Amrut Intermediate Sherry Review

“Red Red Wine”

Country: India
Region: Southern Part

Brand: Amrut Intermediate Sherry

Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (Probably Around 5 Years)

ABV: 57.1% 
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 605
Buying Advice: 😀  Positive if you like Sherry - and Port finished Whisky.

Colour: Deep Gold with a hint of Copper (Natural Colour)

Nose: I immediately sense the Virgin Oak Casks. It's a sort of Varnish Aroma that I always find when nosing Whisky that (partially) matured in this type of Wood. The Ex-Sherry - and Ex-Port casks influences are there as well. Despite the high ABV, the Alcohol is reasonably well-integrated. On the Nose, this Amrut reminds me of the Asian cuisine. A combination of Sweet and Sour with some Spices. I find Toasted Malt, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Vanilla, Blueberry Muffins, Unripe Banana, Pineapple, slightly Sour Grapes, Raisins, Tutti Frutti Bubblegum, Plum Jam, Citrus, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon, light Menthol, Oak and hints of Damp Leafs, Tobacco, Espresso and Leather. The Amrut Intermediate Sherry is not a classic Sherry Bomb but it does have strong Fortified Wine influences.

Palate: Strong delivery thanks to the high ABV. It's impossible to ignore the Alcohol by now. On the Palate, this Amrut is rather Dry and Bitter-Sweet with some Sour and Spicy Flavours in the mix as well. I find Toasted  Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Banana, Grapes, Plum Jam, Dark Red Fruits, Honey, Nuts, Chocolate, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, light Menthol, Licorice, Aniseed, Grapefruit, Orange, Bourbon and hints of Tobacco, Leather and Espresso.

Finish: Quite Long, Fruity and Spicy. Again this combination of Sweet, Sour, Oak and Spices. The Alcohol is even more noticeable at this point. I find Sweet Malt, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit and Nuts, Orange - and Lemon Zest, Dark Red Fruit (Berries), Banana, Red Wine, Honey, Coconut, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, light Aniseed, Nutmeg and hints of Bourbon, Dark Chocolate and Espresso.

I added a little Water and I found some extra Citrus on the Nose. On the Palate and in the Finish the Alcohol becomes less strong of course and Bananas invade your mouth. This Amrut certainly accepts some Water.

Rating: 87

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 22

General Remarks:

The first Amrut Distillery was founded in 1948 in Bangalore by the Jagdale family. They only started to distill Whisky for Blends in the 1980's. Their main products are Rum, Gin and Vodka. The first Single Malt was launched in 2004. As the climate in Southern India is very hot and humid, the spirit matures much faster than in Scotland. Most Amrut Malts are bottled after 4-6 Years. The oldest one is the recently released Greedy Angels 12 Years. The name of course refers to the high Angels Share that is lost each year to evaporation on account of the climatic conditions.

The Intermediate Sherry that I'm reviewing today is an annual limited edition. The sample I'm using was part of a batch bottled in 2014. The Spirit for this Malt firstly matures in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and virgin Oak casks. Subsequently it is transferred for 1 year to Ex-Oloroso casks from the South of Spain and probably Port Pipes from Portugal. Finally the Spirit returns to Ex-Bourbon casks for the final maturation before being bottled at- or near Cask Strength. The Amrut Intermediate is not cheap and usually sells at around 100 US Dollars (March 2017).    

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Amrut Intermediate Sherry is a well-crafted Single Malt. I must admit though that I would probably recognise it as a Port Finished Whisky in a Blind Tasting. The Fortified Red Wine influence seems to overpower the Sherry casks. Still there's enough to discover, both on the Nose and on the Palate. I do wonder how this Single Malt would taste without using Virgin Oak casks. To be honest, I'm not too fond of that characteristic Varnish Aroma. But all in all the Amrut distillery shows (like Kavalan from Taiwan) that it's quite possible to fully mature a Whisky in a relatively short period of time if your distillery is built in a region with a hot and humid climate. If you like Fortified Wine finished Whisky you should give the Amrut Intermediate a try. Unfortunately, this Single Malt can't be cheap considering the high Angel's Share. 

Jan van den Ende                                                                    March 27, 2017