New single malts that are lifting the spirits of the Indian whisky lover

The market for single malts in India may be small but it's far from staid

A  breakfast meeting usually necessitates a tall Americano. The dark liquid speaks to me gently but convincingly, especially after I have navigated rush-hour Gurugram traffic half asleep. This time, my drooping eyes have a worthy companion to settle on and perk up swiftly. Struan Grant Ralph, global brand ambassador of Glenfiddich, was himself recovering from stubborn Holi colours and a gluten-free beer from the night before. But trust a Scotsman to suggest whisky for breakfast.
 
Old malts are beginning to please a younger audience, he tells me. He’s well-placed to know — the 38-year-old is at a new bar somewhere in the world every two weeks, and has been a bartender for 15 years. “The jet lags are painful,” admits Ralph, but like today, he’s usually up for a whisky tasting the next morning. Glenfiddich 18YO and a conversation about the brand’s Experimental Series are on the table.

IPA and Project 20 from the Glenfiddich Experimental Series

 
“What an absolute pleasure it is to walk into a world-class bar and find a bottle you helped create,” he says. He’s taking about the Project XX, created with inputs from Glenfiddich’s 20 brand ambassadors. Launched last year and slowly making its way into Indian bars, the unique malt has a fruity character with hints of candyfloss, cinnamon spice and liquorice, and sells at select stores for Rs 8,600 (in Delhi). The other expression from the Experimental Series that Indians are warming up to is the Single Malt IPA (Rs 8,200 in Delhi), which, as the name suggests, is matured in Indian Pale Ale casks. The tasting notes are a mix of zesty citrus, green apple and a host of fresh herbs.
 

Glenmorangie’s 10th Private Edition, Allta

A generous estimate of the share of single malts in India’s whisky market would peg it at still less than 1 per cent. Especially for young drinkers, craft beer continues to dominate. And yet, there are many new single malts stirring up the Indian market.
 
After the success of Paul John, which recently launched a new variant, Nirvana (Rs 1,500 in Goa), and Amrut — Indian single malts that have won international awards — Radico Khaitan introduced its Rampur Indian Single Malt to the home market in February, three years after it debuted internationally. With a taste of creamy vanilla and hints of apple and apricot, the company claims to have sold 50 per cent of their stock within four weeks. Another homegrown single malt that hit the market in February was Peter Scot Black (Rs 4,300).
 

The 12YO Singleton of Glendullan; Rampur Indian Single Malt

Back to Scotland, Singleton of Glendullan, a 12-year-old Speyside single malt, priced at Rs 4,800, will officially launch in select cities this week.
 
In specials, Glenmorangie, which has been consistently introducing a limited-edition single malt every year in India through its Private Edition, is up to something different. “The 10th edition, Allta, is the distillery’s first single malt created with yeast growing wild on its own barley,” says Neha Mansukhani, senior marketing manager at Moët Hennessy. It’s mastered by Glenmorangie’s director of distilling, whisky creation & whisky stocks, Bill Lumsden, and will be available at Delhi Duty Free for Rs 7,410. The expression is matured in ex-bourbon casks and gets its fruity flavour from the special yeast.
 
Decades of snobbery around single malts are not yet past. But while age statements may still rule cigar room conversations, the bartender you chat up next might ask your choice of single spirit to grace your Whisky Sour or Highball. It’s a good time to catch up on mature tastes.
 
 

Glenfiddich’s limited edition 50-year-old single malt and a 1967 vintage from The Glenlivet’s Winchester Collection

Vintage affair
 
India is rarely a collector’s market. Higher import duties attached to Alcohol by Volume (ABV) percentage being one of the key reasons. The usual norm for Indian single malt lovers and collectors among them is to chance upon a rare bottle at an auction abroad or at travel retail. So it was a feat for Glenfiddich to sell a limited edition 50-year-old at the Mumbai Duty Free last month for $28,500 (Rs 19,75,000). It’s a beautiful bottle with a silver collar designed by sixth generation silversmiths Thomas Fattorini in a hand-made leather case. Speaking of rare, The Glenlivet recently launched a new batch of its Winchester Collection — 150 bottles of a rare blend of single malt — the youngest of which was laid down in 1967 by master distiller Robert Arthur. It is brought to life by a successor Alan Winchester and hand-crafted by British designer Bethan Gray. The Speyside single malt will retail at exclusive stores and travel retail partners for $25,000 (Rs 17,32,000) starting April.