Amrut Fusion Indian Single Malt Whisky

A rich, oaky single malt whiskey from India with a birth of peat, creamy vanilla & sherry trifle; while life adds notes of dark chocolate fudge, coffee & citrus, that lead to a long death with barley, molasses & spice. May 2017 / December 2020 / August 2022

A quite approachable, high-proof, Indian whisky, modestly peaty, fruity yet not too sweet, there’s heat but it’s balanced.

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.