Thanks to Amrut and Paul John, Indian single malts are increasingly well-known around the world. So why not bring a taste of my Indian home to my German home – with a few very different whiskies!
What three Indian whiskies were included in our Indian-themed evening?
- Indri Trini 46% – India’s newer foray into Single Malts with ‘three wood’ whisky
- Kamet 42.8% – An earlier entry from the same folks behind Indri
- Paul John Christmas 2021 46% – Trio of ex-bourbon, Port wine and Madeira barrels
- Amrut Port Pipe Peated 2019 48% – Just as the name says, finished in Port Pipe and peated! Exclusive for The Vault Biennale Festival Release
We kicked off with Kamet… What did we think?
Hmm… dried grapes (not quite raisins yet!), fruits, some tannins, some wood, caramel, marshmallows. We were caught off guard by the taste. It was soft, more like sipping wine than whisky. The fruity and woody flavours were joined by cinnamon, and some tobacco leaf. Not a bad way to begin.
We then continued with Indri from 2022.
Overall we found it enjoyable with a honey sweetness, fresh meadow, some vanilla, and almost a bit floral on the nose, then more vegetal on the palate, chased by sweet spices.
Next up was a shift towards Christmas with Paul John Christmas 2021.
Oh my! Now we are talking! Port, sour cherries, chili peppers, some rubber, koffee candy, and nuts. On the palate it was prickly. Really very delicious! An indulgent rich dram.
We closed with the impressive Amrut Port Pipe Peated from 2019.
It began with a slightly shy nose – at least it seemed so after the bold and beautiful Paul John. However as it sat in the glass, it began to open up. From inconspicuous to vivacious – clear peat and port elements with a salty chaser. On the palate, delicious! You need to slow down and pay attention, and then you will be rewarded with an intense, full dram, worthy of consideration.
This Indian quartet was followed by homemade dhoklas, an assortment of Indian sweets to close off an evening in Europe exploring Indian whiskies.
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Whisky Lady 
The new wave of Indian Single Malts have come a long way since the first bottle of Amrut was tasted by the Malt Maniacs at an ‘after-judging’ round over a decade ago. I am especially impressed with the special releases coming out of these houses.
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So very true Keshav! And it has been a pleasure to enjoy some of these developments with you!
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Got the Indri at home, too, and really love it. From Paul John I currently only own a single cask by Cadenhead’s, but I also had some of their other bottlings in the past. Same with Amrut. There’s certainly lots of great whisky being made in India!
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