Indian whiskies are fruity and malty. They are often examples of youthful exuberance, enjoyable and of a defined style in their own right. Plenty of tropical fruit and toffee, of late there have been a few peaty offerings too. Some popular Indian whisky brands include Amrut, Paul John, Royal Stag, Royal Challenge and Rampur. India’s climate proffers a speedy maturation as the temperature is such that the angel’s share accounts for a loss of around twelve percent alcohol by volume per annum. Thus, Indian whisky tends to be much younger than their Gaelic counterparts.
The first traditional single malt distillery was Amrut, established in 1948 in Bangalore. Forty years later McDowell’s distillery in Goa began malt whisky production. Indian whisky and Indian single malt whisky, however, are very often like chalk and cheese. The regulations are decidedly lax and in India, whisky is a spirit distilled from molasses. The recent insurgence of single malt Indian whisky has been produced to the Scottish Whisky Association’s strict regulations.
If you would like to learn more about the history of Indian whisky - visit our Indian Whisky History Timeline which has been written by our leading whisky experts and authors.