Amrut: Naarangi (India Single Malt Whisky: 50% ABV)
Visual: Deep honeyed gold. Slow thick streaks come from the spirit.
Nose: Sugared oranges. Trifle and brandy cream. Subtle oak. Shortbread. Light bay leaves. Lightly earthy spice. Water adds some vanilla. Tinned tropical fruit. Rose wine.
Body: Dry red wine. Earthy spice. Sugared orange. Shortbread. Dry oak. Water adds treacle. Orange peel. Dry plums. More orange. Rose wine. Vanilla.
Finish; Ovaltine. Dry oak. Dry red wine. Chilli. Tannins. Dry tea bags. Orange peel. Dry plums. Slight trifle. Water brings out turmeric.
Conclusion:This is about as different as you can get from from a whisky – an experiment that could not be done in Scotland and one that brings a very different experience with it.
There are so many different elements in the different moments of this journey – Initially sweet orange mixed with herbal dry notes, it provides a contrast of sweet taste matched by a dry feeling body. Lots of dry red wine notes come out from it, emphasising the spice which seems to be a popular touch in India whisky in my limited experience.
Water makes such a difference in what you get – bringing out vanilla and tinned tropical fruit that calls to more traditional whisky character that you would expect from a bourbon ageing, but still moves out into contrasting dark fruit notes and more dry red wine notes.
More water changes it again to bring out a lighter rose wine character, something that calls to more unusual barrel aging against the still present sweeter notes. The contrast from sweet aroma into dry spice meets orange aroma now with a good range over the dry backing.
Very different, red wine and spice with great variety around that core. Sweet, warming spice, definitely not the traditional whisky experience while still definitely being whisky, not a liqueur.
Very much worth trying.
Background: This was the second of five whiskies at Independent Spirit‘s Uber whisky tasting. I love those things, a chance to try five whiskies I might not otherwise get to try. Why no first set of notes? The first whiskey I had already done notes on in the past. So, the first set of new notes is this very unusual one from India – a whisky aged in oloroso sherry casks, which had been filled with orange peel packed wine. Not something that would be allowed to be called whisky in Scotland, but in India – experiment away! As always with tastings like this it was in a social environment so I may have been influenced by people around me and the notes may be slightly shorter than usual. Hope you still enjoy.
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