Maker: Amrut, Kambipura, Bangalore, India
Style: Single malt from a mix of Northern Indian and peated Scottish barley.
Batch: No. 22, Sept 2012
Age: NAS
ABV: 50%
Price: $70 (Binny’s)
Note: Not chill filtered.
Appearance: Dark gold with thick legs.
Nose: Peat, smoke, freshly varnished wood, alcohol.
Palate: Medium bodied. Brown sugar, hardwood smoke, alcohol. Opens up with water. Cinnamon, mace, agave nectar, sherry, bit of peat.
Finish: A little sweetness then a sappy burn like that time when my dad tried to use turpentine instead of lighter fluid to get the grill going. More complex with water. Sherry, fruitcake and burn.
Parting words: Always on top things in the whisky world, I reviewed Amrut’s Single Malt back in 2014 and have been sitting on this 50 ml bottle ever since then, having intended to review it a week or two after. Amrut is no longer the hot buzzed about Asian whisky is was back then (Taiwan’s Kavalan
has taken over that role), but it’s now found its place in the world whisky firmament.
I can’t see Fusion replacing Laphroaig as my go-to peaty whisky, but it’s pretty good. The slightly annoying lumber note that appeared in the Single Malt is still there, but it is thankfully shoved into the background by the spice, sweetness and peat. The high proof improves it too, adding a welcome bite to a category riddled with products in the 40% range. The price is higher than I would like, but it’s not too far off Single Malt Scotch prices these days and the high proof ameliorates that too.
Amrut Fusion is recommended.
Sipology 
I still can’t quite warm up to Amrut Fusion, in part as all we get in Mumbai is a more insipid variant. Blind tasted in our group it has received a fairly negative reaction. Whereas some of Paul John have been greeted with cautious curiosity about what more they can do. That said, I’m the first to admit have barely scratched the surface with Amrut offerings!
By insipid do you mean lower ABV? That would knock it back quite a bit in my estimation. FWIW, Amrut has grown on me. The first couple times I tried it, I didn’t like it at all. Unfortunately, Paul John is not available here but I would like to try it. My Annoying Opinions liked a recent indie bottling he found.https://myannoyingopinions.com/2016/06/20/paul-john-2011-mos/
Yeah… insipid is a bit harsh as it isn’t bad. The lower ABV is simply a necessity of the liquor laws for Indian made whisky which has different limits in different states. In short – even if they wanted to have 50% in Mumbai, not permitted. The first time I had Amrut Fusion 50% in Singapore was pleasantly surprised. 🙂