New Indian single malt whiskies hold their own against scotch
AT BUNGALOW, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna’s Indian restaurant in New York’s East Village, a dozen Indian single malt whiskies are spotlit in their own section on the spirits list.
Just a few years ago, that wouldn’t have been possible, said partner Sameer Bhatt. Although India is the world’s largest whiskey market, its whiskies are typically blends, often made with a rumlike molasses distillate. Until recently, Indian single malts were virtually unknown, if they were even available outside the subcontinent.
Now, with domestic whiskey consumption rising hand-in-hand with the country’s growing affluence, distilleries are turning out high-quality single malts in quantities available to export – and they’re not only gaining traction but also snapping up awards. Amrut Triparva was named to the 2024 Best in Class roster at Whiskies of the World; last year, Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2023 took home the top prize there. This year, Indri Founder’s Reserve 11-year-old wine cask was named one of the Top 15 Whiskies at the International Whisky Competition.
Today, “my Indri is selling more than my Macallan”, Bhatt said. “I tell people what happened in the wine industry is now happening in single malt,” said Sanjeev Banga, president of international business at Radico Khaitan, the parent company of Rampur Distillery, based in Northern India’s Uttar Pradesh. Just as New World wines drew the spotlight from the European old guard, so have Indian whiskies enticed drinkers away from Scotch. “Malt consumers are always looking for something new and innovative.”
At its most basic, single malt whiskey is made at a single distillery using only malted barley in the mash – a distinct expression of that distillery’s output.
Amrut Distilleries, which was founded in Bangalore in 1948, is generally credited with pioneering India’s single malt industry, with the 2004 release of Amrut Single Malt, a Scotch-style spirit made from germinated barley and flavoured with smoky peat. That was followed by Goa’s Paul John distillery, which released its first single malt in 2012, and Rampur, which debuted its own version in 2016.
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Newer entrants include Indri, produced by Piccadily Distilleries about 161 km north of New Delhi in the small city of Indri, which gives the whiskey its name; Longitude 77, a distillery closer to Mumbai owned by Pernod Ricard; and Godawan, a Diageo brand in Alwar, Rajasthan, that took the best single malt in the world trophy at the 2024 London Spirits Competition.
Distinctions start with the malt: Most distillers use India’s six-row barley, which has higher protein and fat content compared to the two-row barley preferred elsewhere. The smaller granules create a robust flavor some distillers describe as “sharp”. Especially when fermented with local yeast, it can produce distinctly Indian flavors. Tasting across multiple brands, I frequently detected cardamom, ginger and orange; fennel seed, sandalwood and incense-like spice notes sometimes also came through.
India’s hot, humid climate is another key differentiator. Once barrelled, the distillate ages very quickly than in cooler Scotland or Japan. In some regions, wide swings in temperature and humidity – mostly from hot and damp to hotter and damper – means the barrels expand and contract frequently, meaning the oak makes more contact with the whiskey, allowing it to extract vanilla and spice.
The liquid also evaporates quickly, a phenomenon known as the Angel’s Share, creating a more concentrated spirit. Producers say one year’s worth of ageing in India is akin to three or four in a cooler climate.
That rapid maturation also means it’s rare to find long-aged single malts – and some producers eschew age statements altogether. Most of India’s producers follow the rules set by the Scotch Whisky Association, which requires whisky to be aged a minimum of three years. However, some smaller distilleries are bristling against that, lobbying to age single malts for a minimum of one year.
The US is the single largest export market for Amrut, said Raj Sabharwal, founding partner of Glass Revolution Imports, estimating the country accounts for one-third of global sales.
In part, that’s due to the diaspora of often well-heeled Indians in the US – including those running acclaimed restaurants such as Bungalow, Semma or Junoon, which gladly boost the visibility of Indian spirits or mix them into cocktails.
But it’s not only the Indian community pouring these drams.
“Indian single malt is still considered new,” explained Ben Wald, head of beverage programming at whiskey-focused Manhattan bar Flatiron Room. That novelty is part of the appeal for American whiskey lovers. “There has been, and always will be, a desire to be the first on the boat. Indian single malt is still capitalising on this desire,” he said.
Looking ahead, one thing is abundantly clear – more Indian single malts are on the way.
Currently, 24 distilleries in India make single malt whiskey, estimates Sabharwal, with six more under construction. That includes one from Pernod Ricard, which broke ground earlier this month and is anticipated to have a production capacity of up to 13 million litres of alcohol a year, making it the largest malt distillery in the country – and Asia.
With the US election looming, tariffs are a wild card for growth. “If the Scotch whisky tariffs come back into play, some consumers may look for another choice where the price-age ratio is more agreeable for their budget,” predicted Wald. “The key will be who can convert Scotch whisky drinkers over to their single malts. Suppliers talk a lot about ‘liquid to lips’ being the best marketing strategy, and for global malts still in their infancy, getting consumers to try Indian single malt is key.”
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