Around the world in 80 drams or less: the sweet taste of India

There’s no denying that some of the more interesting ‘new’ countries in whisky can be found (from my European based point of view) on the other side of the world. Australian whisky is taking it from strength to strength, Taiwanese distilleries are  building on the success story that is Kavalan, but when it comes to whisky  there’s  one country in particular which I feel is probably only just showing us the tip of the iceberg: India. A country that is not just massive in size (the 7th largest country on this planet, in fact), but also ‘rather crowdy’. With over 1.4 billion inhabitants, it’s surpassed China as the most populated country on earth. A country of extremes, with the highest mountains, huge rainforests, massive rivers, vast deserts, impressive monsoons, and everything in between. The one constant factor here that in most places an accurate way of describing the climate would be ‘bloody hot’. From people who’ve been there, I get that India is quite the experience and there’s really nothing anything like it. Very inspiring, but also very awe inspiring and humbling. So it only makes sense that a place like this would be home to a wide variety of endeavouring and inspired minds, people who, when the opportunity seems right, are  willing to take a risk and trail off the beaten track.

Roughly a decade ago, It was Paul John and Amrut that first made us sit up and pay attention to what was going on. Following swiftly  in their footsteps, other brands and distilleries followed suit, Rampur and Piccadilly probably the ones that ring a bell to most of us. The concept of Indian single malt whisky was at first greeted with a sceptical, almost smug disdain by some, but not before long, things started to chance. And to be fair: there’s an enormous amount of Indian ‘whisky’ out there that is hardly worth the paper on its label. Most of the stuff is a molasses based spirit drink – made to be chugged and to get you drunk, rather than being sipped and appreciated for flavour’s sake.  So a fair dose of scepticism towards Indian whisky was (and probably still is) anything but unjustified. So what’s changed, then? Why did we suddenly sat up with pricked ears? The reason is, as it so often is, quite simple: because the quality was there to silence those who felt  it ‘bon mot’ to dis them.

It was back in November of 2022 when I crossed paths with Indri for the first time. There was already some talk going around about  a new Indian whisky on the market which was said to be quite interesting, delivering great bang for buck at the same time. So when I saw that one of my go two stores had the Indri Trini in stock, I didn’t even give it a second thought and picked one up. For €38 you couldn’t really be all too disappointed if it turned out to be a dud, now could you. But it was anything but a dud, and I think that by word of mouth – not in the least by Roy who couldn’t stop raving about it as well – it really took off since.  Another example of the community being willing to do the advertising for you, if you give us something that excites us for all the right reasons. It has since become something of a permashelf bottle here too. I’m on my third bottle and I have also bought one or two as a gift.

One of the reasons Piccadilly might be able to release a good quality single malt whisky and distribute it at budget price, is because they are no small fish. With 3 sets of stills (3 25,000 litre wash stills and 3 15,000 litre spirit stills),  they produce roughly 12,000 litre of new make every day, which means  their annual capacity sits around 4 mio LPA. How do I know this? Because it’s all neatly explained on their website.  Another reason for this quality malt being available for a budget friendly price might be of course to introduce it to as many markets as possible to real people in. A not uncommon strategy where you ‘re happy to settle for the sharpest margin as possible to help establish the brand. Whether that will last, I don’t know, but I’ll certainly enjoy it while it lasts. And as long as they keep putting it out at that price, I will be buying it. Simple as that! Today’s bigger and bolder cask strength expression certainly is a significant step up in terms of price. (The rather excessive packaging likely has something to do with that, and for me they could and perhaps should just do without, if that means shaving €5  or even €10 from the price tag.) So it seems almost inevitable to compare the two of them and see which one offers the better value. But before we get there, time for some tasting notes.

Indri Drú single malt whisky. 57.2% ABV, fully matured in ex-bourbon casks, NC, UCF, app. €65 - €80 (€65 paid).

Nose

Very herbal and spicy with notes of sage, basil, eucalyptus and ginger, mixed in with generous amounts of vanilla and honey. We are not too far way from hot toddy territory here, as it brings all the spice notes from a strong whisky liqueur, but – luckily, I may add – not all of that sickly candy and sugary  sweetness. The spicy, warming spirit character with all that tropical fruit that you may find in the Trini is definitely present here as well. As this is entirely matured in ex bourbon barrels, this lacks the typical sherry and wine cask notes (no, or very little toffee, nuts and red fruits to be found), putting the emphasis on the spices and herbal notes. At 57.2% ABV, they are taking full advantage of the situation, making a bold statement in presenting themselves.

Palate

Warm, slightly peppery arrival, immediately followed by all those herbal, tropical fruit and spice notes from the nose. Dense, viscous – syrupy mouthfeel. Interestingly, I am now also picking up notes from coffee, roasted nuts and some chocolate – things I couldn’t really detect on the nose. Despite the strong ABV, it’s very palatable with very little burn, and I find I enjoy it just fine without adding water.

Finish

Umami and ginger sweetness and some  gentle pepper. Despite this being an absolute flavour bomb, the finish isn’t exactly long, or at least not as long as I would ‘ve expected and hoped from such a bold and outspoken whisky.

Final thoughts

If Scotch is your Alfa and Omega  when talking and enjoying whisky , you are expected to step away from familiar ground a bit with this one. It’s bolder and louder than the Indri Trini and with its warming and outspoken herbaceous and spice driven character, it’s definitely bringing its own take to what whisky can be. Not only do I think that’s super interesting to begin with, I also think this is  cracking, gorgeous stuff. That said, it’s not something I would reach for each and every time, rather than it being something I need to be in the mood for. Not  because it’s difficult, far from it, but it really demands your attention. I love it and I embrace it wholeheartedly, and when you’re willing to take a deep dive into flavour territory and fully assess what it has to offer, this one definitely delivers. Do  I feel it merits the extra €30 or so over the Trini? Yes, actually, because I’ll happily argue that the Trini would still be excellent value if it was a tenner more. So chances are I will replace this cask strength Flavour Bomb, but, because of its outspoken character and compared to the outstanding value the Trini has to offer,  will also pick my moments with this carefully.

86/100