Niko’s Single Malt | Whisky Lady

Giving whisky as a gift is nothing new. However, being given a whisky crafted just for you! And that too for your birthday? Now that is singular.

In 2024, our Whisky Ladies hostess was presented with a bottle of “Niko’s Single Malt” from the good folks behind Stranger and Sons. We are no strangers to their fabulous gins – the standard, the special Perry Road Peru collaboration with Bombay Canteen, and even their oak-matured gin experiment.

We tasted blind – knowing nothing about this whisky beyond who gifted it to our hostess!

Niko’s Single Malt

Nose – Warm, sweet, spices like cinnamon, cloves, some candied ginger, woody, an almost Cognac-like quality, joined by dried cranberries, rose, crème brûlée, resin, fruit like peach or an apricot pit, maritime sea salt spray
Palate – Oh wow! Really yummy! More of the sweet spices, joined by coriander, black cardamom, wood forward, great mouthfeel, oily, salted black licorice
Finish – Warming, long, lingering, closing on salted caramel

This was a very “full” whisky. Lots of rich aromas, flavours, and a fabulous finish. Like other whiskies matured in warm climates, there was a concentrated quality to all the different elements too.

We speculated about the ABV and thought it must be around 46% – surprisingly, we later discovered it was only 41%!

What more do we (now) know? After the session, Niko asked for more details, and the following was shared:

Type: Custom blended Indian single malt whisky
ABV: 41%
⁠Composition: Blend of 4-year, 5-year, and 7-year old single malts
Maturation: All components matured in ex-bourbon casks
The 4-year-old whisky received additional maturation in a charred barrel (double matured)
Origin: All three malts came from casks purchased from a distillery in South India (likely Karnataka)
Final Resting Period: The casks were moved to Goa, where they rested for approximately 10-12 months before bottling
Other: According to the bottler, this final period is unlikely to have significantly altered the whisky’s character

What a brilliant start to our trip around the whisky world with Niko!