The Bangalore distillery matured unpeated spirit in new American oak and ex-Bourbon barrels before transferring the liquid into once-used port pipes and a final stage of maturation in ex-Bourbon casks.
According to Amrut, the use of port pipes adds a rich profile to the whisky, but is also a reference to India’s historical links with Portugal, the home of the fortified wine.
Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut's international sales manager, said: “The Indian links to Portugal go back centuries, so it was natural that we should want to put our whisky into barrels that had spent time there.”
Jim Murray, author of the Whisky Bible 2012, said: “I have never come across such a flavour profile before anywhere in the world. But my word; what a statement this makes…unique.”
