Conservation meets couture as Godawan 173 takes craft, luxury and heritage from Rajasthan to London
Each of the 173 bottles is unique, designed in Jaipur Blue Pottery is an ode to the fragile craft, revived in recent decades by the award-winning artisan Dr. Leela Bordia.
- Oct 1, 2025,
- Updated Oct 1, 2025 6:56 PM IST
When Diageo India unveiled Godawan 173: The Collector’s Edition at The Savoy in London recently, the launch had all the trappings of high luxury: a couture gown by Erdem, Sonam Kapoor walking the red carpet, and a price tag of Rs 5 lakh per bottle. Yet beneath the glitter lies a story that stretches well beyond the world of spirits. At its heart is an endangered bird, the Great Indian Bustard, known locally as Godawan and is the very inspiration for the award-winning Indian single malt’s name. The limited edition release is a continued testament to the brand’s efforts in conservation while also taking a deeper story of land, craft, heritage and community from the heartland of India to the world.
For Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer, Diageo India, Godawan 173 is not just another limited release as he views it as a defining chapter for what the story that Indian single malts tell. “For us, this limited expression, as much as it was about celebrating the conservation of the bird and the growth in numbers from 100 five years ago to 173 now, it was also about celebrating artisans and the community of people that keep the tradition of art and craft alive in Rajasthan,” said Damodaran.
The godawan, Rajasthan’s state bird, was once a contender for India’s national bird. Today, it teeters on the brink of extinction. With only one egg laid per year, its population had dwindled below 100 a few years ago. When Diageo first launched Godawan 100, it marked that positive milestone in the journey. Now, through sustained partnerships and proceeds reinvested into habitat restoration and hatcheries, the count has climbed to 173, the number that lends this new edition its name. Conservation was never just a line in a campaign for Diageo India. “We’ve committed to working with state governments, the Wildlife Institute, and local NGOs. The hope is that this becomes the next Project Tiger, a long-term conservation success story that India can be proud of,” noted Damodaran.
If the conservation story roots the brand in purpose, the artistry elevates it into the realm of luxury. Damodaran highlighted the partnership with artisan Dr. Leela Bordia for the Jaipur blue pottery, which adorns the bottles. Each of the 173 bottles is unique, designed in Jaipur Blue Pottery is an ode to the fragile craft, revived in recent decades by the award-winning artisan. It is distinctive not just for its striking cobalt blue and white hues but also for its unique composition as it is crafted entirely without clay and instead uses quartz, salts and natural glaze. Every Godawan 173 bottle has the cobalt blue broken by sand-white motifs evoking Rajasthan’s landscape. “What you’re really buying,” Damodaran stresses, “is a work of art” as no two bottles are alike and may sit on the same customer’s shelf as a unique collectible.
The goal is to showcase how India can produce a spirit that meets the world’s highest standards, but also one that tells a deeper story, about land, craft, and community and that community is wide-ranging. From artisans of Jaipur’s Blue Pottery, conservationists at the Wildlife Institute of India, the Bishnoi people of Rajasthan who have long protected local fauna, and global whisky drinkers drawn to rarity. Each plays a part in a project that is part luxury, part responsibility.
For whisky lovers, of course, the liquid itself must deliver. Godawan 173 was matured for nine years across three cask types: American white oak ex-bourbon, European Oloroso and PX Sherry, and finally Asha liqueur casks, carved from Indian Sal wood. The pride in Indian heritage is at the forefront here as well as Asha liqueur draws from a century-old Rajasthani royal recipe of 42 ingredients, culminating in a finish never before attempted in whisky.
“The best way I can describe it,” Damodaran says, “is Christmas in your nose and cake in your mouth.” The beautiful, aromatic whiskey is a burst of flavours on the drinker’s palette as the deep aging in sherry combines with the intense flavours of the Asha liqueur, with hints of nuttiness and the combination makes it confectionary. That uniqueness has been validated by critics, including Scotch whisky authority Charles Maclean, who has written tasting notes for the edition. Non-chill filtered and double-distilled, the whisky balances global finesse with unmistakably Indian roots. The launch leaned deliberately into the intersection of luxury and purpose.
Sonam Kapoor, beyond lending star power, pledged $50,000 to conservation along with Diageo India. The couture gown she wore, adorned with the Godawan emblem, is slated for auction three months later with proceeds returning to the program, chimes in Damodaran. He adds that all the mindful collaborations were done not just from a speakability purpose but by bringing like-minded people together. Adding to it is the larger signal that Indian luxury can stand on the global stage with a fully realised idea where art, craft, whisky, and conservation are woven together.
With only 173 bottles available worldwide, at Bangalore Duty Free and select London retailers, scarcity is part of the appeal. But for Diageo India, the bigger ambition is permanence. “We don’t know what the next number will be,” Damodaran admits. “I hope it's going to be a good leap from where we are, but more importantly what matters is that this is a journey for eternity. It's a journey that will continue to grow.”
For collectors, then, Godawan 173 offers three things: a piece of art, a liquid of global calibre, and membership in a community that champions conservation. For India, it signals something much larger – that a whisky forged in the echoes of a triad of conservation, craftsmanship and heritage can carve its own place in the world of luxury, while ensuring that the desert skies may still echo with the wingbeats of the Godawan.
When Diageo India unveiled Godawan 173: The Collector’s Edition at The Savoy in London recently, the launch had all the trappings of high luxury: a couture gown by Erdem, Sonam Kapoor walking the red carpet, and a price tag of Rs 5 lakh per bottle. Yet beneath the glitter lies a story that stretches well beyond the world of spirits. At its heart is an endangered bird, the Great Indian Bustard, known locally as Godawan and is the very inspiration for the award-winning Indian single malt’s name. The limited edition release is a continued testament to the brand’s efforts in conservation while also taking a deeper story of land, craft, heritage and community from the heartland of India to the world.
For Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer, Diageo India, Godawan 173 is not just another limited release as he views it as a defining chapter for what the story that Indian single malts tell. “For us, this limited expression, as much as it was about celebrating the conservation of the bird and the growth in numbers from 100 five years ago to 173 now, it was also about celebrating artisans and the community of people that keep the tradition of art and craft alive in Rajasthan,” said Damodaran.
The godawan, Rajasthan’s state bird, was once a contender for India’s national bird. Today, it teeters on the brink of extinction. With only one egg laid per year, its population had dwindled below 100 a few years ago. When Diageo first launched Godawan 100, it marked that positive milestone in the journey. Now, through sustained partnerships and proceeds reinvested into habitat restoration and hatcheries, the count has climbed to 173, the number that lends this new edition its name. Conservation was never just a line in a campaign for Diageo India. “We’ve committed to working with state governments, the Wildlife Institute, and local NGOs. The hope is that this becomes the next Project Tiger, a long-term conservation success story that India can be proud of,” noted Damodaran.
If the conservation story roots the brand in purpose, the artistry elevates it into the realm of luxury. Damodaran highlighted the partnership with artisan Dr. Leela Bordia for the Jaipur blue pottery, which adorns the bottles. Each of the 173 bottles is unique, designed in Jaipur Blue Pottery is an ode to the fragile craft, revived in recent decades by the award-winning artisan. It is distinctive not just for its striking cobalt blue and white hues but also for its unique composition as it is crafted entirely without clay and instead uses quartz, salts and natural glaze. Every Godawan 173 bottle has the cobalt blue broken by sand-white motifs evoking Rajasthan’s landscape. “What you’re really buying,” Damodaran stresses, “is a work of art” as no two bottles are alike and may sit on the same customer’s shelf as a unique collectible.
The goal is to showcase how India can produce a spirit that meets the world’s highest standards, but also one that tells a deeper story, about land, craft, and community and that community is wide-ranging. From artisans of Jaipur’s Blue Pottery, conservationists at the Wildlife Institute of India, the Bishnoi people of Rajasthan who have long protected local fauna, and global whisky drinkers drawn to rarity. Each plays a part in a project that is part luxury, part responsibility.
For whisky lovers, of course, the liquid itself must deliver. Godawan 173 was matured for nine years across three cask types: American white oak ex-bourbon, European Oloroso and PX Sherry, and finally Asha liqueur casks, carved from Indian Sal wood. The pride in Indian heritage is at the forefront here as well as Asha liqueur draws from a century-old Rajasthani royal recipe of 42 ingredients, culminating in a finish never before attempted in whisky.
“The best way I can describe it,” Damodaran says, “is Christmas in your nose and cake in your mouth.” The beautiful, aromatic whiskey is a burst of flavours on the drinker’s palette as the deep aging in sherry combines with the intense flavours of the Asha liqueur, with hints of nuttiness and the combination makes it confectionary. That uniqueness has been validated by critics, including Scotch whisky authority Charles Maclean, who has written tasting notes for the edition. Non-chill filtered and double-distilled, the whisky balances global finesse with unmistakably Indian roots. The launch leaned deliberately into the intersection of luxury and purpose.
Sonam Kapoor, beyond lending star power, pledged $50,000 to conservation along with Diageo India. The couture gown she wore, adorned with the Godawan emblem, is slated for auction three months later with proceeds returning to the program, chimes in Damodaran. He adds that all the mindful collaborations were done not just from a speakability purpose but by bringing like-minded people together. Adding to it is the larger signal that Indian luxury can stand on the global stage with a fully realised idea where art, craft, whisky, and conservation are woven together.
With only 173 bottles available worldwide, at Bangalore Duty Free and select London retailers, scarcity is part of the appeal. But for Diageo India, the bigger ambition is permanence. “We don’t know what the next number will be,” Damodaran admits. “I hope it's going to be a good leap from where we are, but more importantly what matters is that this is a journey for eternity. It's a journey that will continue to grow.”
For collectors, then, Godawan 173 offers three things: a piece of art, a liquid of global calibre, and membership in a community that champions conservation. For India, it signals something much larger – that a whisky forged in the echoes of a triad of conservation, craftsmanship and heritage can carve its own place in the world of luxury, while ensuring that the desert skies may still echo with the wingbeats of the Godawan.