Aryan Khan D’YAVOL | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Aryan Khan is busy. The 27-year-old is the co-founder of his streetwear and spirits brand D’YAVOL, and is working on his directorial debut – a web series that is set to release soon. Along with all this, he also has the burden of being the son of the world’s most famous actor Shahrukh Khan.

But this scion of Bollywood royalty is serious about the business, “Over the years, I have been playing many roles, and it comes with its own challenges and hurdles. Still, I try to ensure that I dedicate myself equally to each project,” he says. I talk to co-founder of the brand Letty Blagoeva as well as her about D’Yavole’s spirits vertical.

D’YAVOL was started by Aryan, Shahrukh and their family friends Leti Blagoeva and Bunty Singh. The brand also has a streetwear vertical (called X) and a portfolio of spirits. While streetwear is making a lot of noise with international launches, the spirits vertical is also quietly making its mark in the industry. The brand’s portfolio consists of single estate vodka, blended malt Scotch whiskey (Inception), and blended Scotch whiskey (Vortex).

(L-R) Leti Blagoeva, Bunty Singh and Aryan Khan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

D’YAVOL was started when Europe-based husband-and-wife Bunty and Leti decided to form a company with the Khan family. Letty says, “The business partnership evolved from an existing friendship. Bunty and Shahrukh have been family friends for more than 10 or 12 years. Whenever we met we would talk about luxury and brands. One day, in a very systematic way, we decided to turn our ideas into reality.

Letty’s background was in management consulting in Germany, and he was an entrepreneur in the IT sector. Following the divestiture of their business, D’YAVOL was born. She adds that working with such big names has its own challenges (“We could be in remote places like a small village in the Netherlands, or the middle of Alabama, but if Shah Rukh is there, there’s something A crowd will gather within minutes”). But there is a lot of commitment from the Khan family and Letty explains how the team often spends hours together devising new ideas.

Silkroad Martini created in collaboration with Hutong Bar in London

‘Born in Genesis’ philosophy

The product side of the brand is handled by Bunty and Letty, while Shahrukh and Aryan lead the creative and visual aesthetic side. “For us, the first rule of thumb is to always go straight to the authentic source, where we have worked hard with local experts to blend age-old techniques with a modern twist,” says Aryan, the brand’s ‘born-in Talking about the ‘-Genesis’ philosophy.

“It’s about giving true value to the provenance and craft,” he adds. For example, vodka is made in the heart of Poland, the country where vodka was first created. The grain is sourced from a single farm on an estate located in the region of Kalisz. The spirit is filtered using black pearls from French Polynesia. Even all the whiskey is made in Scotland to maintain authenticity.

UK debut

“I am very proud to say that our products have performed undefeated at the awards. “This year we have got over 25 awards in our portfolio and that is no small thing for any brand,” says Aryan.

D’YAVOL was at the recently concluded London Cocktail Week at The Shard to preview the brand’s UK launch. “We introduced a signature cocktail called the Silkroad Martini, which highlights the subtle nuances of our vodka, which we did in partnership with Hutong, one of my favorite bars in London,” says Aryan. The drink includes vodka with Scotch, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, elderflower syrup, star anise and fresh rosemary.

In the future, the brand plans limited releases and special editions. Aryan also has empty hands. “As I said, my web series will be coming out soon, but I’m also working on some amazing new products and verticals for D’YAVOL. Our next D’YAVOL Next year we will also launch some signature accessories. On the spirits side, we will soon be launching Añejo Tequila, which we are all very excited about!”

D’YAVOL spirits are available in select Indian and international cities