Whisky of the month September
AMRUT
INDIAN SINGLE MALT
CASK STRENGTH 61.8%
For September, Whisky of the Month takes me away from Scotland.
Quite a long way away, to Bengaluru, India.
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Amrut is not completely new territory for me.
I have already tasted Kumbha and Bagheera, two bottles that showed very different sides of what this Indian distillery can do.
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This time I wanted to move in the opposite direction.
Back towards the core.
Less decoration.
Less distraction.
Indian malt, oak, Bengaluru maturation, and quite a lot of strength. 61.8% ABV.
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This is the Amrut Indian Single Malt Cask Strength.
And after some of Amrut's more elaborate expressions, there is something appealing about opening a bottle that seems to say:
Here is the whisky. Now deal with it.
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That is why it is Whisky of the Month September.
Not because 61.8% makes it better, and certainly not because drinking high strength whisky somehow deserves extra points.
But because cask strength gives you something interesting: A starting point, from where, you can decide what happens in your own glass.
Amrut Distilleries was founded in Bangalore in 1948.
But the international story of its single malt came much later.
In 2004, Amrut Single Malt was launched in Glasgow, Scotland.
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There is something I rather like about that.
If you are going to introduce Indian single malt to the world, why not take it straight into the home of Scotch whisky?
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No long argument about whether India should be taken seriously as a whisky-producing country.
Just put the bottle on the table, pour it, and see what happens.
Since then, Amrut has become one of the names that helped put Indian single malt firmly on the whisky map.
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The climate is an important part of that story.
Bengaluru is very different from Speyside, Islay or the Highlands.
Warmer conditions mean whisky and wood interact differently and considerably more spirit can be lost through evaporation.
Time in the cask therefore does not tell exactly the same story as it does in Scotland.
Which makes this a good reminder not to become too obsessed with the number before the words years old.
This bottle doesn't carry one.
And I don't really miss it.
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There is already enough information in the glass.
This Cask Strength sits in Amrut's core single malt range.
And at 61.8%, it is presented without being reduced to the more usual drinking strength.
That gives us Amrut with very little hiding place:
- Malt.
- Oak.
- Fruit.
- Spice.
- Alcohol.
All compressed into one rather powerful glass.
But powerful and good are not automatically the same thing.
The interesting part is finding out what is underneath all that strength.
And perhaps even more importantly: what happens when you start playing with it.
AMRUT
Indian Single Malt
Cask Strength 61.8%
The whisky starts at 61.8%. Where it finishes is up to you.
Tasting notes
When I open it:
Malt comes first.
Rich, warm barley with caramel and something almost like coffee in the background.
There is honey and vanilla too, but it is not simply sweet.
Spice sits underneath from the beginning.
after a few minutes fruit starts to appear.
Green apple, orange peel, something tropical, is that pineapple?
At full strength the alcohol is obviously present, but it is not the only thing you smell.
Don't rush it., this is not the whisky to pour and immediately stick your nose deep into the glass.
Give that 61.8% a little space and it will return the favour.
When I taste it:
The arrival is big, but softer than the number on the bottle suggests.
There is a thick, oily sweetness first, malted barley, caramel and vanilla.
Then the spice begins to build.
Cinnamon, pepper and something toasted.
Then things become more interesting.
Orange appears quite suddenly, somewhere between fresh citrus and a little bitter.
Then more fruit. Apple and perhapsthat exotic in the nose was not pineapple but papaya.
There is a nice bittersweet balance.
Sweet malt on one side, dry oak and citrus bitterness on the other.
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And then comes the water.
Just a few drops at first.
The alcohol settles down slightly and the whisky seems to stretch out.
More fruit, more barley sweetness, vanilla.
The spice is still there, but softer.
Add another few drops and it changes again.
Not necessarily better, just different.
And that is part of the fun.
When I swallow it:
Long, warm
And unsurprisingly spicy.
The sweeter malt gradually gives way to darker flavours.
Caramel becomes burnt caramel.
Fresh orange becomes orange peel.
There is roasted coffee and a slightly buttery note underneath.
Cinnamon and pepper remain on the tongue for quite some time.
At full strength the finish has plenty of heat and ends totally dry.
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With water it becomes a little calmer and more balanced, while still keeping enough strength to remind you where it started.
The final impression is dry, malty and warming.
And it doesn't disappear quickly.
Which at 61.8% would have been rather disappointing.
Mouthfeel
Full, oily and concentrated, Almost chewy at full strength.
There is plenty of weight, but it is not simply aggressive.
Underneath the alcohol is a surprisingly soft buttery texture.
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Water changes it considerably.
The whisky becomes more open rather than simply thinner.
The oils remain. The fruit becomes easier to find.
The malt becomes clearer, and the oak moves slightly further into the background.
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Gin.whis notes
What I particularly like about this Cask Strength is that the alcohol never completely becomes the story.
61.8% gets your attention, but underneath it there is still malt.
Fruit, citrus. oak, spice, texture.
That matters.
Because a high ABV with nothing behind it is just a strong drink.
Here there is a whisky worth exploring, And the bottle gives you enough room to decide how you want to explore it.
For me that is far more interesting than simply saying:
“I drank it neat.” , Good for you.
Now add some water and tell me what happened.
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So I would definitely taste this neat first, then start adding water slowly.
A few drops, taste, a few more, taste again.
There is no correct number you need to reach, and certainly no medal for stopping at 61.8%.
The interesting point is the one where your glass tastes best to you.
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Enjoy it with:
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Old Gouda or another mature hard cheese, where the salt and nuttiness stand up nicely against the malt, oak and strength.
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Something charred from the barbecue, where caramelised meat, pepper and a little smoke can handle a whisky with this much weight.
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Or, for the first tasting, forget the food altogether, just one glass, one small jug of water, and enough time to discover where your 61.8% ends.
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Origin: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Distillery: Amrut Distilleries
Style: Indian single malt whisky
ABV: 61.8%
Age statement: NAS
Barley: Malted Indian barley
Expression: Cask Strength
Bottle size: 700 ml
URL: https://amrut.eu/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amrut_rhapsody/