Whisky Business! The Rise Of Amazing Indian Single Malts
In 2021, I was spending a sticky summer in Goa when I got an unexpected phone call. The call was enough for me to drive all the way from Vagator, in Goa＊s hip north, to the southern end of the state to check out Paul John distillery.
In early 2022, I visited the award-winning Amrut distillery in Bengaluru. Amrut Fusion has the distinction of being the first Indian single malt to make a name for itself globally. In 2010, Jim Murray, author of the highly regarded 'Whisky Bible,' named it the third-best whisky in the world, thereby opening the floodgates for a variety of Indian distilleries. And that visit reinforced my faith in Indian whiskies.
Piccadilly Distilleries
Paul John and Amrut are considered pioneers who brought Indian whisky into the limelight. But it is new brands, like the uber smooth Indri Trini, or the sweet-spicy burst of Rampur Single Malt＊s PX Sherry Finish, or Kamet Single Malt (named after the eponymous mountain in Uttarakhand) that are now taking the legacy forward.
The surest marker of this isn＊t the supermarket shelves lined with these distinctive brands. It＊s the fact that the Indian consumer is more curious than ever. At the southern end of Goa, Paul John offers a tour of its distillery. Seeing thousands of barrels of maturing whisky and understanding the complexities of producing the spirit in the country, as well as the sheer beauty of the distillery, made me realise why Indian single malts are 每 deservedly 每 being talked up.
According to Nikhil Agarwal, sommelier and founder of experiential F&B event company, All Things Nice, ※We always had the potential to make high-quality single malts. But the distilleries were producing for the mass market until Amrut and Paul John showed the way 每 very similar to how Greater Than and Stranger & Sons inspired a wave of craft Indian gins.§
The Journey of Indian Spirits
Just over a decade ago, the craft spirit movement was unfolding in bits and spurts across the country. Whisky was usually produced by distilleries that sold malt spirits to the highest bidder.
Nikhil Agarwal, founder of experiential F&B event company
When Greater Than and Stranger & Sons每both gins now consumed in Indian homes with as much pleasure as The Botanist and Bombay Sapphire每burst onto the scene in 2017 and 2018, respectively, it made everyone sit up and notice. The quality of the spirits happily dovetailed with the Make-In-India wave that had started gaining traction.
Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer, Diageo India, best known for selling Johnny Walker whiskies in the country, says, ※We have a cohort of consumers now who are well-heeled, are discerning, and have access to the best choices across the world. They are not loyal to one choice and flirt with multiple brands. Plus, our consumption-driven economy now produces phenomenal quality products across categories. Indian single malts are thus seen as exceptional value for money and are consumed with pride.§
All of this has coincided with a genuine interest and evolution in the Indian consumer＊s palate. Hemanth Rao, founder of Single Malt Amateur Club based in Bengaluru with members from across the country, says that Amrut might have been the torch-bearer, but it was only a matter of time before other brands populated the Indian single malt category. ※Previously, it was a one-man show, but now if you don＊t like Amrut, there are other whiskies to pick from. At our club, we are seeing people who are more curious than serious about single malts,§ he says.
The State of Craft Whiskies
Meanwhile, Goa, where both the gins are made, soon became the distilling state of India thanks to its relatively easier laws. It helped birth the craft spirits movement in the country soon after. In the whisky space, brands like Woodburns, made by Goa-based Fullarton Distilleries, started becoming household names. The launch of Radico Khaitan＊s Rampur Single Malt and Indri Trini whiskies from the North further solidified the craft whisky space in the country.
The result is a wide variety of whiskies, ranging across different price points and catering to varying palates. When Woodburns, another award-winning brand, was launched in March 2019, the options for decently priced Indian single malts were only a few. ※Woodburns was made for the larger audience base that might not have very high spending power and was accepted very generously by them,§ says Aman Thadani, Founder of Woodburns Whisky.
Last year, Thadani, along with Agarwal of All Things Nice, also launched a limited edition version of Woodburns Whisky called A Tale Of Oak in Goa and Mumbai.
Piccadilly Distilleries
Meanwhile, Indri Trini, produced by Piccadilly Distilleries, is one of the few single malts worldwide to use triple cask maturation. The single malt has been rested in ex-bourbon, ex-wine and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and has quickly become a top favourite of whisky connoisseurs because of its fruity and rich flavour notes. Indri and Woodburns both cost between INR 3,500 to INR 5,500, a standard rate for craft spirits, depending on which state you buy them in.
Prabhkaran Singh Hundal, Senior General Manager, Sales and Marketing, says that although Piccadilly has been producing whisky for other brands (the distillery is the largest independent manufacturer and seller of malt spirits in India), they were clear that they wanted to make a splash when they launched their own single malt. ※We were waiting for two things to happen before launching our brand. We wanted to have enough supply of our single malts nationally as well as in international markets (the current facility can make 12,000 litres of malt spirit in a single day and is being expanded), and we also wanted premiumisation of the market to happen,§ he says.
The pandemic boosted both efforts, with audiences lapping up alcohol content on social media, while the distillery set down its growth plans at Indri in Haryana. Launched in late 2021, Indri Trini started winning awards and accolades soon after its launch and is currently blazing through with its presence across 17 Indian states.
Going Glocal
Such is the power of Indian single malts now that even global liquor giants such as Diageo and Pernod Ricard have launched India-made whiskies 每 a far cry from the time when Scotch was considered the epitome of a good whisky. Diageo launched Godawan Single Malt at the Cannes Film Festival last year and also has another brand called Epitome Reserve that produces experimental single malts.
Woodburns
The first expression of Epitome Reserve was made with rice instead of barley, which drew ※polar reactions§. The second expression was a peated single malt made with Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks sourced from Nasik. Both expressions were limited edition releases, with only 2,000 bottles produced each.
Godawan, on the other hand, is a permanent fixture from Diageo India. The first expression bears rich and grounded notes from its distilling facility in Alwar, Rajasthan, while the second expression has fruit and spice taste notes.
Pernod Ricard, which counts Jameson Irish Whisky among its various brands, is rolling out Seagram＊s Longitude 77 Indian Single Malt in select states. The single malt is among the first to be made in Dindori in Maharashtra＊s Nashik region, otherwise known as the country＊s wine belt.
Why Indian Single Malts Are Thriving
Today＊s audience is firmly in thrall of innovative local craft spirits. From local rums and gins to even agave-based spirits, this is the best time to launch the best Indian spirit for a thirsty audience. With awards, accolades, and global standards of whisky-making becoming the norm rather than the exception, the future of Indian single malts is nothing short of super bright.
Woodburns
Indian single malts also use local grains that lend a particular taste to local brands. Indri Trini and Godawan, for example, use six-row barley grown in Rajasthan that adds richness and complexity rarely found in other whiskies. As Damodaran of Diageo says, ※The fact is that there is an Indian signature to our single malts. We are not trying to ape Scottish, Irish or Japanese whiskies. We are bringing together the best of what the country has to offer, from some of our indigenous grains to the immense artistry and craftsmanship that exists to produce bespoke spirits.§
We＊ll say cheers to that!
