Amrut
Amrut is the best-known Whisky distillery in India. It produces Blends as well as high-quality Single Malts. In addition to Whiskies, the distillery also produces Rum.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| India | |
| 77.697513 13.014218 | |
| Active | |
| Amrut | |
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1 x 6,500 l
Pear
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1 x 8,000 l
Pear
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| 1948 | |
| http://www.amrutdistilleries.com/ |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
Calculated from 351
i
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|---|---|---|
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Nosing
Sweet:
Fruit:
Sweet:
Spices:
Peat Smoke:
Vanilla:
Fruit:
Oak:
Zitrus:
Vanilla:
Caramel:
Spices:
Malt:
Zitrus:
Oak:
Peat Smoke:
Herbs:
Caramel:
Nuts:
Herb:
Tropical Fruit:
Banana:
Malt:
Lemon:
Honey:
Sherry:
Tropical Fruit:
Herb:
Orange:
Pepper:
Herbs:
Alcohol:
Honey:
Peach:
Almonds:
Leather:
Floral:
Almonds:
Pepper:
Banana:
Peach:
Lemon:
Coffee:
Barley:
Sherry:
Heather:
Coffee:
Orange:
Cake:
Nuts:
Cake:
Alcohol:
Cinnamon:
Leather:
Maritime Notes:
Apple:
Berries:
Floral:
Barley:
Dried Fruit:
Chocolate:
Wheat:
Melon:
Salt:
Melon:
Apple:
Grape:
Pineapple:
Raisin:
Raisin:
Wheat:
Pineapple:
Ginger:
Maritime Notes:
Hay:
Cinnamon:
Grape:
Berries:
Chili:
Dried Fruit:
Chocolate:
Hay:
Salt:
Mint:
Mint:
Plum:
Cherry:
Medicinal Smoke:
Kiwi:
Blackberry:
Nutmeg:
Pear:
Iodine:
Cherry:
Heather:
Dark Chocolate:
Dark Chocolate:
Clove:
Nutmeg:
Chili:
Kiwi:
Pear:
Seaweed:
Clove:
Green Apple:
Hazelnut:
Black Currant:
Date:
Medicinal Smoke:
Iodine:
Green Apple:
Date:
Ginger:
Bonfire Smoke:
Tasting
Sweet:
Fruit:
Spices:
Sweet:
Peat Smoke:
Oak:
Vanilla:
Spices:
Malt:
Fruit:
Oak:
Zitrus:
Vanilla:
Nuts:
Malt:
Honey:
Zitrus:
Pepper:
Peat Smoke:
Oil:
Honey:
Maritime Notes:
Sherry:
Caramel:
Pepper:
Orange:
Maritime Notes:
Alcohol:
Oil:
Chocolate:
Orange:
Chili:
Peach:
Herbs:
Salt:
Barley:
Tropical Fruit:
Ginger:
Caramel:
Peach:
Salt:
Tropical Fruit:
Herb:
Chili:
Raisin:
Alcohol:
Dark Chocolate:
Raisin:
Cinnamon:
Chocolate:
Apple:
Wheat:
Lemon:
Sherry:
Berries:
Barley:
Ginger:
Wheat:
Heather:
Herbs:
Iodine:
Iodine:
Nuts:
Dried Fruit:
Dark Chocolate:
Nutmeg:
Herb:
Pineapple:
Floral:
Pineapple:
Pear:
Cinnamon:
Berries:
Seaweed:
Plum:
Dried Fruit:
Heather:
Seaweed:
Floral:
Lemon:
Apple:
Cherry:
Green Apple:
Nutmeg:
Grass:
Bonfire Smoke:
Plum:
Cherry:
Grapefruit:
Fig:
Pear:
Date:
Strawberry:
Lemon Peel:
Cake:
Fig:
Grapefruit:
Mint:
Almonds:
Bonfire Smoke:
Clove:
Almonds:
Ham:
Date:
Melon:
Blackberry:
Banana:
Grape:
Cake:
Mint:
Melon:
Blackberry:
Grape:
Coffee:
Grass:
Hay:
Strawberry:
Lemon Peel:
Coffee:
Finish
Sweet:
Spices:
Sweet:
Oak:
Fruit:
Peat Smoke:
Oak:
Caramel:
Nuts:
Malt:
Pepper:
Zitrus:
Vanilla:
Herb:
Spices:
Zitrus:
Fruit:
Pepper:
Herb:
Caramel:
Chili:
Oil:
Dark Chocolate:
Tropical Fruit:
Oil:
Dark Chocolate:
Malt:
Vanilla:
Sherry:
Chili:
Peat Smoke:
Alcohol:
Maritime Notes:
Sherry:
Nuts:
Maritime Notes:
Tropical Fruit:
Salt:
Ginger:
Berries:
Peach:
Orange:
Berries:
Salt:
Chocolate:
Alcohol:
Herbs:
Apple:
Orange:
Ginger:
Coffee:
Herbs:
Raisin:
Seaweed:
Dried Fruit:
Peach:
Lemon:
Floral:
Seaweed:
Honey:
Cinnamon:
Raisin:
Grapefruit:
Leather:
Pineapple:
Floral:
Lemon:
Honey:
Pineapple:
Apple:
Almonds:
Coffee:
Medicinal Smoke:
Plum:
Cake:
Bonfire Smoke:
Mint:
Blackberry:
Chocolate:
Cinnamon:
Dried Fruit:
Banana:
Leather:
Mint:
Blackberry:
Plum:
Cake:
Heather:
Barley:
Grapefruit:
Heather:
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The Whisky
Amrut Distillery markets its Indian Single Malt Whisky under its own name. The word amrut is from the Sanskrit language and means "nectar of the gods". The distillery itself often uses it as a synonym for "water of life".
There's a huge variety of cheap no-name Whiskies in India, and Amrut purposely sets itself apart from that mainstream with their high-quality premium products. Amrut mainly uses American white oak casks, but since the distillery has garnered in international reputation and the demand has risen, they have also started to use Sherry casks and other types of casks.
The classic standard Single Malt is Amrut Indian Single Malt. It is marketed without an age statement and has been matured for approximately four years before it is bottled at 46% ABV. It has sweet, full-bodied aromas of fruits, vanilla and oak. There's also a cask strength version of Amrut Indian Single Malt.
Amrut Fusion combines India with Scotland. It is made from 75% unpeated Indian malt and 35% peated Scottish malt. The two types of malt are fermented, distilled and stored separately and then vatted. Amrut Fusion is bottled at 50% ABV.
There are a lot of special finishes, single casks bottlings and other varieties of Amrut Whisky.
The Rum
Besides producing their Single Malt Whiskies, Amrut has also ventured into the production of Rum. The Two Indies Rum from the distillery in Bangalore was conceived as a tribute to the historical Rum cultures and Rum producers of the 'Two Indies' (West Indies with Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica and East Indies with India). The Indian cane sugar jaggery forms the basis for the Rum.
The Production
Amrut Distillery produces about seven million litres of Whisky each year, but only a small part is used for Single Malt Whisky; the major part is still used for the company's blends.
The production conditions for Amrut are complicated. The grain comes from the Punjab and Rajasthan regions in North India. It takes almost 40 hours to transport the grain over the distance of 2.500 km (1.553 miles) to the distillery. The barley that also needs to be malted takes another detour of 160 km (99 miles) via Delhi.
The water used for steeping and mashing also has quite a journey behind it. It is being delivered from a local well by truck. The process water for cooling the alcohol fumes will not have the same quality, but it flows in a different sealed circuit, so it doesn't end up in the bottle.
The Pot Stills
Amrut produces Malt Whisky through double distillation in pot stills. The wash still has a total capacity of 6,500 litres, but of course is never filled to full capacity. About half of the beer from one fermentation tank is distilled in one run and results in a liquid with 20% of alcohol.
It is then distilled for a second time in the spirit still. With a capacity of 8,000 litres, it's much larger than the wash still so two batches from the wash still make one filling of the spirit still. The middle cut of the slow distillation has an alcohol content of 80% ABV. Due to the shape of the spirit still with its large reflux bowl in the neck of the still, the alcohol has a lot of contact with the copper and becomes smoother and purer.
The Mashing
The Indian six-row barley is much smaller than the Scottish two-row barley and contains more proteins and enzymes. For a small portion of the Whisky, the distillery imports malt from Scotland.
Just like the barley, the water used for mashing also comes a long way. Its journey starts as rain water in the Himalaya and ends in a local well from where it is transported to the distillery by truck.
The cooling water is in a separate circuit. It's "normal" water, not the special well water.
The Fermentation
The wort is fermented in six closed fermentation tanks with a capacity of 10,000 litres each for five days. The resulting 'beer' has an alcohol content of 6.5% abv. The fermentation tanks are cooled during these five days to ensure a careful fermentation and a clean, aromatic basic product for the following distillation.
The Warehouses
Amrut Distillery has its own cooperage for the preparation of the casks.
Due to the hot climate and large differences in temperature in India, Whisky matures much faster in the multistorey warehouses than in cool Scotland and other European countries. The angels' share is also much higher. An average of 12% of the cask content is lost each year.
Amrut has its own bottling plant where a lot is still done by hand.
The History
Amrut Distillery was founded in 1948 by Shri J.N. Radhakrishna shortly after India had become independent. Amrut soon became successful by supplying the Indian army with spirits. Today the company owns three distilleries and several bottling plants. The current main distillery is located in Kambipura, 20 km (12 miles) away from Bangalore, and was built in 1987. It employs 450 people since many production steps such as bottling and packaging are still done by hand.
Amrut is now the best-known Whisky of India and has received important international awards.
In 2004 Amrut started to market Amrut Single Malt internationally. It was the first Indian Single Malt but wasn't marketed domestically until 2010. Blends are still the bestsellers of the distillery at home.
The Visitor Centre
Distillery tours are offered at Amrut and can be requested online.
Distillery Adress:
Amrut Distilleries Private Ltd
Raja Rammohan Roy Road
Sampangi Rama Nagara
Bengaluru
Karnataka 560027
India
Tel: +91 80 22481111
Email: info@amrutdistilleries.com
User Notes about the Distillery
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