Rating: 18/23 Amrut is usually great, so I'm looking forward to this! N: Despite the proof, this doesn't hit with a lot of force or present a lot of clean alcohol, though with the most minimal digging I do start to get some of that youthful meaty alcohol flavor. It's sweet with a lightly savory maltiness, a bold layer of wood that jumps pout like a ghost at times, occasional bits of mint a tiny dash of black pepper, and then a vegetal, herbal layer that reminds me a bit of Balcones Rye or Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Chocolate Malted Rye. There's a lot going on, but it does strike me as young, rough, and lacking in fullness. P: This is a lot fuller than the nose suggested with generally better and better integrated flavors that I got from the nose. That youthful meatiness isn't here. The high proof comes with a spicy kick but alongside it is the fullness of some malt alongside that usual Amrut musty profile that adds some complexity and maturity. I would certainly not guess that this was 5 years old based on the palate. Some fruitiness develops. It starts with green apple, but quickly becomes more tropical. I'm trying to pick out the exact fruits. I'm thinking persimmon. Maybe it's just apple and persimmon. Probably some regular apple as well. There's more than that, but I can't quite tell what. It gets papery after moving on from the fruit. Both black and white pepper develop. I get wafts of smoke at times, but they're minimal. Some nice graininess at times that turns into a woody backing that is young but a bit toasted and perhaps second fill. Maybe a faint meatiness here or there, but with the mature flavors, it works fine - not really good or bad Ooh - there's the bitter, herbal, rye flavor! A nice rye profile like Kings County Empire Rye without the tartness comes out with just the right amount of water. F: Musty with lingering malty sweetness, grain, occasional faint hints of tropical fruit, and of course a peppery burn. - Conclusion - This is going to be at least a 16. Actually, this is fairly competitive with Amrut Kadhambam (19/23). This seems closer to Amrut Fusion (18/23) though. I'm going back and forth on whether I like this or Amrut Fusion better. This takes me on a tangent. I like Amrut Cask Strength and Amrut Peated Cask Strength more than most. And I think the reason for this is that I added water to both of them. I don't know what proof I brought them to, but the complexity and balance of both is heightened significantly somewhere between 46% and cask strength. I think that this is suffering from being bottled at too high of a proof, but I'm doing my best to find the optimal proof and rate this based on that. Coming at this from the other side of rating spectrum, I have That Boutique-y Whisky Company's bottling of Auchroisk 19 (17/23). It's mellower and shows more rich terroir, whereas this is more aggressive with bold tropical fruits and pungent finishing. They're both in the same range, but I think I'd take the Amrut over the Auchroisk. Based on these side-by-sides, I'm going with an 18 for this. I'd be very curious to see how a bit more time in some more tired casks in a cooler climate might help to mature and balance this, but it's very good as it is. Thank you for the sample @PBMichiganWolverine ! This was an odd concept, but Amrut really pulled it off.