Today I look at a world whisky, the Amrut Two Continents single malt whisky. In the past, Scotland was known as the home of whisky. Over the past decade, this has changed.
Today new world whiskies have no reason to defer to Scotland and the Amrut distillery in Bangalore, India, produces world-class whiskies.
I guess Amrut Distilleries hit the big time when Malt Advocate Magazine called Amrut Fusion “World Whisky of the Year” and Jim Murray in the 2010 Whisky Bible named it the third-best whisky in the world. We are fortunate to travel to Bangalore and India yearly, and we love the culture, food, and colours.
The Amrut distillery is located in Bangalore, and I figured it would be easy to get Amrut whisky in Bangalore– wrong! The majority of shops in Bangalore were not aware of it, and requests for Amrut drew blank stares! Recently I was visiting my friend Audrey in Sydney, Australia.
Knowing my love of all things whisky, she took me to a speciality whisky shop in the heart of the city. It was a great place, and I took the opportunity to acquire some Sullivans Cove whisky.
As I was paying for them and chatting to the delightful owner, I noticed the black box of Amrut Two Continents whisky, First edition. I immediately asked him what it would cost, and he told me it was not for sale, as it was the only one he still had and was part of his collection.
Well, after 20 minutes of haggling, interspersed with pleading, he eventually agreed to part ways with it. This whisky had travelled a long and complicated journey – from India to Europe to Australia and finally to South Africa! At long last, I had acquired an Amrut Two Continents.
Amrut only released 786 bottles of the first edition, and this bottle is number 408. In 2012 Whisky Advocate awarded it the “New Whisky of the Year” award, so expectations were high.
Amrut has been distilling whisky since 1948, and on the front, the remarkable journey of this whisky is described.
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Amrut Two Continents Single Malt Whisky Review
The bottle itself has a beautiful label echoing the rich architecture and design of India. It is housed in an elegant black presentation case with gold trim and lettering. The single malt whisky nestles in a deep purple material with the inside flap describing the mythology behind the Amrut name.
The whisky itself is distilled in India before being shipped to Europe (a secret location!) for the final three years of maturation – hence the name Two Continents.
COUNTRY: India
ABV: 46%
COLOUR: Interesting, with hints of amber, honey, and light gold.
PALATE: Tasting the Amrut Two Continents, we immediately picked up honey, spice, and vanilla. There was a hint of peat but no smoke. Delicate waves of oak come through. The Amrut Two Continents comes across as a slightly sweet whisky, but in no way does it overpower. The whisky gets better if you let it breathe a bit.
FINISH: The finish is something else! It starts slowly and then builds to a big mouthful with a long slow tail. Jim Murray said – and we agree – it has a voluptuous finish.
RATING: DIVINE
This Amrut release is truly a unique whisky, and I am ecstatic to have it in my collection. I paired this fantastic whisky with some Blue Tower Cheese, and it made a delectable whisky cheese pairing.
Other Amrut expressions I have written about include the Amrut Fusion as well as the Amrut Kadhambam.
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