Amrut Whisky: The Pioneer In Indian Single Malt Whisky

While India has become the third-largest consumer of whisky, it is also carving a position as world-class whisky manufacturing country. We have seen that Indian distilleries have given some outstanding blended whiskies that have been accepted even on foreign grounds and have received appreciation from international whisky experts. Now the Indian distillers are also trying their hands at making single malts. One such is Amrut Distillery. They have the honour of being the first brand to give India its own first single malt whisky. About Amrut Distillery  Amrut Distillery was founded in 1948 in Bangalore, Karnataka, under the leadership of JN Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale. The distillery was set up to produce IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor). The pages turned for Amrut in 1982, when Neelkanta Rao Jagdale, son of JN Radhakrishna Rao, aimed to make a premium whisky with barley, unlike other distillers who only used molasses then. The aim to come up with premium whisky resulted in the creation of India's first-ever single malt by the hands of Neelkanta Rao. During those years, the only kind of whisky that was flourishing was blended whisky. Being sceptical of acceptance in the market, Mr Rao decided to blend it with whisky produced from sugarcane and launched it as MaQintosh Premium Whisky. You can still find bottles of this whisky in the market. After decades, times changed, and Indian whisky lovers started liking the fine taste of imported single malt Scotch whisky. Single malt became synonymous with superior and exquisite liquor. For a long time, single malt was only available as imported whisky until, in 2009, when Amrut Distillery launched India's first single malt, Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky. After its successful launch, Amrut Distillery presented the market with many expressions, each unique and striking in its own way. Expressions Of Amrut Whisky  After the launch of Amrut Fusion, the distillery launched twenty Amrut whisky expressions into the market. The brand classifies these as core range, limited editions, travel exclusive and out of the box range. This makes it clear enough that Amrut whisky is not just a pioneer but an innovator of Indian single malt whisky. Core Range  1.Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky  The barley used for this expression is grown in the northwest region of India. It is aged in New American Oak and ex-bourbon before bottling. 2.Amrut Indian Single Malt Cask Strength  This glorious single malt has bourbon notes with rich barley statement. With an ABV of 61.8%, this one is a strong and mouthful of the cask strength it claims to be. 3.Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt Whisky  This one is made from Indian barley that's peated in Scotland at Baird in Inverness. Peated to 20-25 PPM, it's this component that gives Amrut Fusion light smokey notes. With a higher alcohol strength of 46% ABV, this peated whisky fairly fizzes along with the tastebuds. 4.Amrut Peated Indian Cask Strength  As intimidating as it sounds, this one is bottled at 123.6 proof, the highest proof allowed by the Indian government. As the brand says, it first introduces itself as gristy smoked barley, kippers with salted butter, and peppered bite. 5.Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky  It gets its name from the fact that it uses two types of barley- Indian and Scottish. It's the first launch and most awarded of all expressions of Amrut whisky. LIMITED EDITION 1.Amrut Greedy Angels Chairman's Reserve: 12 years old The most amazing fact about this  Amrut single malt is that it's the most expensive Indian whisky ever! It was launched to celebrate their single malt journey. Unlike the other expressions, this one carries its age statement. 2.Amrut Single Malt Whisky - Double Cask  Released in 2017, for this one, Amrut has combined whisky aged in a bourbon cask and a Port pipe, unlike the previous double casks series, which used bourbon and sherry casks. 3.Amrut Rye Single Malt Whisky  The name makes it clear that this one is distilled from rye and European in its case. Aged in American oak casks, it has an incredible nose, and it is lovingly accepted in the market. 4.Amrut Spectrum Single Malt Whisky  What's unique about this Amrut whisky other than its name is that it is aged in a special cask made of four different oaks, and it's the world's first multi-wood barrel single malt whisky. 5.Amrut Naarangi Single Malt Whisky One of the most innovative and intriguing Amrut whisky, Naarangi (Hindi for oranges), is aged in ex-oloroso-sherry casks seasoned with wine and orange peels. The combination of these three gives the whisky extra orangey notes. 6.Amrut Greedy Angels Chairman's Reserve: 8 years old Released to celebrate the 60th birthday of the chairman of Amrut Distillery, Neelkanta Jagdale, this was a fantastic whisky and the oldest at the time it was launched. 7.Amrut Greedy Angels Chairman's Reserve: 10 years old This Amrut single malt is produced from 100% unpeated Indian six-row barley. Further, it is aged for ten years in ex-bourbon barrels. It is non-chill filtered, and there's no added colour to reveal its profundity and complexity. 8.Amrut Raj Igala Single Malt Whisky Amrut's Raj Igala is made with the malted barley from Punjab and aged in ex-bourbon casks. Raj Igala means 'King of the eagles'. This one is another top-notch single malt from Amrut Distilleries. 9.Amrut Intermediate Sherry Single Malt Whisky  Amrut Intermediate Sherry uses an innovative new sandwiching technique. It is first matured in ex-bourbon barrels and then transferred into 'intermediate' sherry casks, where it stays briefly before going back in ex-bourbon barrels to finish its aging process. 10.Amrut Two Continents Single Malt Whisky  The name comes from the journey this Amrut whisky makes from India to Europe. After the malt is crafted, distilled and matured and lends its angel's share, it is sent to a secret location in Europe for final age finish. 11.Amrut Portonova Single Malt Whisky  Portanova is a brilliant and high-quality single malt that shows beautifully fortified port wine influence on the palate. It is matured in American oak barrels, and for the unique wine finish, it stays in port pipes imported from Portugal. 12.Amrut Kadhambam Single Malt Whisky Kadhambam can be translated as a combination or a mixture. A normal and peated malt that starts by aging in ex-oloroso sherry casks and then moves to brandy casks and then rum casks. This whole process offers a mixture of inventive and intense flavours. 13.Amrut 100 Peated Single Malt Whisky  100 in the name comes from it being 100 proof. This peated malt is an excellent offering from Amrut with a flooding flash of spicy, smoky, salty, sweet and savoury flavours. 14.Amrut Herald Single Malt Whisky Another Amrut single malt that has travelled far away to get its final aging for an extraordinary finish. Made and matured in India, the batch goes to an unthinkable island of Helgoland in Germany. 15.Amrut Amalgam Malt Whisky  Don't confuse this with Amrut Fusion. Fusion is a mix of two types of barley, while Amalgam is a classic blend of single malt whiskies from Amrut whisky, some single malts from Scotland and a few from other parts of the world. The fact that makes Amrut whisky stand out from the other single malt brands is that it doesn't hesitate to experiment and bring whiskies with a different character each time. Its expressions are not just different based on age (like other brands), but each one of them comes with a story to back and a unique character. Amrut Whisky is a winner of hundreds of international awards and commendable accolades like Whisky Bible, World Whiskies Award, International Wine & Spirit Competition, The Spirits Business Grand Master, Malt Advocate, Wizards of Whisky, Ultimate Spirits Challenge, IWSC, Whiskies of the World Award and so many more. Amrut Single Malt is a name that has changed the face and perception of Indian whisky in the global market. This has been done by not just entering but conquering the segment that is considered the finest in the whisky world: the single malts. Since the launch of Amrut Single Malt, the brand has not turned back from becoming more magnificent with each expression because producing a whisky is one thing and making it exceptional and admirable is another!