Indri Dru Cask Strength Review
In-Depth Review
India drinks a lot of whisky. In fact, it drinks around 1.5 billion liters of whisky annually. That’s enough to make India the largest whisky drinking country in the world, with a home-grown whisky industry that can barely keep up with domestic demand. But you wouldn’t know that if you lived in the Western world. Indian whisky remains a rarity in North America and Europe, accounting for a miniscule percentage of sales in the US compared to scotch, bourbon, or Irish whiskey. Simple reason? Almost everything Indian whisky distilleries are producing, needs to stay domestic so it can satiate its own demand. But what little does make it to the US gives American drinkers a unique opportunity to see what the effects of tropical climates can have on the whisky aging process.
Indri, a brand owned by Piccadilly Distilleries, has its distillery in Haryana, at the base of the Himalayan foothills. It’s a tropical climate, where intense changes in temperature mean massive interaction between distillate and the barrels its aging in. Aging happens quickly and will impart more intense flavors than whisky aged in Scotland or most of North America. And while I have reviewed Trini’s Three Wood expression, I was excited to see them release a cask strength expression named Dru – named after the Sanskrit word for “wood” “tree” or “vessel made from wood”. It’s an appropriate name for a whisky that looks so dark it can easily be mistaken for motor oil. It comes in at 57.2%, is non chill-filtered and comes with zero added coloring. With an MSRP of around $80, is this high octane malt a reason to explore Indian whisky? Let’s dive in and find out.
Age: Non-Age Stated
ABV: 57.2%
Cask: Ex-Bourbon Cask
MSRP: $79.99
Distillery Name: Indri Distillery (Picadilly Distilleries)
Review Date: 7/10/25
Color: Dark – almost like well-used motor oil.
Nose: First impression of the nose – it’s big, fruity, and has a depth that comes across immediately. There’s gingerbread cookie, dates, fresh cut fuchsias, underripe apple, Luxardo cherry syrup, lemongrass, and a huge note of orange peel. As it settles, the orange blends with a dark bitter chocolate to remind me of a Terry’s Chocolate orange. The nose is intense and makes it hard to believe it was all aged in ex-bourbon cask.
Palate: The palate continues the cacophony of flavors with spiced Christmas cake, molasses, poached pears, cardamon, ginger, and nutmeg. As it settles on the tongue, there’s more spicy tropical fruits like melon and papaya but never strays into becoming too sweet. The heat is well-restrained, and the mouthfeel is very good. Drinking this feels like enjoying Christmas in Fiji.
Finish: Medium length finish that comes off as softer and gentler than you’d expect. This is where the balance and finesse of the whisky really starts to shine. It’s lemon shortbread, drying oak, and a touch more of tropical fruit. It may be chocked full of flavors on the palate but has a nice balanced finish that rounds out the entire experience.
Final Thoughts: It’s hard to describe Indri Dru as anything short of one of the most interesting, most flavorful, and best whiskies I’ve had in 2025. After going back to this bottle a few times, I am astounded that this much spiced tropical fruit can come from ex-bourbon casks. Upon first sip, you’d think there was plenty of sherry or wine casks thrown into the blend – but instead, the tropical aging in India has worked all the magic here. The nose hits you with a flood of orange chocolate, the palate is pure gingersnap, and the finish its balanced and gentle. And while there is some sweetness throughout, it’s less intense than a typical sherry bomb, due to its wonderfully spicy character. For anyone drinks High West Midwinter’s Dram around the holidays - drink this instead. Dru feels criminally underrated. If you want something that will challenge your perceptions of what ex-bourbon cask can be, pick this up and prepare to be amazed.
