From Industry Experts to Entrepreneurs: The Story Behind Cartel Bros and Its Founders

India's premium spirits industry has always been a business of relationships, expertise, and timing. The story of Cartel Bros premium spirits begins with four people who had already spent years understanding the Indian liquor business from very different sides. 

Manish Sani and Moksh Sani came from the world of liquor retail and distribution through Living Liquidz. Jitin Merani brought experience from bartending and beverage solutions through Drinq, and Rohan Nihalani came from the importing side of the alcobev industry.

None of these experiences, individually, tells the complete Cartel Bros story. Together, they do. The company's strength comes from having people at the table who understand the journey of a spirit from brand idea to bottle, from bottle to distributor, and from distributor to consumer.

Four Different Perspectives, One Common Idea

What made the partnership interesting was precisely how different those experiences were. Retail gives you a close understanding of what consumers actually pick up from a shelf. Distribution shows you how brands move through India's complicated spirits market. Bartending reveals how people drink, mix, and experience spirits. Importing brings an understanding of international brands and how they can enter the Indian market.

Put those perspectives together, and a bigger opportunity becomes visible: instead of simply bringing someone else's brands to India, why not build a portfolio designed around what Indian consumers were looking for?

That was the thinking behind Cartel Bros. The company's founding vision was identifying gaps in the market and bringing superior global liquor brands to Indian connoisseurs.

Turning Industry Knowledge Into a Business

The timing mattered too. When Cartel Bros entered the market in 2023, India's premium alcohol category was already becoming increasingly interesting to both consumers and international brands. 

And The Glenwalk quickly became the proof point for the founders' model. Launched in India in June 2023 with Sanjay Dutt as its brand partner, The Glenwalk expanded to more than 75 Indian cities across six states within its first year and entered Dubai soon after. For a young company, it demonstrated that the founders' combined understanding of product, distribution, and consumer behaviour could translate into a scalable brand.

Why The Glenwalk Mattered

The Glenwalk's early journey is important to understanding Cartel Bros because it established the company's basic playbook: find a space within the premium spirits market, build a distinctive proposition around it, and then take that proposition beyond its initial geography.

The brand initially launched in Mumbai, a decision that made strategic sense given the founders' existing understanding of the city's liquor market. Jitin Merani later explained that Living Liquidz's presence in Mumbai provided valuable insight into the local whisky market. The trajectory gave Cartel Bros something more valuable than an initial product launch: proof that its founders could build a premium spirits brand from the ground up.

From Whisky to a Bigger Spirits Portfolio

Once that foundation was established, the portfolio began to broaden. The company moved into single malt whisky with The GlenJourneys in collaboration with Ajay Devgn. This whisky, too, made its mark and has won multiple awards, including the Gold Medal at the London Spirits Competition 2026 and India Wines & Spirits Awards (IWSA) 2025.

Cartel Bros then entered vodka with Shelter6, created in collaboration with Badshah. The Shelter6 launch represented Cartel Bros' move beyond whisky and into the premium white-spirits category, something the company had already identified as part of its broader portfolio ambitions when it first entered the market.

And that's where the original founder story becomes particularly relevant- the founders' collective understanding of the liquor business to create a house of premium spirits while retaining a common philosophy around quality, experience and brand building.

What Cartel Bros Is Building

That is ultimately what makes Cartel Bros interesting in the premium whisky brands conversation in India. Its portfolio has expanded from The Glenwalk into The GlenJourneys and Shelter6, while its founders continue to draw on decades of experience across different parts of the alcohol ecosystem.

For consumers exploring a list of premium whisky brands in India, the Cartel Bros portfolio now represents different interpretations of the premium spirits experience. But behind those bottles is a simpler story: four industry veterans saw an opportunity to stop building other people's businesses and start building one together.

FAQs

1. Who founded Cartel Bros?

The Cartel Bros include Manish Sani, Moksh Sani, Jitin Merani, and Rohan Nihalani. Their backgrounds span retail, distribution, bartending, importing, and liquor brand building. 

2. Which are the top premium whisky brands in India from Cartel Bros?

Cartel Bros' current whisky portfolio includes The Glenwalk, a blended Scotch whisky brand, and The GlenJourneys, a luxury single malt whisky brand. Both are featured on the company's official premium whisky and spirits portfolio, alongside Shelter6 premium vodka.

3. Does Cartel Bros have some of the best premium whisky brands in India?

Cartel Bros has built a portfolio focused on premium whisky and spirits, including The Glenwalk blended Scotch and The GlenJourneys single malt. Both these brands are known for authentic preparation and a premium drinking experience. Explore the company's premium whisky collection at a liquor store near you.

4. What is Cartel Bros known for in India's premium spirits market?

Cartel Bros is known for importing, launching, distributing, and building premium spirits brands in India. Its portfolio currently spans Scotch whisky, single malt whisky, and Russian-distilled vodka, reflecting its stated focus on bringing global premium liquor experiences to Indian consumers.