*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample.

Ok, last week I tackled the two peated Amrut Indian Single Malts, this week, the non-peated versions, hopefully followed by the Fusion. First up, the Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky. I tried an older, lower alcohol version of this several months ago and wasn’t too impressed, I thought this newer, higher ABV version fared much better.

The Nose: Brown sugar and malty grain play the biggest part in this gentle, warming, oak-tinged nose. The grain comes across as slightly oatmeal-like, something I’ve found before in Amruts, a subtle oatmeal cookie aroma. There are also vanilla notes, cocoa powder and light fresh citrus, like a lemon wedge spritzed in the air. To me, there’s also a little bit of that nail polish remover/solvent-y thing going on.

The Palate: More moist, dark brown sugar and candied almonds to start with along with a raisin-y, dried fruit quality. There’s again a lot of nice, fresh, young grain playing around, but it’s really fairly smooth and grows spicier and spicier towards the finish with a bit of anise and cinnamon giving it a bit of depth.

The Finish: Fairly quick with some really sharp-edged grain. What seems like the Amrut trademark dryness is here as well, though not quite as much as in the peated malts and with bit more acidity.

Thoughts: Well, I enjoyed this version of the Single Malt much more than the 40% ABV version but it still doesn’t knock my socks off.  This is fairly well-balanced, more nuanced and has none of the harsh simplicity of the other. Still, the Amrut Single Malt is mostly all about the grain. There’s a sugared sweetness and a nice gentle fruitiness to it, but the well-structured, though youthful, grain is the real star here.

Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky

46% ABV

Score:  80