Are you going to tell me Indian whisky? How about some Scottish rum while we’re at it?

Well, both exist! Yes, and I will come back one day to tell you about Scottish Rum!

Concerning India (populated by 1.4 billion inhabitants), we find ourselves facing a country which in 2019, based on the top 25 “whisky” brands in the world (according to the magazine FORBES), still sold 1.1 billion bottles (cumulatively for 13 brands out of the 25 best-selling worldwide). Suffice it to say that with brands that are almost unknown to us, we drink “whisky” there!

Did you know, for example, that the best-selling brands in the world are called MCDOWELL’S (from United Spirits) and OFFICER’S CHOICE (from Allied Blenders & Distillers) with 276 and 275 million bottles respectively? If I dared to make a comparison, the first known brands on the list, I named the walker JOHNNIE WALKER (5th on the list) and the cowboy JACK DANIELS (6th), sell “only” 165 million bottles for the first and 120 million for the second. For information, however, we are talking here about bottles without references to the sale price. A MCDOWELL’S is around €15 and the OFFICER’S CHOICE at €5!!.

So of course, I wouldn't tell you that these Indian "whiskies" (whose composition is sometimes a little surprising because alongside barley you can find... molasses) are the best (I'm not committing to that -inside and I didn't taste them anyway). Nevertheless, it seemed interesting to me to talk about it before launching into the almost piecemeal production (see below) of AMRUT (which is good, I will come back to it).

My faithful BRAD PEAT who often accompanies me on my adventures, knows what to expect. He's ready to fight. Moreover, for the occasion I adorned it with a new horn, completely essential in this magnificent country (my readers who have already been there will know what I am talking about).

What about AMRUT (“Elixir of life” in Hindi)?

Older readers may remember a previous tasting at the City Palace in Udaipur that I was already able to offer (see here the tasting of the renowned AMRUT FUSION). Estimated as one of the 3 best whiskies in the world in 2010 by Mr. JIM MURRAY.

It seems necessary to me to give you a little presentation.

BRAD PEAT therefore takes charge of the province of KARNATAKA and the city of Bangalore (Bengaluru in Hindi in the text). Well, not completely in the megacity which has more engineers than in Silicone Valley but in a village a few kilometers to the south: Kambipura (small village of 8000 inhabitants).

It is here on the edge of the Mysore Road that we find the distillery created in 1948 (barely a year after the partition of India) by Shri J.N. Radhakrishna. You can't miss it because from the road you can see the beautiful still enthroned in the park.

Go for a little history!

In the past, the distillery did not have the notoriety it has today, but we can still say that it has experience. Moreover, like many Indian distilleries, under the direction of its creator and then his son, Shri Neelakanta Rao Jagdal (since 1976 and current CEO), it has long produced blends for Indian defense (with, as is often the case, in this country of imported whisky mixed with molasses). It also produces brandy and even rum.

It was not until the 1980s that the manager launched into distillation and installed stills in Bengaluru. It was then supplied with local barley. However at the time, single malts did not have the press they have today (especially in India where the company intended its production) and production continued to supply the house's blends. The main product then was called MaQintosh Premium (it still exists).

Generations followed one another and in 2004, after studying in Scotland, Mr. Rakshith Jagdale, the grandson of the creator, came to bring his knowledge. We are already starting to cultivate barley in the north of India in the fertile regions of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and malt then in Jaipur or Delhi. Peated malted barley remains of Scottish origin.

The distillery now has two pairs of custom-made Pot Stills on site and it even has its own cooperage.

The decision was also made to launch into export. It was then decided to launch with a single malt this time. It was even decided to create the notion of INDIAN SINGLE MALT.

The company then found itself faced with two major problems. Barley-based production and aging time. In India, as we have just seen, we call whisky a distillate of quite a few things (and not just cereals).

Moreover, as everyone knows, it takes 3 years to make a whisky and the one the company used for its local production was only 2 years old (minimum aging for the appellation in India.

The problem came in particular from the aging cellar of the distillery located at altitude (approximately 1000 meters) but above all in the middle of the tropical zone. Suffice to say, a real plus for the wood distillate exchange but also a real joy for the angels (we are talking about 12% per year). This is also why most AMRUT distillates do not exceed 5 years because, taking into account the loss, the production would be worthy of rum production.

However, it is considered that aging in tropical zones is faster than aging in temperate zones and that an AMRUT of 5 years can be compared to a Scotsman of 10 years.

The company did offer a 10-year-old Greedy Angel, but it was placed directly on the collector's rarities shelves.

Besides, don't you think it's time to taste his achievements.

But the distillery has managed to adapt to world whisky standards. And for our great pleasure offers beautiful things.

Let’s start at the beginning and with the signing of AMRUT in Europe since 2004.

This is a 100% house single malt. Produced with barley from the north in Punjab, wetted with Bengaluru water and distilled in 4 stills. It is aged in ex-bourbon barrels and is offered reduced to 46%.

We will see that the color of the different distillates is quite marked for such short aging periods. Moreover, the one we have before our eyes takes on a more pronounced golden yellow color than what we are used to seeing with a short period in bourbon barrels. It’s good that in a tropical climate things must happen.

The first nose of this whisky is warm and very fruity. It takes us to an orchard of sun-drenched fruits, ready to burst forth. At the same time, it gives us a great sweetness close to candy sugar with a hint of spice which appears as if emerging from the bottom of the glass.

On the second pass, it becomes softer and moves towards a mixture of barley and caramel, always with spices in the background as if restrained by all this sugar.

On the third pass, the remaining spices take the lead with a smell of cloves bringing a certain freshness.

In the mouth, it is much fresher than advertised. We will detect a taste of pear studded with cloves which give it a slightly woody side which would perhaps show its young age. Subsequently, while the spices remain on the tongue, it becomes soft and pastry and leaves on velvet then honey.

When you swallow it, it has a burst of spicy, peppery notes that are paradoxically warm again. It leaves notes of roasted malt in the mouth.

As part of its “Europeanization” of tastes, the AMRUT distillery now offers more usual aging methods here.

Indeed, this new reference in the AMRUT range is the result of a round trip in barrels. a first aging in Bourbon barrels before being transferred to Sherry barrels and again re-transferred to Bourbon barrels all over a short period. Perhaps this is a way to cover the tracks and drive the angels crazy?

As the expertise of the distillery must be shown it is offered at 57.1% ABV.

“Itermediate” this distillate will also be in terms of its color. Its passage through a sherry barrel in a tropical climate gives it a very marked copper color (while we have more red copper tones in our latitudes).

On the nose, it leads us directly into the heat of Bengaluru. It exudes a softness and a sweet mellowness. Then grape notes appear before we witness an explosion of spices and woody notes.

After a furtive note of strawberry, it is moreover a melting pot of pepper, ginger and cinnamon which accompanies us throughout the second passage on a background of apricot.

The third passage calms down slightly to leave a little room for chocolate notes.

In the mouth it’s the same thing. A very discreet and gentle beginning then an explosion first of sweet fruity notes, then Indian spices, before finishing with woody mahogany notes. At the end the turmoil calms down even if here and there spices remain present and it ends with soft notes of chocolate and vanilla on an exotic woody background.

On the way down, it is marked by notes of liquorice, flowers and a great and long freshness.

To continue our overview, and to show that the distillery can recently offer “older” distillates, we also find Single Casks chosen by Ashok Chokalingam, the master distiller of the house.

The first is 100% local production since it is produced with the house's Indian barley in 2014. Above all, it has been fully aged for 8 years (and if you have read my text you know that at AMRUT it's a lot) in large barrels of PORT. To savor the smallest details, it is offered in cask strength at 60% ABV.

With this distillate, we continue our descent into increasingly darker shades with a light terra cota.

On the nose, it leads us directly into the heat of Bengaluru. It exudes a softness and a sweet mellowness. Then grape notes appear before we witness an explosion of spices and woody notes.

After a furtive note of strawberry, it is moreover a melting pot of pepper, ginger and cinnamon which accompanies us throughout the second passage on a background of apricot.

The third passage calms down slightly to leave a little room for chocolate notes.

In the mouth it’s the same thing. A very discreet and gentle beginning then an explosion first of sweet fruity notes, then Indian spices, before finishing with woody mahogany notes. At the end the turmoil calms down even if here and there spices remain present and it ends with soft notes of chocolate and vanilla on an exotic woody background.

On the way down, it is marked by notes of liquorice, flowers and a great and long freshness.

To end our tasting, I couldn't do better than to let you taste a peated whisky.

If here the barley does not come from the foothills of the Himalayas (but from Scotland because it is peated), the fact remains that this whisky also shows the impact of the distillery's custom stills. It was produced in 2015 and also spent 8 years in a PORT PIPE. Like its half-brother, it is offered at 60% ABV.

As before, the color of this distillate continues to darken. We are now on a color really close to terra cota.

On the nose we will get a little closer to the tasting standards of a whisky aged in port barrels. It will be warm with intense fruitiness with hints of apricot. On the other hand, we can find an enhancement of the mahogany woody character with the addition of volutes of peat smoke. We find the spices well.

On the second pass the peat becomes more present but against a background of Indian heat and humidity.

On the third pass, the spices return in force with cinnamon, pepper and ginger which make it lively.

On the palate, it is powerful with sweet notes, then hay and herbaceous notes but clearly a large presence of peat notes. It stings your mouth with pepper and nails but remains with very mellow notes of ripe fruit left in a basket. By keeping it the fire calms down with dense and thick notes of honey.

But it is to better appreciate the descent with its little burst of spices but above all the rise of peat smoke. We find woody notes of sandalwood which paradoxically will be more marked on distillates produced from Indian barley.