. The number of licensed distilleries fell from 3,991 in 1996 to 2,703 in 2008. Current numbers are thought to be less than 1,000.  

 

“Competition from very large industrial producers puts the overall value proposition for high-quality feni in a tough spot. Consumers are likely to be very confused between a ~300 and a ~1,600 bottle. It’s hard work, and not many in the next generation are taking the legacy forward as a heritage craft,” Prakash said.

 

The Goa Forest Development Corporation began inviting bids for auctioning cashew nuts and cashew apples on October 15 in a process set to run until November 4. The bids covering over 300 cashew estates, will be crucial for feni makers for whom the supply of Goan cashew apples — known for their natural ripeness — is key to making the authentic spirit.  

 

But the local  yield has been unreliable due to poor monsoons and climate change, making way for cashew apples to be brought in from other states. At the same time, government policies and taxation have made it difficult for feni to cross state borders — entry taxes make supplying to other states expensive.

 

On a positive note, though, the Feni Distillers and Bottlers Association got the liquor removed from the “other spirits” section in 2019 and established its own definition and category under the Food and Drug Administration regulations, just like foreign liquor.

 

Need for promotion, mindset change

 

Experts say the government needs to do a lot more to promote feni. “We need to protect master distillers and support them in a difficult year. Make feni the destination drink of Goa. Change the mindset and give a highly palatable product. Tourists today are experimental — ride on that wave,” Prakash said.

 

Feni makers point to a missed opportunity — they were unable to showcase their products at a high-profile platform like the G20 summit in 2023.

 

A senior official in the state’s tourism department said the government has to be “cautious” about promoting products like tobacco and alcohol. On whether feni could become the next Tequila without the kind of government support that regions like Champagne and Cognac enjoy, the official said: “For these countries, alcohol is part of the culture. We promote feni on all our international tours but we cannot come across as asking people to consume alcohol — we take a very balanced approach.”

 

To be sure, Goa, too, is well known for its wide acceptance of alcohol consumption.

 

Feni, however, has started making inroads into foreign markets. Several brands are currently being exported to the UK, Canada, Australia, Taiwan and Japan. Industry players have seen interest from New Zealand and Thailand, too.

 

“Export is a low hanging fruit. We need to sell feni not as a commodity but tell it as a story, category. Our belief is that feni’s long-term strength lies in its value: distinctive ingredients, small-batch craftsmanship, generations of knowledge and a specific geographical identity. For much of the world, it also offers the excitement of discovering a spirit and a tradition they barely know,” Vaz said.