The first malt whisky distillery in India
Amrut Distilleries Ltd was founded in 1948 by Radhakrishna Jagdale to produce spirits that were non-indigenous to India. At that time, India as a market had little interest in the single malt category and whisky imported from Scotland was usually blended with local spirits made from sugarcane or molasses.
In 1976, Radhakrishna’s son, Neelakanta Jagdale, took over the running of the family business and set his sights on a directional change. By 1982, he had plotted a new course that would see Amrut distilling malt whisky from locally grown barley.
Production wasn’t without its challenges. The evaporation of maturing spirit was far greater in India than in Scotland, meaning they could lose up to 12% of the sleeping liquid each year. However, this also had the beneficial effect of accelerating the interaction between spirit and oak – a bit like speeding up the aging process.
In 1987, a new distillery was built on a four-acre site in Kambipura to focus exclusively on the production of Indian single malt. 20 years later, the Amrut Single Malt launched to a worldwide audience. The first malt whisky to be produced entirely in India.
Although initially well-received, it took some time to establish the product as stubborn drinkers turned their nose up at a whisky from such a “non-traditional” location but over time, the quality of the product meant it had be taken seriously.
Amrut Fusion Review
Smell: Vanilla and digestive biscuits with toffee, honey and floral, aromatic peat smoke.
Taste: Biscuit and honey, orange cream and subtle peat smoke. Also a touch of coffee, some soft cinnamon spice and a pleasantly weighty texture on the palate.
Thoughts: Costs around £50 in the UK, which isn’t a bad price for a malt of this character. Bottled at 50%, it also offers some bang for your buck. Altogether a very tempting package for those looking to expand their horizons a little. The quality of single malt on offer allows Amrut to stand shoulder to shoulder with its Scottish cousins and it should be considered amongst the first stops on any exploration of world whisky.
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