No better place, than the beginning, to kick off a run of whisky: Amrut Classic Indian Single Malt. Made from 6 row Indian barley and aged in a combination of new charred American Oak and ex-Bourbon casks (BT and Jack) for at least 4 years. This is the core of everything Amrut does, and we tasted this, and most of the upcoming Amrut whiskies, at a recent SCWC meeting. Before we jump into the whisky review, I imagine you have some questions.

Like, why 6 row barley vs the more common 2 row? Simple, there’s more protein in the smaller grains which lend to the style of whisky they want to get. Or, maybe, why only 4 years as a minimum? Well, because the warm, humid, climate matures the whisky quickly.

That same climate causes a 10-15% yearly Angel’s Share and makes it hard to go much beyond 7 years at their upper end. Though the biggest question, I imagine, is how does it taste? Well, I’m going to answer that right now.