Rating: 19/23 Wow, that regular Amrut Peated was really peaty! I wonder how this will compare? (Prediction: it will be even peatier) N: I get an interesting floral cherry character to this with some citrus and a bit of light grain and a dash of mint. Oh, and did I mention peat and smoke? Because there's definitely a lot of peat. Tobacco, fruit, chocolate, something a bit more herbal. P: This is not messing around with the peat. It takes the regular Amrut Peated and adds, well, more peat! Its flavors are predominantly peat and a cherry that's a bit like a sour candy. It has a great flavor and richness, but I have a little bit more trouble getting the complexity out of it than I do with the regular peated. It holds up really well to water, so you can cut it down with a third water and still have a great whiskey. In fact, cutting it down a bit brings out more complexity. The sweet spot seems to be a bit higher proof than the regular Amrut Peated - perhaps in the low 50s. It highlights more chocolate and vanilla while maintaining the herbal, medicinal quality of the peat and amping up the smoke. It brings out this nice Clynlish waxiness as well. It's been a while since I tasted that and I'm a fan, so I appreciate it here. The tart cherry sticks around as well and that characteristic Amrut tartness shows up as well. At full cask strength, it tastes a hair artificial, a little bit like a single grain with its tartness, but the life and complexity really come out and give it a more natural flavor with some water. The water does tone down the barrel spice (largely cinnamon, with some allspice) though. F: The smoke, peat, cinnamon, allspice, chocolate, vanilla, and cherry tartness continue on for days. This is a very rich and full whiskey,, so you don't need much to be able to sip and enjoy it for a while. This is an in-your-face peated whiskey that holds its own against Islay scotches. Amrut again shows the world that India can make great whiskey! I'd say that this is a substantial improvement over the regular Amrut Peated, though both are very good. And for the price you can just water this down to the level of the regular peated Amrut if you prefer that. Exploring this with different amounts of water is really a delight. It sure hits you in the face like an Ardbeg, so you do need to be prepared for that. The non-peated Amrut Cask Strength is also a very good whiskey, but this is substantially better. This really has all of the complexity of the non-peated cask strength version, but it also has a lot of added complexity from the peat. For $10 more, this is the obvious choice. I'd say this is better than Amrut Fusion. I wouldn't say that it is as good as Springbank 12 Cask Strength, but this is a heavy hitter up there with the likes of Ardbeg Corryvreckan and Uigeadail. I'd say that the Ardbegs have a more mellow, woody peatiness to them, whereas this has a more aggressive Kavalan Soloist intensity pervading its character. Considering that the Ardbegs are cheaper, they're probably a better VFM, but I have to say that I really enjoy this. The fruity, tropical twist is tasty, refreshing, and a lot of fun. It's probably my favorite Amrut so far, beating out the Fusion and giving the Kadhambam a run for its money. I'm going with a 19 for this tasting.