FACTS
Amrut (Sanskrit for 'nectar of the Gods') whisky is produced by Amrut Distilleries Ltd, a distilled beverages company that also produces brandy, rum, vodka, and gin with single malt whisky only making up around 5% of the company's revenue. In 1948, Amrut's founder, J.N. Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale, established Amrut Distilleries Ltd in Bangalore, India, as a liquor blending and bottling facility, specializing in Indian Made Foreign Liquor.
In 1982, Jagdale's son, Neelakanta Rao Jagdale decided to create a whisky using barley, at a time when most distillers in India were using molasses. They began using locally grown barley and the first batch of single malt whisky was ready within 18 months. This was blended with alcohol distilled from sugarcane to produce MaQintosh Premium Whisky.
The current distillery was built in 1987 and Jagdale believed that the taste profile of young Amrut was similar to that of twelve year old Scotch, with the Angel's Share in India being in excess of 10%, and decided to try and launch their whisky in Europe. In 2001, Jagdale asked his son, Rakhit Jagdale, who was in England at the time, to investigate exporting their products to that country and in 2004, Amrut Single Malt Whisky was launched in Europe and spread throughout Western Europe within two years. In 2010, their Single Malt launched in India and in the United States.
Amrut's barley is procured from Haryna, Punjab, and Rajasthan while their peated barley is imported from Scotland. The distillery has six 10000-litre stainless steel fermenters and two 5000-litre copper pot stills and their water is transported by truck, to the distillery, from a well located fifteen miles away. The whisky is generally matured for four and a half years but may be higher for some variants and is aged in new oak and used bourbon barrels, imported from the U.S. They also use their own rum and brandy casks to finish their single malts as well as sherry casks from Spain. Amrut has grown from strength to strength and has had many successful releases and won numerous international whisky awards.
Whisky/ Year: Amrut Peated (2016)
Whisky Type: Single Malt
Distillery/Owner: Amrut Distilleries Ltd
Country/Region: India (Bangalore)
Cask Type: Bourbon Barrel
Age: NAS (~5 years old)
ABV: 46%
Chill Filtration: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Price: R1200 / $80 / £60
TASTING NOTES
Colour:
Amber / Deep Gold
Nose:
Starts with the sensation of creaminess. There's a light, sweet peat note alongside wood and wood oils as well as a little rubber. There's also quite a bit of fruit, especially apple and pineapple, and a butterscotch note
Palate:
The peat is a touch more intense now and also more medicinal. There's burnt toast and wood as well as some chilli and alcohol. The apple is still present but now some citrus appears and there's a briny note throughout
Finish:
The finish is of medium length. The wood and peat are still there but fade fairly quickly and you're left with a little bitterness
P.S.
Although I have tasted other Indian whiskies, this is the only Amrut whisky I've had. The youthfulness of this whisky does show in places but overall, it's a fairly solid dram with many of the characteristics of some of my favourite Islay's. If you're looking to taste something from outside of Scotland and love peat, this is a good place to start. From what I've seen and read, Amrut also have some stunners that have been released over the years including the Spectrum, Portonova, and Fusion so I'll be looking to get my hands on more of these releases soon.
SCORE: 6.5/10
Check out our whisky scoring guide
Comments