Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky

Single malt whiskies are the poison of choice for many a whisky lover, and for many years, Indian whisky lovers were devoid of a domestic single malt whisky brand that was delivering a product that could match up with some of the most established whisky brand around the world.

Amrut Distilleries was the first whisky brand in India to create Indian single malt whiskies, launching Amrut Single Malt in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004, making it the first single malt whisky to be made entirely in India.

Named Amrut, meaning ‘Elixir of Life’, this single malt whisky is distilled by Amrut Distilleries, founded in 1948 in Bangalore, Karnataka. The brand earlier exclusively manufactured Indian Made Foreign Liquor until 1982 when the initial foundations of what would eventually become Amrut Single Malt whisky, were laid in the mind of Neelakanta Rao Jagdale, Chairman and Managing Director of the brand. Neelakanta assumed the role after his father, Founder of Amrut Distilleries, JN Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale passed away in 1976.

Under Neelakanta Rao Jagdale, Amrut Distilleries began producing single malt whisky using locally sourced barley, but blended it with neutral spirits and sold it as MaQintosh whisky in the domestic market.

The arrival of Amrut Single Malt whisky beckoned in 2001 when the company began seriously considered debuting their single malt in the market as the first single malt whisky produced in India, and the product was gradually launched in 2004.

Blind tastings of the single malt in Scotland earned praise, and this further pushed Jagdale and his son, Rakshit Jagdale to see Amrut Single Malt as a viable competitor in the single malt whisky market. They launched the product in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004, slowly launching their brands to foreign countries such as Australia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, United States, the UK and others over the years.

Why the Name "Amrut" Whisky?

The term Amrut has been derived from a Sanskrit word amrit or amrita, which translates to ‘nectar’ or the ‘elixir of life’.

Other expressions from Amrut Distilleries

Besides Amrut Single Malt whisky, the brand also has nearly 11 different expressions such as the Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt, Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Cask Strength, Amrut Single Cask and others.

Owing to the hotter climate in India, Amrut Single Malt whisky is only matured for four and a half years as the maturation of whisky in India happens much faster than in Scotland. The master distiller at Amrut Distilleries, Surinder Kumar, likens the maturation of whisky for a year in India, to nearly three years of maturation in Scotland.