Amrut Cask Strength Single Cask Shelf Review
Shelf Review
Designed to give you all the quick hit information you need when you’re standing in front of your local liquor store’s whisky shelf.
If I asked you what country drank the most whisky in the world, I bet you’d say Scotland. Or America. But alas, you’d be wrong. India is actually the world’s largest consumer of whisky – drinking more than 1.5 billion liters of whisky annually compared to 462 million liters in the US. To help keep up with demand, domestic whisky production is huge, but amazingly, only a small percentage of it ever makes it out of the country. (I guess that’s what happens when you have a population of over 1 billion people who all want to drink whisky). But luckily for us, Amrut is one of the few Indian distilleries that exports to Western markets and provides a glimpse into the fascinating world of Indian whisky.
The Amrut expression I’m looking at today is the first ever single barrel selection brought into the US (according to its description) and sold exclusively through K&L in California. It’s bottled at about 6.5 years, lived its entire life in an ex-Oloroso sherry cask, and was bottled at a full 60% ABV. The deep rich color makes you believe all that time in the tropical climate has concentrated the flavors. But let’s dive in and find out for ourselves!
Age: 6 years old
ABV: 60%
Cask: Ex-Oloroso sherry
MSRP: $150
Distillery Name: Amrut
Review Date: 12/16/22
Nose: Dark, sticky toffee pudding. Subtle salinity paired with underripe banana and cream cheese frosting. Slight earthy richness, with a hint of Jamaican rum funk. Interesting nose – with strong Oloroso character.
Palate: Much brighter than the nose. Sweet, candied oranges, cooked raspberry compote, and a nutty gingerbread. Spicy Christmas cake with tamarind syrup. Excellent tongue covering mouthfeel with strong levels of heat. With water, even more spice, oak, and some pine notes come through.
Finish: Long, hot, spicy finish with pineapple rum cake and cinnamon sticks, that lingers between sips.
