Deepak Malhotra

Deepak Malhotra is a British-Indian entrepreneur and co-founder of MYST Drinks, a premium flavoured spirits brand based in London. Born and raised in the UK, Malhotra developed an early interest in the drinks industry and consumer brands, shaped in part by the growing culture of flavour innovation in the UK spirits market during the 2010s. His background spans consumer goods and brand development, with a commercial orientation towards building products that appeal to younger, culturally diverse audiences.

Malhotra co-founded Liquor-ish Ltd in 2018 alongside a fellow Londoner, following a shared experience on holiday in Mexico where the two friends bonded over their mutual dislike of traditional tequila. That conversation became the founding insight for MYST: that a gap existed in the market for flavoured spirits that were genuinely smooth, flavour-led, and approachable to a generation of drinkers who had been shaped by cocktail culture and the premiumisation of consumer goods across every category they engaged with.

As a co-founder of MYST, Malhotra has been responsible for shaping the brand's identity and commercial strategy. Under his stewardship, the brand has launched three core products — Salted Caramel Tequila, Coffee Tequila, and Spiced Apple Rum — all bottled at 26% ABV and designed to be versatile across shots, cocktails, and sipping occasions. The brand has secured affiliations with MOBO and IHS, and distributes across UK retail, e-commerce, and on-trade channels.

In 2024, Malhotra led MYST through a £1.4 million funding round to scale production, develop new flavour variants, and invest in the brand marketing needed to accelerate awareness among the company's target consumer demographic. The raise underscores Malhotra's ambition to position MYST as one of the defining flavoured spirits brands for the next generation of UK drinkers.