@Slainte-Mhath Perhaps. Try Amrut Fusion if you haven’t already. I think that’s excellent value.

@Richard-ModernDrinking Well, I guess that new American White Oak does a better job in terms of substractive maturation than ex-bourbon/refill casks do in the climate of India. That would at least be my explanation why bourbon/rye does not have that obvious spiritiness that I repeatedly found in Indian whisky.

@Slainte-Mhath I’m not sure if a slower pace of cask interaction is inherently better. I suspect they’d disagree in Kentucky.

@Slainte-Mhath totally agree! I think you’re right—-that acceleration from heat and humidity also makes it unbalanced. Maybe that’s why the experiments that Amrut does are always better than their core. The experiments are the four and five wood maturation, or orange infused casks, or intermediate maturation

Contemplating @PBMichiganWolverine thoughts on Indian whisky and its identity, I came to the conclusion that 'potency', heat and fast maturation are among the best possible answers. However, it also shows the limitations of how fast a whisky can mature: although very young in age (3-4 years?), the malt has taken up a lot of flavor from the cask, while maintaining a certain level of spiritiness at the same time. Substractive maturation seems to require more time than just 3-4 years, and even the climate in India cannot change that fact. This is probably the reason I am struggling with Indian whisky, it lacks the balance, maturity and roundness that can only be achieved after a decade or two, sleeping in the warehouse...

I sure hope the Intermediate Sherry isn’t being discontinued. That’s probably my favorite heavily sherried malt whisky I’ve ever had. I currently have a Peated Cask Strength and it’s wonderful imho.

Additional comment: This review is for batch no. 17 (June 2010).

@PBMichiganWolverine I'm not entirely sure about the Amrut Intermediate Sherry being discontinued, that's only what I've heard. Interesting thoughts on what makes Indian whisky 'Indian'. Might be the accelerated maturation, with all its advantages and disadvantages.

@Slainte-Mhath oh I didn’t realize it was discontinued. Another good one is Portonova. So—-I think the other thing that makes Indian whiskey “Indian” is probably no different than what makes Scottish whisky “Scottish “ ...climate and ingredients. The Indian climate is really hot and humid, and the Himalayan barley is a different variety than Scottish. Makes it unique, but not any more or less unique than other countries where it’s made and aged locally.

@PBMichiganWolverine I have tried the Intermediate Sherry a couple of weeks ago, and it was really decent. I think someone mentioned it's now discontinued? How about the Fusion, is that a step up from the standard bottling?

@Slainte-Mhath I think the basic Amruts are simply okay, but the one-offs are amazing. So—the Greedy Angels, 004 and 005 series, and Intermediate Sherry were my favorites. Paul John is also pretty good. I think what makes Amrut “Indian” is its potency. That Bangalore heat amps up the heat and potency...not so different than Indian spices. @worldwhiskies95 and @Richard-ModernDrinking might be able to add more context, they’ve had a few Amruts as well

@PBMichiganWolverine I know that you spoke very positive of Amrut in the past. What is it, that makes Indian whisky 'Indian'? I could answer that question for Japanese, Irish and American whisk(e)y, but I fail to see a distinct feature here. To me, this Amrut Single Malt tasted more like an immature Scotch. Which versions of Amrut would you recommend to get a better impression of this distillery?