Amrut Distillery can trace its roots back to 1948 being founded by Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale in Kambipura, Bengalrur, India. The term Amrut means “nectar of the gods” in Sanskrit. The history of whiskey in India has not been a good one. Its full of inaccuracies about what makes up their whiskey, unusual blending, and being label as inferior spirits. Amrut, with their introduction of India’s first authentic single malt in 2004, has been spearheading the renewal of India’s whiskey reputation. Amrut uses grains from multiple areas in India some coming from the region around the Himalayas. Amrut is not an industry leader in the whiskey world. Amrut Single Malt Whiskey was introduced to the world in Scotland in 2004. Since then, Amrut has been the leader in putting India on the map of whiskey lovers. This malt is made from carefully selected barley from the bottom of the Himalayas then produced in small batches to preserve natural aroma. It is then matured oak barrels until it meets the high standards set by Amrut. Amrut Single Malt is bottled at 46% ABV and has no age statement (NAS). Color: Burnished Gold Amrut Single Malt is the first whiskey from India I have ever tasted. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. On the nose were strong notes of orange zest, green apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee, roasted pecans, and a slight hint of banana. The palate was silky smooth with notes of toasted oak, almonds, dark chocolate, honeyed oats, muted spices, maltiness, and some floral hints. The finish is long and consistent with more notes of honey, oats, dark chocolate, dried red fruits, oak, and some leatheriness.