The Vault Festival Was Not Just About Fine Spirits: Keshav Prakash

Asia's premier drinks festival was recently held in Mumbai. More than 3,000 people walked into The Vault Festival and sipped relishing alcohol on February 17 and 18. As Swarna Srikanth visited this festival and enjoyed the vibe, she spoke to its curator Keshav Prakash. Excerpts: 

What is new about the 2024 edition of The Vault Festival? 

This year, for the very first time, we had wine at the festival. We curated about 40 labels of wine from four different importers. The festival featured premium wines from all over the world in Mumbai. 

What made you curate this and bring several labels to India? How did you make this happen? 

I have always travelled around the world to discover spirits and their stories. I thought why should India not have a festival on an international level as good as this. So, we created this conversation piece of fine brands from India, the UK, Japan, and France among others. 

We spoke to Amrut and Paul John and asked if they could come together at this festival and be the bookends of the "Indian Single Malt Story" section. And, they agreed and we had them here. India's No.1 Bar 'Sidecar' also joined us and served some amazing cocktails to people visiting the festival. 

What attracted connoisseurs to this festival?

There were 100+ spirits which counted to over 15 whiskies and gins, 10 sakes, and more. We had several world spirits for visitors’ delight along with mixology, wine, and fantastic vodka and gin from Grasse, France. The festival also served craft beers. One could actually spend a day here with tequila, sake, and rum added to the list of what this event had to offer. 

Also, we provided a platform for people to connect and talk with one of the finest brains on whisky, Krishna Nukala. Interestingly, he has probably tasted over 5,000 whiskies so far. 

Apart from sipping drinks, what else makes this event special? 

There's music to set the evening vibe right. We had bands from Goa, Mūjo and Sambucada, performing here. Along with a plenty of drinks at the festival, there was a culinary lounge curated by Gourmet Tales Co. for people to experience the taste and flavour of world cuisines.

What do you have to say about the success of the event? 

With yet another successful festival this year, we are happy to be pioneers of the ‘slow-drink’ movement. Our commitment to providing an experiential platform that brings like-minded connoisseurs, explorers, and curiosity-driven consumers is testament to the takeaways and conversations this edition witnessed. It was an absolute pleasure to bring such immersive curations to the ever-growing spirit culture in the country.