AMRUT FUSION SINGLE MALT NOW AVAILABLE IN INDIA
Amrut Fusion Single
Malt Whisky has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the word this
decade. The fact that it is Indian is irrelevant; from distillation to
maturation this is a classic whisky from whichever continent.
“It is one of those
which command a big mouthful, a chair with a headrest … and silence. You will
chew for seemingly hours and never quite get to the bottom of its mystical
complexity. It is massive whisky, but its genius is that you get the feeling
that there is some almost invisible element keeping the malt together so the
proportions are never less than perfect.”
Amrut bottles all its products at 50% ABV, except for its peated version which is bottled at a massive 62.1% ABV and will never be seen in India. That's because the Indian laws do not permit bottling over 42.8% or 75 proof. Even Amrut Fusion, a 50% ABV malt (87.5 proof) is watered down to 75 proof, diluting its taste somewhat at 42.8% ABV.
Amrut bottles all its products at 50% ABV, except for its peated version which is bottled at a massive 62.1% ABV and will never be seen in India. That's because the Indian laws do not permit bottling over 42.8% or 75 proof. Even Amrut Fusion, a 50% ABV malt (87.5 proof) is watered down to 75 proof, diluting its taste somewhat at 42.8% ABV.
Amrut Fusion Single
Malt Whisky gets its name from the fact that it uses two barley mashes: 75%
six-row Indian and 25% two-row Scottish barley – with the latter being peated.
It comes from Amrut Distilleries, the Bangalore-based company which introduced
the first SM from India to the UK in 2004. Amrut Fusion is probably a 4 year old whisky, perhaps a month or two more.
Amrut’s Indian
barley comes from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, and distillation takes place
in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3000’ AMSL. Lightly peated barley mash from
Scotland is also distilled in Bangalore and both are matured there separately.
After they have reached their peak, the two whiskies are married in bourbon
casks in proportions which give both a subtle peat flavour and a rich fruity
flavour from the Indian barley. This is bottled at 50% ABV to reflect the depth
and finish of the whisky. This rare combination of Indian and Scottish elements
means Fusion has a really excellent mouthfeel and palate, combining oak, a hint
of vanilla, fruit and the sublime peat.
It was rated the
third best single malt whisky in the world by the King of Experts, Jim Murray!
The public agreed, because when Fusion was launched in June 2009, the first
consignment was sold out within few weeks of its release. The next batch was
completely pre-ordered before it even reached the UK.
Nosing &Tasting Notes:
Colour: Golden
Yellow
Nose : Heavy, oaky
and complex: some unusual barley-sugar notes here clouded in mild smoke. Six-row
barley influence? Big, yet enticingly tender. Unique.
Taste : The
delivery builds up to a piledriver! The fuzzy smoke on the nose becomes mildly peaty,
with some vanilla and sherry, strange since sherry butts are not in its
production line-up. Custard apple; oaky vanilla hammers home that barley -
fruitiness to make for a bit of a free-for-all; but for extra good measure, the
flavours develop into a really intense chocolate fudge middle which absolutely
resonates through the palate. Adding six drops of water to one Large liberates
floral attributes and waxiness in about 7-8 minutes.
Finish : A slight
struggle here as the mouthfeel gets a bit puffy here with the dry peat and oak;
enough molassed sweetness to see the malt through to a satisfying end, though.
Above all the spices, rather than lying down and accepting their fate, rise up
and usher this extraordinary whisky to its exit.
