Single Malt Report: Amrut 4 year old 2009 single ex-PX sherry cask #2701

On Monday, I reviewed the Amrut 100 release.  On Tuesday, I reviewed one of their single ex-bourbon casks.  Today, it's a single ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry cask.  It's the same age as the ex-bourbon, but the cask size is different.  The ex-bourbon cask (#3445) produced 172 bottles, while today's cask produced 301.  If this was a sherry butt, then WOW it lost a lot of liquid, and thus strengthens the stories about the thirsty angels of Bangalore.  Or does it?  More on this below...

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Bangalore, India

Age: 4 years (June 2009 to August 2013)

Cask #: 2701

Maturation: ex-PX sherry cask (and maybe something else)
Bottle count: 301
Alcohol by Volume: 62.8%
Sample obtained via a swap with My Annoying Opinions.  Thanks, MAO!

NEAT
The nose leads with raspberry jam, brown sugar, roses, and dried cherries.  Give it a few minutes and out comes some mild fudge notes and menthol and some vague hints of the cinnamon and ginger spirit character.  After 15 minutes, a big rich vanilla bean note takes over.

The palate is not as hot as expected, reading less like ethyl and more like chili oil.  In fact it's very peppery: hot pepper sauce and the biggest red bell pepper note I've ever tasted in a whisky.  Some grilled zucchini too, believe it or not.  Sugary raisins around the edges.  Some fudgy notes after some time in the glass.  A slight earthy rooty thing in the middle and tart limes in the back.

The finish is fudgy and sweet and hot.  There's pineapple juice, mint, black peppercorns, as well as the tart limes and raisins from the palate.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
Any sign of the PX has totally vanished in the nose.  There's lemon, caramel, vanilla, and roses.  Hint of mint, hint of malt.  Okay, maybe a touch of chocolate and raisins.

The palate picks up more black peppercorns and loses most of the red bell pepper.  There's also toffee, malt, and a hint of the PX in the background.

The limes are less tart now in the finish.  Nutty brown butter, toffee, soft bitterness, and a near absence of sweetness.

THOUGHTS:
In the comment section of MAO's review of this very bottle, he and a commenter discuss the likelihood that this whisky was actually only finished in PX casks.  Meahwhile, the bottle's label only references the "Px-sherry" part.  If it really was only finished in the sherry cask, then Amrut pulled a GlenDronach.

I didn't know about this when I took my notes, but I was fascinated by the very strong American oak influence in the nose.  I also noticed that the PX barely showed up in the palate and then almost totally vanished altogether when water was added.  Thus I would not be surprised if this whisky was the result of two or three ex-bourbon casks having been dumped into a PX cask for a finish.

Nonetheless, I really liked this whisky.  The nose, with and without water, was appealing and the palate was peppy and fun.  Somehow the vegetable notes worked in its favor.  I enjoyed it more than the bourbon cask and the fourth batch of Intermediate Sherry.

The price on this whisky is 10-20euros more than the bourbon cask of the exact same age.  If it's more expensive due to the sherry cask, then maybe the label's missing "finish" was no accident.

Availability - Europe only, and it's getting tough to find
Pricing - 70-85 euros
Rating - 86

Single Malt Report: Amrut 4 year old 2009 ex-bourbon single cask #3445

After reviewing the '100', I'm going to move away from the gimmicky Amrut releases and focus on a few official single casks.  Today's is a unpeated single malt pulled from an ex-bourbon cask, so it's pretty straightforward.  The regular unpeated cask strength release is hot but quite decent, so I do have my hopes high-ish for this one, even though the whisky is all of four and one-third years old.

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Bangalore, India

Age: 4 years (June 2009 to September 2013)

Cask #: 3445

Maturation: ex-bourbon barrel
Bottle count: 172
Alcohol by Volume: 60%
Sample obtained via a swap with My Annoying Opinions.  Thanks, MAO!

NEAT
Lots of fruits and florals in the bright nose -- mangos, oranges, peach skin, and honey.  There's also some cinnamon bread, halvah, and crystallized ginger candy.  It's hot, but not as much as I expected from the high ABV.  Sometimes it noses much older, like a good 12yo bourbon cask of single malt Scotch.  Other times it feels young especially with the cinnamon and ginger.

The palate is hotter than the nose and feels younger as well.  There are notes of honey, almonds, and brown sugar, as well as hints of bread yeast and cayenne pepper.  Some salt around the edges.  Cinnamon and grain notes in the middle.

The finish is never overly sweet, though does have a pleasant tingly heat.  It's a bit tannic at times.  Nutty and slightly savoury with salt and cherry syrup.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The nose seems to get more candied.  Cherry lollipops with honey and flowers.  Starts to feel a little newmakey with cinnamon, ginger, and grain notes.

The palate gets blander, tighter, sweeter, and more tannic, the main notes being honey, nuts, barley, and cinnamon.  A small spicy bite shows up here and there.

Lots of honey in the finish, as well as ginger and peppercorns.

COMMENTS:
This is best served neatly.  Though the palate doesn't live up to the perky complex nose, it doesn't really fail in any way either.  It's still better than the majority (or all?) of the four year old unpeated single malt scotch out there.  As has been mentioned before, it's a heck of a balancing act aging spirits in the Bangalore heat, so there's a good reason they bottle stuff young.  This cask lost 42% of its contents in just over four years.  So yeah, they can age it for a couple more years, but what would remain?  Literally, what the heck would be left?  Something rich or an empty barrel?  In any case the price on this single cask isn't terrible compared to a certain Taiwanese distillery, so the quality-price-ratio isn't bad.  I look forward to more of their single casks...

Availability - Europe only, and it's getting tough to find
Pricing - 60-ish euros
Rating - 84 (neat rating only)

Single Malt Report: Amrut 100, batch 2

Ah, the Amrut gimmickry.  Though it seems to consume its entire range, in some cases their production choices aren't that unusual.  They have a peated and a non-peated release as well as cask strength versions of both.  That's doesn't seem too nutty.  Amrut Fusion is a blend of whiskies from two different countries, something that's been done by Canadian, Japanese, Scottish, Irish, and American companies.  Intermediate Sherry and Portonova are just whiskies with partial maturation in ex-sherry and ex-port casks, something that's prevalent in scotch.  Kadhambam is sort of a kitchen sink / garbage pail whisky with all sorts of casks involved.  Jim McEwan did the same with his execrable Black Art series and Longrow did so with their (more successful, in my opinion) old CV.  What really works for those Amruts is the resulting whisky.  It tastes good.

And then there is the Amrut 100.  Why is it called '100', you ask?  The whisky was finished in 100 liter virgin oak casks, it is bottled at 100 UK proof (57.1%abv) in 100cL (1 liter) bottles, and each country that carries it gets all of 100 of said glass vessels.  I would have loved to have seen them age it for 100 months as well, but apparently that didn't make it into the Grand Gimmick Budget.  To make matters even better, the General Manager of Amrut "is pretty sure this latest Amrut single malt will be another perfect collectors' item."  Oh geez.  How about we drink it instead?

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Bangalore, India

Age: minimum 3 years

Batch: #2

Maturation: first in ex-bourbon casks, then in 100 liter new oak casks
Limited release: 100 in the US, 600(?) worldwide
Bottle: 38 of 100
Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? ???
Sample obtained via a swap with My Annoying Opinions.  Thanks, MAO!

NEAT
The nose is very buttery with large notes of caramel, mint extract, and wet cardboard.  It's grassy with hints of lavender and lemon peel.  The smoke is almost buried beneath the oak.  Ethyl.

It has a nice thick mouthfeel.  The hot palate holds notes of vanilla, black pepper, salt, and granulated sugar.  Smaller notes of tropical fruit punch and limes float about.

The finish is a little fruitier than the palate. It's sweet and peppery with a citric tartness. Moderate levels of vanilla and cardboard linger.

WITH WATER (~50%abv)
More smoke and more lavender on the nose.  It's still buttery and full of caramel.  Some pencil shavings and moss as well.

The palate picks up a metallic note and more limes.  Buttery chardonnay with black pepper and Red Hots candies underneath.  A little bit of malt shows through, countered by vanilla and notebook paper.

It finishes floral and peppery with mild cassia cinnamon notes.  Tree bark and pencil shavings in the background.

WITH MORE WATER (~43%abv)
The oak mellows out in the nose, thank goodness.  All that's left are faint vanilla shadows.  Meanwhile grapefruit, fresh ginger, and menthol characteristics evolve.

Lots of ginger in the palate.  Then cinnamon, vanilla, notebook paper, and a light bitterness.

The finish is mildly sweet with a gingery tingle.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This one didn't do it for me, though it does improve considerably as more water is added.  The cardboard, paper, and butter notes intrude aggressively as the casks themselves sound off much too loud.  Half-sized new oak barrels in Bangalore must be very difficult to manage so I can imagine this was quite an undertaking but the end result isn't for me.  The peat reads best with a little bit of water, but then vanishes with more hydration.  More fruit (or something!) would have been appreciated.

MAO liked this one more than I did.  Sku and Serge also liked a version of the 100, but I think they reviewed the first batch.  I will say that we all agree 100 takes water well.

Okay, I'm burnt out on these multi-maturations.  The next three Amrut reviews will be all single casks.

Availability - Scarce
Pricing - two US stores have it for $170, European stores have it closer to $110
Rating - 79 (with water only, low-to-mid-70s when neat)

Single Malt Report: Amrut Portonova, batch 1

If you're keeping score:

Amrut Fusion, batch 29 on Monday

Amrut Kadhambam, batch 03 on Tuesday

Amrut Intermediate Sherry, batch 4 yesterday
Amrut Portonova, batch 01 today

If the Intermediate Sherry is Amrut's sherry sandwich, then Portonova is their port sandwich.  First the whisky is aged in ex-bourbon casks (and maybe some new oak casks).  Next, after an unspecified length of time, that's dumped into first-fill port pipes.  And then, after an unspecified length of time, that whisky gets dumped back into ex-bourbon casks.  (How about that for cut-and-paste!)  Not much dilution on this one as it's bottled at a booming 62.1%.

This is from Portonova's very first batch.  There have been at least four batches so far.  My Annoying Opinions and I did a pair of sample swaps last year, the contents of which inspired this Amrut series (continuing next week!).

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Bangalore, India

Age: minimum 3 years

Batch: #1

Maturation: First: ex-bourbon or new oak casks; Second: first fill ex-port pipes; Third: ex-bourbon casks
Alcohol by Volume: 62.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? ???

NEAT
Nose -- Granola with dried blueberries and Big Red gum at the start.  Very grapey and floral, though that's matched by some soil and (maybe?) a hint of peat.  Strawberry maple syrup and dark cherries.  Sometimes it feels like Amrut Fusion + new oak.

Palate -- Plenty hot, but less so than the lower ABV Immediate Sherry from yesterday.  It's like a cask strength port.  Lots of sweet grapes, berries, and apples.  Ah, those chocolate jelly rings that we used to eat during Passover ('cuz they're pareve).  Tart fruit (apples and blackberries) notes develop midground after some time.  A nice herbal, earthy bitterness settles in at the back of the tongue.

Finish -- Dark bitter chocolate.  Earthy and chili pepper spicy.  Some tingly lime notes.  Sugary grapes and raspberry candy (those jelly rings, again?), though it's less sweet than the palate.

WITH WATER (~50%abv)
Nose -- SO MUCH CHOCOLATE: fudge, cocoa, milk chocolate bars; yet it's still very floral (blooms, not perfumes).  Raspberry candy.

Palate -- Much mellower, less sweet, maybe even a tad malty.  More spices from the oak(s).  The berries and grapes remain, but now it's their essence rather than their sugars.  That good earthy bitter note remain as well.

Finish -- Malt, oak tannins, and dry red wine merge into a whole.  It's very earthy, almost peaty again.  Lingering notes of cinnamon and chili powder.

COMMENTS:
This is excellent.

Okay, maybe I'll write a little more.  Something about this whisky reminds me of the also excellent Ballechin Port Cask Matured single malt.  Actually, if you take that Ballechin and bump it up to cask strength then it would probably be pretty close this one.  This is enormous, rich, and delicious.  And I swear it's a little peaty too.  Highly recommended to those folks who like a little port in their whisky.

This specific batch drew a very positive review from MAO and won a bunch of awards from the Malt Maniacs in 2011.  What I cannot tell you is that the rest of the batches are this good, because I haven't had them, and there will always be batch variation.  That's what keeps me from running out and getting the newest edition.  Also, it's expensive.  But if you can find batch 1 you're in for a big treat.

Availability - This specific batch has probably sold out. The newest batches are available at many specialty retailers in the US and Europe.
Pricing - current batches run $105 to $150(!) in the US, $80-$115 in Europe
Rating - 90

Single Malt Report: Amrut Intermediate Sherry, batch 4

If you're keeping score:

Amrut Fusion, batch 29 on Monday

Amrut Kadhambam, batch 3 on Tuesday

Amrut Intermediate Sherry, batch 4 today

Amrut Intermediate Sherry is what it sounds like, a sherried whisky sandwich.  First the whisky is aged in ex-bourbon casks (and maybe some new oak casks).  Next, after an unspecified length of time, that's dumped into ex-sherry butts.  And then, after an unspecified length of time, that whisky gets dumped back into ex-bourbon casks.  You get some water with your sherry sandwich, but not much, as they drop the strength to 100 UK proof (or 57.1%abv).

(Commentary starts)

One of the differences between the young Asian distilleries Amrut and Kavalan is Amrut never got into the business of selling four year old single casks for $300+ a pop.  But what they did do was price much of their range and special editions above $100, and did so while rarely stating the whiskies' ages.  To top that off, Blackadder, Amrut's main indie bottler, is now selling their single casks for $150-$200, often without an age statement.  Meanwhile, Kavalan usually reveals their single casks' ages, no matter how much the youth makes us chuckle or cringe.  So, who's being more of a pain in the ass?  You choose.  Though I do like Amrut's whisky better.  BUT because of the pricing, I've never bought anything other than Amrut Fusion and am relying on friends to provide me with samples from their swanky bottles.

(Commentary ends)

This sample came to me courtesy of Aaron Krouse (aka aaron197172 of Boozing Dancing).  Thanks, Aaron!

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Bangalore, India

Age: minimum 3 years

Batch: #04

Maturation: First: ex-bourbon or new oak casks; Second: ex-sherry butts; Third: ex-bourbon casks
Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? ???

We're going to go swimming with this one.

NEAT
The nose starts off with ethyl and salt.  It needs a few minutes.....then it gets cakey (cinnamon, brown sugar, almond extract, and walnuts).  Smaller notes of vanilla and strawberry candy appear here and there.  It's not as immediately accessible as Kadhambam.

The palate is more pungent, though still hot.  There's baklava, honey, dried apricots, and some new sweet oak.  It gets a little floral after some time in the glass, then picks up a large acidic citrus note.

Sweet and heat in the finish.  Sour candy, molasses, baklava, and maybe a hint of berries.  Sherry hits late in the aftertaste.

It cries out for water.  Let's drop it to Kadhambam/Fusion strength:

WITH WATER (~50%abv)
The nose is still pretty tight.  I get some cinnamon, dates, and golden raisins.  Fruit cake, perhaps?

The palate gets a little scotchier.  Feels like refill sherry casks.  Toasted oak, a dusting of cocoa, and lots of white and red peppercorns.  Very sweet.

The finish is musty and peppery.  Less sweet than the palate.  Some black raisins in there.

Moar water plz:

WITH WATER (~43%abv)
Ah, good nose.  Caramel sauce, fresh apricots and oranges, vanilla, and carob.

The palate is nutty and savory.  Black pepper, nutty sherry, and sugar-covered raisins.

Cinnamon and nutty sherry in the finish.

Maybe just a little more water:

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
Mostly citrus and black pepper in the nose.  Smaller notes of American oak, carob, and fresh oregano.

The palate has been silenced.  Quiet notes of sugar, vanilla, black pepper, and bitterness.

Mostly pepper and sugar in the otherwise acidic finish.

COMMENTS:
This is very hot at full strength, a bit of a palate wrecker actually.  I liked it best at 43%abv where the ethyl dropped away and everything pulled together.  Despite my occasional references to sherry in the notes, the sherry influence was very mild.  I found much more US oak action throughout.

Keep in mind, this whisky will vary from batch to batch.  So all the 20+ batches won't be like this one.  I tried this particular version alongside a little bit of the Kadhambam and found this one suffered a bit in comparison.  Batch 4 isn't bad, in fact it's probably a more cohesive unit (specifically at 43%abv) than the Kadhambam, but it never shifts into the next gear.  And, dang, is it a little raw.

Availability - This specific batch has probably sold out. The newest batches are available at many specialty retailers in the US and Europe
Pricing - current batches run $110 to $135 in the US, $70-$100 in Europe
Rating - 82 (with water!)

Single Malt Report: Amrut Kadhambam, batch 03

The Amrut Assault continues.  Yesterday was Amrut Fusion, batch 29.  Today, it's Amrut Kadhambam, batch 03.

I'm going to tell you ahead of time: this whisky is a hell of a thing.  As I write this, it's been 24 hours since I wrote my tasting notes and I still haven't really gotten my head around it.  Firstly its construction is nutty (or adventurous or silly).  As per the official press release Kadhambam is...

"...the result of Amrut Single Malt Whisky and a small portion of Amrut Peated Single Malt Whisky being initially matured in ex-Oloroso sherry butts. It was then put in ex-Bangalore Blue Brandy casks and matured for a further period. Next it was emptied into ex-rum casks and matured for a further period. Both the brandy and rum casks had previously been used to mature Amrut’s own rum and brandy..."

You follow that?  It's mostly unpeated whisky and a little bit of peated whisky first matured in ex-sherry butts.  Then that whisky gets a second maturation in Indian brandy casks.  And then that stuff gets a third maturation in Indian rum casks.  Murray McDavid, eat your heart out.

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Bangalore, India

Age: minimum 3 years

Batch: #03

Maturation: ex-Oloroso sherry butts, then Indian brandy casks, then Indian rum casks
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? ???
(This sample arrived via sample swap with My Annoying Opinions. Thanks, MAO!)

NEAT
Its color is darker and redder than Fusion's gold.

So many things going on in the nose.  A combination of tar and aged cheese leads the way, then fades after less than a minute.  It's replaced by dried berries and dried cherries.  Honey and coriander.  Then sherry vinegar and beef stock.  Ten minutes later it shifts gears to hard toffee, a nutty dry Oloroso, and some Jamaican rum funk.

The very rich palate starts off with layers of malt and fresh berries.  There's plenty of hot ethyl still cooking.  Lots of salt and spicy toasted oak notes.  After twenty minutes it all settles down into dark chocolate and blackberries.

The sharp finish is a little drying, musty, and salty.  Sherry residue and grape jam.

Adding a little water...

WITH WATER (~43%abv)
It's almost a different whisky.  The nose is mostly milk chocolate and caramel.  Baked raspberry filling.  A little bit of the dried fruits and coriander.  The palate is really dark chocolatey.  Then figs, sugary rum, and wood smoke.  Milk chocolate, black pepper, and dry sherry in the finish.

A little more water...

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
It noses like a nice sherried scotch (think Macallan 12 from five years ago).  There's some dusty-whisky-style old creaky oak.  Definitely some rye bread underneath.  The palate has fudge, berry syrup, and a nice soft herbal bitter bite.  It finishes with wood spice, toffee, and grape jam.  A decent length considering the ABV.

COMMENTS:
Here's an attempt to encapsulate the crazy:  The whisky totally appeals at all three of the above strengths.  The sherry butts speak the loudest throughout, while the rum casks provide subtle shading.  I'm not really sure what the brandy casks bring to the conversation, but at least they don't inhibit anything.  The overall character keeps shifting with oxidation and water, thus it never really congeals, but it always pleases.

Sadly, the Kadhambam has gotten difficult to find.  There was a fourth batch released in 2013.  Was there ever a fifth batch?  Will there be one?  If they do bring it back, it would be a fun buy if they kept the price down.  Ha.

Availability - Becoming scarce worldwide
Pricing - it used to run $90-$110 stateside, a few bucks cheaper internationally
Rating - 88

Single Malt Report: Amrut Fusion, Batch 29

The AMRUT ASSAULT begins!  Eight Amruts in two weeks.  And I'm starting with an old (with old meaning "since 2012" in this case) favorite.

I reviewed Amrut Fusion back in April of 2012 -- batch 04 in that instance -- and loved it.  Loved it, Loved it, 90 points, etc.  But in the final section of my report I detailed how the Fusion may have the largest carbon footprint and requires the most petrol of any whisky in existence. I ended the piece saying, "As tremendous as this malt is, I will probably never buy a bottle (mini or otherwise) of it......until container ships are run on happiness."  Well, container ships still run on civilization's black tar heroin, but I bought a bottle anyway.  At least I waited nearly four years.

So, what is Amrut Fusion exactly?  One part unpeated Indian barley and one part peated Scottish barley are mashed and distilled separately, then (like many human beings) are married together in ex-bourbon casks for a short period of time, ultimately getting bottled at 50%.

Note the "short period of time" mentioned twice.  Because of the heat and humidity in Bangalore, the Angels are big ol' drunks, sucking down 10-16% of a cask's contents per year.  But that also means interaction between the oak and spirit is intensified during maturation.  The last I'd checked, Amrut was following SWA's guidelines, so its single malt whiskies are at minimum three years old.  But, again, three years in Bangalore ain't like three years in Aberdeen.

I've had the Fusion on a number of occasions, at tastings or bars, since my review and I've continued to enjoy it every time.  This liquid reviewed in today's post was from my own bottle at just above the halfway mark.  This was one of my Winter Whiskies, though sadly our winter didn't really show up.  El Niño took a pass on Long Beach.

Oddly, the whisky's metal tube says, incorrectly, that it's bottled at 46%abv.

Distillery: Amrut

Region: Distillation - India (Bangalore), Maltings - Scotland and India

Age: minimum 3 years

Batch: #29, March 2015

Maturation: ex-bourbon casks
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? ???

NEAT
The nose starts out with lots of barley, cinnamon, and ripe banana.  Actually it's not banana, but chirimoya (deep cut!).  With a few minutes of breathing time, a fascinating balance of characteristics develops.  On one level there are notes of white spirits like kirsch, eau de vie, and rye new make.  Then there are the phenols, clove cigarettes and heathery peat.  And then there are the fruit and flower notes like melon, lemon candy, and roses.  Considering the maturation environment, it's surprisingly light on the oak.

The peat is much louder in the palate, smoldering, very rich.  A load of spice, like cloves, cinnamon candy, cigar tobacco, and chili oil, keeps any young sweetness in check.  There's also hard toffee, ripe banana (in a good way), and a tiny bit of cocoa.

The finish is heat and peat forward.  Some spearmint leaves, charred beef, chili oil, hints of young rye, and caramel.  It's never sweet, though it's not terribly long either.

WITH WATER (~43%abv)
The barley is met with a HUGE hit of anise in the nose.  That's followed by dried cherries, wood spice, butterscotch, orange oil, and cinnamon.

The water totally tames the palate, sweetening it up.  It's malty and desserty now.  More cinnamon and vanilla.  Marzipan.  A mellow bitterness meets with a spicy zing.

The finish gets increasingly sweet as well.  Some caramel and a slight bitterness mingles with the peat.

WORDS AND STUFF
This is very young, but very good.  I prefer it neat, but if you need to sweeten it up then add water, a little at a time.  A lot of elements ping about in the complex nose, and something new seems to show up every time I pour a glass.  And though the palate is less complex, it's focused and rich, my favorite part of the whisky.  The finish is its weakest spot, but it's not terrible, just a little brief and narrow.

The price on this whisky has only gone up only $5-$10 over the past four years (hooray!), though the days of finding it for under $60 in California are over.  But Amrut has kept the good bottling strength and the quality remains high, so one will find more excitement in a bottle of Fusion than many single malt scotches in its price range.

Availability - Many specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - $60 to $80
Rating - 87