Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength

Rating: 17/23 Presumably this is somewhat better than the regular Amrut Single Malt. N: The nose is big and funky, with sweet-tart cherries mixed with mushrooms, a lot like if it had been aged in cherry wood. Giving it a minute, more spice and wood come out, along with a more caramel sweetness. There's a toasty nuttiness like pecan to the wood that's really nice. The complexity on the nose is quite solid, though it is fairly aggressive being at cask strength. I do get some wet wood with the mushrooms, but it isn't moldy. P: Initially, this does not impress me. It's quite good, but no better than the regular Amrut Single Malt. It's just like the Amrut Peated Cask Strength had the peat layer removed, reducing its complexity to a very small amount and highlighting that cherry candy flavor too much. With water added though, it surprisingly develops some of that Westward funk! I get some mushroom in with the wood along with some spices, giving that cherry wood profile from the nose. With the right amount of water, the profile is actually pretty similar to Westward's, but with more cherry. I get some tropical fruits jumping out from time to time as well and the spiciness - although a bit hot - has a nice cinnamon presence. F: Some sweet cereal flavor with a bit of cardboard-like wood lingers while some toasty nuttiness comes out. Not amazing, but the nuttiness is quite nice. It's a pretty tough call between the this and Westward, so I have to declare a tie. Considering the pricing, this is actually better VFM if you can find it. Considering that it matches Westward and I gave Westward a 16 previously, I think that Westward might have been rated a tad low. This is substantially better than the regular Amrut Single Malt. This is either a 16 or 17, but I'm leaning toward 17.

61.8% ABV Nose - (w/o water) Tropical floral fruity malt, sweet caramelized pineapple, oak aged apple cider (w/ water) brings out an additional hint of ripe plantains and more of a creamy sweet. Taste - (w/o water) Spicy sweet floral honey, lightly bitter vanilla, hint of bitter citrus pith (w/ water) tones down the burn significantly revealing a really dry citrusy barrel aged apple/pear cider, bitterness is subdued a bit, more caramelized honey notes. Finish - (w/o water) Hot spice from the proof, mouth drying, lingering fruity floral sweet spiced honey (w/ water) burn is significantly toned down, bittersweet like orange pith with a hint of vanilla & honey. Score - 88/100 Final Thoughts - This is a very nice single malt, has some nice tropical notes I like as it's different from most single malt Scotch. Water does this single malt wonders as it's a bit of a hot mess at the bottling proof. The water tones the alcohol burn down and opens up to a nice tropical vanilla honey. Not something I'd reach for very often, but it's a nice non-sherried, non-peated offering that offers nice tropical notes.

Amrut; distilled in the heat of India. Yes, that means more barrel contact for the juice inside in a shorter period of time and yes, the cask strength means that this guy is a hot beast. Almost too hot. Now don't get me wrong, I like my whiskey cask strength, but the heat on this one distracts from the coffee/toffee flavors buried inside. I suggest add water....and don't be shy about it. Once added, this tames the beast and the flavors start to reveal themselves. Cloves, baking spices, coffee, malt, they are all there. Thank goodness. I like this bottle. It is distinct, like most of the Amrut line, so this bottle is good to have on the shelf for diversity purposes. Would I buy one again. Eh, probably not now.

Big fan of the standard single malt so gave this a go. Big jump in proof and it shows. The delicious fruity/malty/ spice flavors of the original are there but ethanol is hiked up and washes some of the goodness out. Fortunately you can add water but I struggled to achieve the balance of the standard. Often cask strength delivers a big increase in the taste profile but Im not finding that here. Really not much else to separate the two so for my money Im going with the good ole single malt 92 pf variety. This CS Amrut is still a quality whiskey just not worth the upcharge imo.....81/100

This cask-strength whisky is undoubtedly young, but it's hard to tell when sipping it. The nose reminds me of bourbon right away: a clear, almost pristine scent of vanilla, gradually joined by spice and laced with honey. Its flavors, however, are more reminiscent of an unpeated scotch, which makes sense since Indian whisky also is made exclusively from malted barley. Honey and leafy, earthy tea, along with a healthy hit of spicy heat, define this dram.

The base of amruts innovations Nose: Vanilla, Oranges, Honey, Toffee, Milk Chocolate, Guava, Marshmallows, Pineapples, Papayas, Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines, Espresso Beans, Herbs, Licorice, Cinnamon Palate: Oranges, Vanilla, Pecans, Guava, Passion Fruit, Almond Joy Bar, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Nutmeg, Bananas, Saffron, Tootsie Rolls Finish: Vanilla, Cardamom, Honey, Walnuts, Oranges, Coffee Cakes, Cinnamon, Cloves, Tootsie Rolls, Anise