Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin has been awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026, placing the Meghalaya-based brand among a global cohort of products recognised for innovation, functionality and design excellence.
Established in 1954, the Red Dot Award is one of the world’s most respected industrial design honours, evaluating thousands of entries each year across more than 50 categories. Previous winners include global brands such as Apple, Sony, Ferrari, Bose and Philips.
The recognition is notable as entries in the Product Design category rarely include alcohol brands. Unlike conventional packaging-focused awards, this category evaluates products based on functionality, usability and design integration.
According to the organisers, the award highlights two key innovations in the Cherrapunji Eastern Craft Gin bottle. The first is its material composition: the bottle is made from SS304 stainless steel instead of traditional glass, making it lighter, more durable and suitable for extended reuse.
The second is its functional design, which incorporates a calibrated measuring system within the closure. The built-in mechanism allows for precise 30 ml and 60 ml pours, effectively integrating a jigger into the bottle itself.
This design reduces the process of pouring into a single sequence—open, measure and pour—eliminating the need for additional tools.
While the bottle’s visual design draws inspiration from the landscape and cultural identity of Northeast India, the jury’s evaluation focused primarily on its functional clarity, efficiency of interaction and the seamless integration of form and use.
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