Marmalade, the new-age drinks firm behind Brightside Craft Whiskey, has raised Rs 6 crore in an early-stage funding spherical led by a curated group of founders, operators and strategic buyers.

Buyers embrace Ashok Chokalingam, COO of Amrut Distilleries; Robert Sellares, from the founding household of Don Q Rum; Ishank Gupta, former AB InBev Director and Founding father of Humyn Labs; the founders of Malt Society Arabia; and HomeLane founders Srikanth Iyer and Tanuj Choudhry.

Based by Udit Mediratta and Surojit Bhattacharya, Marmalade is constructing flavour-forward, easy-drinking spirits for the brand new technology of legal-drinking-age Indian customers. Its first model, Brightside Craft Whiskey, was launched in Pune in January 2026.

Positioned as “Not Your Father’s Whiskey,” Marmalade mentioned Brightside challenges the acquired-taste ache curve historically related to whiskey and is designed to ship a smoother, extra approachable “no-burn, no-bitterness” ingesting expertise.

Udit Mediratta and Surojit Bhattacharya, Co-founders of Marmalade, mentioned, “Gen Z is predicted to account for almost 40% of India’s ingesting inhabitants by 2030. But, a lot of the class nonetheless speaks to an earlier technology, with merchandise and types that haven’t saved tempo with altering tastes. We created Marmalade to shut this hole, with Brightside as our first expression of what a new-gen Indian spirits model might be. This funding will assist us take that imaginative and prescient to extra customers and construct a few of India’s most beloved drinks manufacturers.”

Sujeet Mitra & Ganesh Iyer, founding Companions at H5 Investments and Malt Society of Arabia mentioned, “Essentially the most compelling shopper manufacturers carry collectively a robust group, a product that solves an actual drawback and a model that individuals keep in mind. Marmalade has that mixture. Brightside makes whiskey extra approachable for a brand new technology, whereas its distinctive model and considerate packaging enable it to interrupt by means of a crowded market. Udit and Surojit have the expertise and ambition to construct enduring alco-bev manufacturers and we’re excited to help their journey.”