Indian arrack Manavatty
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
UK-based Malayali entrepreneur John Xavier remembers the code word the men in his family used for alcohol. It would be whispered in hushed tones, well out of earshot of the womenfolk. “And that word was Manavatty,” he says laughingly over a call from Northampton.
“Back in the eighties and nineties, in Kochi, any alcoholic beverage was known by the code word ‘Manavatty’,” says John, who, years after his childhood in the city, founded an Indian arrack brand of the same name in the UK.
In May this year, Manavatty won a bronze medal at the London Spirits Competition 2025, an event organised by the Beverage Trade Network and was chosen for the Spirit Bronze 2025 title at the International Wine and Spirit Competition Annual Awards Ceremony.
Indian arrack Manavatty
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The awards come as a sweet addition to the superlative reviews John has been getting for the drink after it was launched at the duty paid store at the Cochin International Airport in March 2025. The bottles flew off the shelves and in less than a week it was sold out. “Getting that sort of reception from home feels great,” he adds.
While locally distilled country alcohol is banned in Kerala, interest in the traditionally brewed alcohol outside India has been growing. Launched in small batches at John’s toddy-shop modelled restaurant Kallu Shappu at Northampton in 2019, Manavatty grew to be a favourite. By 2023, he scaled up production and by 2025, it became a popular drink in the UK, available in over 250 off-license shops.
John Xavier at the launch of Manavatty at duty-paid outlet at the Cochin International Airport
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
While it could be interpreted in any way by arrack lovers, John says he picked the name because it draws from the words ‘Mana’, which means primal energy and ‘vatty’, the art of traditional vatting.
Arrack is the common word for naturally distilled alcohol and the flavours are governed by various factors including the ageing process, and the ingredients that go into it. In Kerala, traditionally, everything from pineapple to paddy, toddy and fruits go into the potent drink, known as vaatu.
However, in the UK, John makes use of the locally-available rae grain that is known for the smoothness it can lend to the drink, pure coconut water and a mild infusion of herbs. Matured in heritage vats, the drink with “peppery notes and a balanced sweetness”, is an ode to Kerala’s vaatu. “Every country has its own naturally distilled alcohol and they are proud of their drinks. Manavatty is a tribute to Kerala’s traditional vatting, the technique passed down through generations,” says John.
Crafted by his own company, London Baron Ltd, all the raw materials are sourced locally. This no-preservative, no added-colour drink, certified as zero carb, fat, and sugar, is best had neat or if you must pair it with something, coconut water works best, advises John. Since it has no taste of its own, it would lend itself “wonderfully well” to cocktails too, he adds. It contains 44 % alcohol.
John is planning to introduce another version of Manavatty with a higher alcohol percentage soon. “That would not be for the faint-hearted,” he adds.
Manavatty is available in all Gray Mackenzie & Partners stores in the UAE and CIAL Cochin Duty Free Shop.
Published – June 27, 2025 12:37 pm IST
