Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky

Review by: The Muskox

I’ve had and enjoyed loads of Amrut, but I’ve never had the chance to try some of their standard entry-level single malt. It may not have an age statement or any fancy cask maturation, but I feel like I enjoy Amrut’s spicy spirit enough to enjoy this less cask-forward version.

Distillery: Amrut.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: India.

ABV: 46%.

Age: No age statement.

Cask type: Unknown.

Price: $70 CAD.

Color: Very dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Dense and aromatic. Strong beeswax and honey, vanilla wafers, lemon poppyseed cake, and caramel chews. Navel orange, fragrant citrus peels, tropical greenhouse, and nectarine. Crystallized ginger, heavy clove, some cinnamon, and cardamom.

A dribble of water adds more of a custardy brioche note.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Slightly tart waxy barley, candied flowers, and orange creamsicle up front. Develops to creamy French vanilla and rich honey spiced with cinnamon and ginger, as well as mild oak, clove, soft pepper and dark chocolate. More rich barley and honeycomb towards the back end.

Finish: Medium-light, turning quite clean. Sweet fresh barley, ginger candies, and grass. Ripe peach, tangerine, and gentle black tea tannins. Fresh linen. Lingering paraffin and honey. More poppyseeds.

Conclusion: Wow, colour me impressed. Sure it’s young, and not overly complex, but the flavour is rich and gorgeous. The finish is a bit short, but the rich mouthfeel and succulent nose more than make up for it. Given how much I like waxy, honeyed, barley-forward whiskies, this is better than most similarly-priced scotch to me. It’s like Arran 10, but even more honeyed. A perfectly sunny malt for kicking off spring.

Final Score: 85.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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