Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky

I picked this one to be my first Indian whiskey. My first venture into the category is long overdue. This one is interesting because it uses 75% Indian malted barley, with peated Scottish barley making up the remaining 25%. Apparently this doesn’t qualify it from being a true Indian single malt on a technicality, meaning I call this my first foray into the genre. This is from Batch No. 85, dated January 2020. Nose: Banana. Big time. Not completely ripe. Vanilla, toffee, and malt. Some sea salt, peat, seaweed, and brine. Hookah smoke. Ballpark soft pretzel. Some lemon citrus. Earthy peat exists but more in the background. Root beer or cream soda. Fudge and cocoa. Something like that. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. It’s interesting, a touch young, but the pros outweigh that con. Palate: Caramel and vanilla. Peat, brine, sea salt, seaweed. Some earthy peat Ballpark soft pretzel and hookah smoke, again. Dark chocolate. Malt and honey. S’mores. Toasted almond. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Finish: Caramel and vanilla. Malt and toffee. Toasted almond and cashew. Seaweed, brine, peat smoke, sea salt. Red hot tamales. Cinnamon and black pepper. Medium-long finish. Very unique whisky. Also a very good whisky. A little young on the nose, not in a bad way though. The palate gives the impression of more maturity, even though I doubt it’s spending much time aging in the Indian climate (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.) 4/5. Extremely interesting product. Decent value at $63 considering it stacks up to a comparably-priced Scotch. Thumbs up for the fusion. I will definitely be exploring more of what Amrut has to offer.

This is my first go at an Indian Whisky thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the dram. Appearance: Golden Wheat color and oily. Nose: Sweet, Caramel, Candy, Smokiness, Honey, Vanilla. Mouthfeel: Super thick and creamy! Flavor: The smokiness is present right up front but so is the creamy vanilla sweetness. It has a nice balance. There is a tartness within the sip that tingles the mouth a little but not overly so. Trailing into the third and forth small sip I start to get a slight sea spray flavor but it is the creaminess that keeps me wanting more. There is also some lovely spice in here mingling with the mesquite smokiness. Finish: Lingering and as the peat mellows you get some sweetness but this time it is not so much the caramel, vanilla, or cream but more of a milk chocolate that comes through. For my first time trying an Indian whisky I am very pleased and impressed. It gives you a lovely warm feeling and has a good balance of some of my favorite flavor notes. Conclusion: It could be a bit more complex I suppose so I am going to give it a 3.5 which is between glad to have had it but would not sell the family jewels for it and solid, buy list. I could see myself buying it at the right place and time though. Its good.

This is the bottle that paved the way for the entry of Indian whiskies to the world stage. Before this, I would laugh at the idea of drinking whiskey made in India, but this changed everything. Even though it had received stellar reviews from critics and plenty of positive attention, you would still be a little sceptical about dropping $100 for a whiskey from a region that is not known for making whiskies. With 50% alcohol, you expect it to have the same heat as Indian food, but it feels more like a buttery chicken dish made by a Michelin-starred chef. There is no heat typically associated with high alcohol content; it can be had smooth. The aroma is enticing, and the taste sublime. Hints of peat which thankfully don't overwhelm your senses and just a river of smooth alcoholic nectar.

I loved the standard single malt so was eager to try this. Thanks to Soonershrinks sample here we go. Nose is a wooden crate of apples, sweet potato, some cardboard and spicy oak. Peat or peat smoke is very reserved. If you rest it you can pull some earth and wispy smoke. Palate is smashed apples and malt with a thick resinous smoke surrounding not on top of. The Indian spice from the original is there but in the background. Finish is long and smooth with the fruity malt and smoked barrel transitioning to a nutty spice note. This is good stuff but I like the purity of the Indian flavors in the standard SM a bit more. The Scottish peated variety mutes that a little. Not enough to drop score too much as this stands tall and Im ready to explore the entire Amrut line.....86/100

This was my first Indian single malt, and for better or worse, you always remember your first. In this case, it was for the better. There is so much going on in this dram: peat, spice, fruit, herbs, sweets, etc. For those who don’t like peat, this may still be tolerable as the peat smoke is dialed back to allow the other notes to come through. Spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg are present. Apples and pears lead the fruits. An herbal note like fennel or anise makes a tasteful appearance. Very light leather and a decent helping of honey provide savory and sweet notes. *Note: I score from 0-5 with 0 being the worst whiskey possible, 2.5 being average, and 5 being the most sublime nectar of the gods.

color: medium gold nose: fruity, sweet, tropical, creamy, floral, honey, rich, leather, potpourri palate: chocolate, coffee, vanilla bean, oak finish: espresso, peppery, long lasting, nutty water brings out more tropical, citrus notes, polished wood, cinnamon, peaches, on the nose, oak on the palate, and heat on the finish despite being 50% abv and quite young, its surprisingly "smooth". somewhat reminiscent of springbank 10. this had been on my list for some time, but unlike with so many other wish list purchases, this didn't disappoint, nor go above and beyond, but was exactly in line with my expectations, which is rare. overall, I'm happy!