Indian whisky has come a long way and there are now a few big players in the industry that have really distinguished themselves in terms of quality, experience and just overall presentation.
Paul John Whisky and Amrut are two of the biggest whisky’s to come out of India and have become world wide recognized sensation. The time and patience it takes to nurture and age these casks is time consuming, which makes them even more coveted than some of the Scotch I have come across.
Amrut Distilleries Ltd was founded in Bangalore, Karnataka in 1948 by JN Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale.
Amrut is a brand of Indian single malt whisky, manufactured by Amrut Distilleries, and launched on 24 August 2004 in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the first single malt whisky to be made in India. Amrut in Sanskrit translates to mean the “nectar of the gods”. Amrut single malt whisky is made from barley, and for some variants, peated barley. Barley is procured from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, while the peated barley is imported from Scotland, this gives it a nice contrast between the different barley strains that are used in the whisky.
Due to the hot climates of the country, the angel share is almost half of what gets put in the barrel. So the product becomes very limited in that aspect.
Name: Amrut Single Malt Whisky Double Cask
Region: India
Nose: Lots of honey and oak, vanilla and butterscotch, cereal and hints of floral citrus. There are also hints of pineapple, sweet barley and brown sugar. It has a nice spice that if you inhale too hard it can burn. Be gentle, gently nose it and allow the sweet oak to carefully and subtly become more noticeable.
Palate: Very nice smooth mouthfeel, velvety oak, vanilla and custard. Cereal and orange grapefruit, papaya and toffee. There is a nice grainy spice. Since its finished in bourbon and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, give it dark chocolate, malt and caramel. This makes it a really great mix.
Finish: The finish is bold and spicy. It lasts and really shines the dark chocolate mixed vanilla through. Lasts a few minutes with a nice warm mouthfeel.
