The first thing Jeewan Chand tells me is that he never set out to become someone who would redefine a whisky portfolio. Trained as a chemical engineer from NIT and now leading distillation and blending at Radiant Manufacturers, his path has been shaped as much by science as by instinct. But ask him what transformed him as a blender, and he doesn’t begin with chemistry. He begins with self-belief.
“When I first met John McDougall, he threw me straight into a whisky tasting,” he recalls with a laugh. “I was nervous because I wasn’t identifying the same flavour notes he was. Then he said something I’ll never forget: Your nose and your palate are your own. You’ll pick up different notes than I do, and neither of us is wrong. That completely changed the way I approached blending.”
That lesson still guides him today. Instead of chasing perfection through imitation, Jeewan learnt that the finest blends come from trusting one’s own senses.
It’s an interesting philosophy to carry while working in Assam, a region that, according to him, is quietly rewriting the rules of whisky maturation.
“The heat and humidity here accelerate everything,” he explains. “A whisky in Assam matures much faster than one in Scotland. The wood breathes differently, which means you develop richer woody notes and natural sweetness much earlier, although the angel’s share is also much higher.”
The conversation naturally moves to the age-old debate: is blending an art or a science? Jeewan smiles before answering.
“Science is present from the moment the grain arrives until the whisky is bottled,” he says. “But instinct comes into play when you’re choosing casks and deciding how different whiskies should come together. Two casks can look almost identical on paper, but taste completely different. Science ensures consistency; instinct creates character.”
That balance has become increasingly important as Indian whisky earns recognition on the world stage. While international awards have brought credibility, Jeewan believes the industry’s biggest challenge isn’t making better whisky but it’s telling the truth about it.
“We have to move from quantity to quality,” he says. “Consumers deserve transparency about what’s in the bottle. Instead of trying to imitate Scotch, we should proudly showcase our own grains, our climate and our identity.”
That philosophy extends across Radiant Manufacturers’ portfolio, whether it’s whisky, rum or wine.
“Every product starts with a conversation,” he explains. “Before production even begins, the teams discuss who the consumer is, what the product should represent and the experience it should deliver. Once everyone agrees on that vision, everything else, from ingredients to blending follows.”
For Jeewan, the future of Indian spirits lies not in borrowing ideas but in celebrating homegrown ones. He sees drinkers becoming more adventurous, more curious about provenance, and more willing to explore regional ingredients.
“I think we’ll see more local botanicals, regional cask finishes, unique grains and flavours that truly reflect where they’re made,” he says. “People don’t just want another whisky anymore. They want a story, a place and an identity in every bottle.”
Away from the blending room, Jeewan often swaps tasting glasses for a guitar. It’s a detail that suddenly makes sense. Music, like whisky, depends on rhythm, harmony and knowing when not to overcomplicate things.
Perhaps that’s the real thread running through his work but not the pursuit of perfection, but the confidence to let each note find its own place.
