Vineous whiskies

Strange as it may sound, did you know that many wine connoisseurs are also partial to single malts?

What are single malts? These are malt whiskies produced at a single distillery, using malted grain (mostly malted barley) that has then been matured in oak casks before bottling. We are talking about single malts because the language used to describe (and appreciate) these spirits is very similar to that used for wines: aroma, taste, and after-taste all figure in the lexicon of single malts.

Sure, there are blended malts - these were earlier called 'vatted malt', 'pure malt', or even 'pillaged malt' - but these somehow just haven't caught the imagination of consumers like single malts. There are 2,990 single malts from Scotland listed by the Whisky Exchange - the best-known include brands like Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Bowmore, Dalwhinnie, Talisker, Laghuvalin, Glenkinchie, Ardberg, Ardmore, Glenfarclas... the list is endless, with prices ranging from £21 to over £1,000 per bottle.

Single malts used to be a rarity, but have taken off in the last few years - and the best single malts are not necessarily from Scotland: Jim Murray 2015 Whisky Bible names the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 (97.5 points) from Japan as the "Finest Whisky of the Year". In 2010, Murray created a sensation by naming the Amrut Fusion Single Malt 50% (from India) as the 'Third finest whiskey in the world', giving it a rating of 97 points!

And just released in Bengaluru are two new Indian single malts: the Paul John 'Edited' (JM 96.5 points, Rs 3,200), and the Paul John 'Brilliance' (JM 94.5 points, Rs 2,900) - both at 46 per cent strength.

The Paul John ‘Edited’ single malt whiskey

John Distilleries has been around since 1992 and sells millions of cases of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), principally Original Choice Whiskey; it also produces the Big Banyan range of premium wines. Its foray into single malts began in 2006 when it set up pot stills and warehouses at its Goa unit to produce and mature this sprirt - today, it has some 6,000 casks maturing malt whiskey, which together with the plant would represent an investment of at least Rs 60 crore.

The only other Indian single malt is the McDowell Single Malt whiskey, rated a lowely 82 points by Jim Murray ("...let down by what appear to be very old casks.."), and is priced accordingly (Rs 1,400).

Single malts are to be savoured in a similar way as when tasting a wine: nose the aroma first, then mix in just a teaspoon of water (if you must) and sip in very small sips - certainly, do not mix with the copious amounts of ice and water and gulp the stuff the way spirits are gulped in India.

Each single malt has a range of aromas and flavours that differentiate various brands, and one could talk about this forever - suffice it to say that a good single malt is a thing of joy and spiritual upliftment like no other distilled product.

Single malts I've been drinking: The Paul John 'Edited', at the signature Vembanad restaurant at (where else) The Paul Hotel in Bengaluru. This variant is peated, which expresses itself as mint and chocolate and smoke atop oak notes; the taste is complex and evolved: there is peat, honey, and liquorice with some mint and smoke - yes, we're talking about a single malt, not a wine! So here's to another "spirited" Indian product - cheers!

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant