Nagaland’s first legal distillery: a Naga rice spirit with a protected name

For generations, Naga homes brewed zu — the rice beer that lubricates every festival and negotiation — in the shadows of the law. Now, the state’s first licensed distillery is bottling a modern interpretation.

The product, a clear rice spirit with a protected name, has found favour with the diaspora and with cocktail bars in Guwahati and Delhi.

Traditional brewers watch with interest: if the legal market works, the home-brew’s ancient recipes finally have a future.