Amrut Single Malt Indian Whisky
Amrut is a name you’ve probably heard but haven’t tasted.
Founded in the wake of India’s independence in 1948, Amrut Distillery in Bengaluru was the first distillery in India to produce whisky - though they wouldn’t do so right away.
From 1948 to 1982, Amrut produced various spirits including brandy, sugarcane/molasses-based spirits (rum), and industrial alcohol. In 1982, second-generation distiller/owner Neelakanta Rao Jagdale saw the rise of single malt and blended whisky in Scotland and elsewhere and wanted a piece of the pie. Unlike other Indian distilleries, however, Jagdale was committed to making the whisky from distilling barley.
Why was this odd? Well, whisky in India doesn’t have the same rules as, let’s say, Scotland. “Whisky” is (or at least was) a more catch-all term for distilled, potable spirits, and most Indian distillers were making “whisky” from molasses. The profile was therefore sweet, syrupy, and dark - though it would not be called whisky outside the country.
Barley does grow in India, though in the cooler areas on the coasts and farther north in Punjab and Rajasthan (Bengaluru, also called Bangalore, is about 1600 miles south). When Jagdale decided to move forward with a whisky, he also decided to use 6-row barley, which brings a spicier character than standard 2-row (the variations of malt/barley are wide-ranging and are heavily dependent on terroir). The grain was brought in from the country’s north, and less than two years later the first product consumers would consider a “single malt” was ready.
India - particularly the areas where distilleries like Amrut happen to be - is a much different environment than Scotland. It is routinely hotter by several measures, leading to an 11-12% annual angel’s share compared to Scotland’s average of 2% per year. According to Surinder Kumar, the Master Blender at Amrut, the evaporative loss equates to about three years in Scotland to every one year in India. Scotch whiskies are regularly aged to 10-12 years; similarly aged whiskies in India would be almost or totally evaporated at 10 years.
For about two decades, Amrut was content to produce blended whiskies using the single malt and sugarcane-based “whisky” under the MaQintosh Premium Whisky label. With whisky still in the mid-late 20th century doldrums and nearly zero domestic interest in single malt whisky, Amrut held the line, growing their domestic market share as new entrants such as Paul John were established.
At the turn of the millennium, things began to change. Third-generation Rakshit Jagdale, who was in England in 2001, was asked by his father to study whether an Indian single malt (following Scottish guidelines but minus the age requirement) was a viable business proposition. Three years later, Amrut Indian Single Malt debuted in Europe to middling results. Consumers were not convinced that India could produce a good single malt; despite this, Amrut persevered.
In 2004, Amrut Single Malt debuted in Glasgow, Scotland at Cafe India. Shortly after, Amrut is added to a well-known whisky rating book and its footprint grew rapidly. By 2010, it was rated the third-best whisky in the world (I won’t mention the rater or his book, but also don’t think that his actions should be held against Amrut’s quality).
Today, Amrut remains perhaps the most highly-regarded Indian whisky, particularly for single malts. They have two pear-shaped pot stills that are used to double distill the 6-row barley mash that’s fermented for five days. The 6-row, by the way, also contains more proteins and enzymes than 2-row - the practical application is that it produces lower yields of available sugars by volume, but also more enzymes to break down the sugars that are present. Water is trucked in from local wells whose water sources begin in the Himalayas (a hell of a journey to make and track).
Despite its enormous growth and production, Amrut remains a people-centric distillery. Pre-COVID, it employed as many as 450 people throughout its plant, including a higher-than-average percentage of female workers. Bottling and packaging are still done by hand for the 10,000 or so cases of single malt produced every year, not to mention the millions of liters of other spirits distilled on site.
Amrut - and other Indian whiskies, but especially Amrut - is similar enough to Scotch Single Malt to recognize it as a single malt, but after that it carves its own path. Between the differences in barley, water sources, aging environment, and more, Amrut’s single malt takes on a significantly greater body, spice, and fruitiness than pretty much any other malt whisky would have at that age (around 3-4 years). Its closest Scottish comparison may be a heavy Speyside malt like a Mortlach, but even then the comparison is moot.
It’s been two decades since Amrut Indian Single Malt was introduced to European/UK audiences, and now reaches over 20 countries worldwide. In that time, Amrut has continued to innovate and stand out, including their Amrut Fusion (released in 2010) that blended peated Scottish malt and Amrut’s classic malt into a dual-continent product that achieved a near-perfect score in multiple contests and guides.
Amrut continues to impress year after year, and I look forward to tasting the next innovation.
Thank you to Glass Rev Imports for providing this sample with no constraints.
Amrut Single Malt Indian Whisky: Specs
Classification: Indian Single Malt Whisky
Origin: Amrut Distillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Bengaluru, India
Amrut Single Malt Indian Whisky Price: $59.99
Amrut Single Malt Indian Whisky Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Rich apple juice. Sloughing rims and large drops.
Nose: Lemon custard and heady malt. A bit of oak dryness. Candied orange zest, allspice, mild barrel char. Vanilla baked goods and buttery brioche round out the nose.
Palate: Creamy and spicy, white pepper custard all over the front tongue. Creaminess builds further with the chew. A light smokiness from barrel char, dark vanilla and buttered brioche. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and filling, the creaminess and enriched bread building.
Finish: Medium length, a custard and dryness battle around the palate. A distinct malt and vanilla tone.
Overall: Did I mention creamy? This is clearly malt, but clearly not your classic single malt. This has its own profile, that of Indian single malt whisky. Creamy and full-bodied throughout, amazingly so at 92 proof. An easy sipper for a warm day.
Final Rating: 7.2
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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