India Flashcards
(14 cards)
When did distillation start in India?
-India is thoght to be one of the earliest (if not the first) country to distil a social spirit in the third century
-distilate made from sugar cane
First “modern” Indian distillery?
-Kausali was home to “Old Monk Rum”
-was given as daily ration to troops
What does IMFL stand for?
-Indian Made Foreign Liquors
-example distillers make “whisky” from molassess often sold with Scotch names
How much “whisky” does India consume per year?
-1.5 billion litres (396 million gallons)
-mostly IMFL
Who was the first Indian distillery to launch a single malt?
-Amrut - 2004
Amrut
-Founded in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) in 1948 by Jagdale family
-Branch into dedicated Single Malt production in 2001 (first relase 2004)
-Innovation has been key
-Two Continents - casks shipped from India to Scotland starting in virgin oak, then sherry, then ex-Bourbon
-Spectrum - staves made up of four different cask types: American Oak (#3 char), light new French Oak, ex-olorosso & PX staves, and rye
-Naarangi - ex-Oloroso sherry casks seasoned with wine and orange peel for three years
-Greedy Angels - showing impact of sub-tropical maturation (14% per year)
Amrut Production
-“our new make is fruity, heavy, and malty”
-one of the longest ferments = 140 hours
-slow distilled - double distilled in pots
-Sustainability looms in their thinking
-completely reusing water after treatment (reduced 60,000 litres per day)
-Methane generated in effluent treatment plant now used in hot water boiler
Paul John
-based in Goa since 1992 (making molasses based spirit)
-now sells 21 million cases a year
-Single Malt started in 2001 with pair of pot stills (now 8 - giving million litres per year)
-Six row Indian malted barley (different levels of peating)
-Fermentation 70 hours
-Pots have upward facing lyne arms - lighter fruitier new make
-Goa is tropical - 7%-8% angels share
Rampur
-Radico Khaitan owned distillery in Himalayan hills in North of India
-started operations in 1943
-Single malt became part of operations in 1992
-First single malt released in 2016
-Considerable business with total capacity of 72 million litres per year of molasses spirit and 30 million per year of grain
-malt plant is housed in seperate facility - increased capacity of 9 million litres
-“extreme temperatures in north make our malts mature at an aggressive pace”
Picadilly
-2021 - Indri brand (named after the firm’s home town) where the firm started in 1952
-built malt plant and started distilling malt spirits in 2011
-Blender Surrinder Kumar moved from same position at Amrut
-unpeated 6 row barley = more fruity character
-Clear wort and long ferments
-Summer temperatures can reach 122F
Other Indian Distilleries
-Kasauli - formerly named Mohan Meakin
-India’s oldest distlillery including Old Monk Rum and Solan 1 whisky
-entered single malt category in 2019 with Soam Gold
-Sikkim Seas Distillery - produces Sikkim Himalayan Premium Single Malt
-South Seas Distillery - claims to have India’s largest pot stills
Changes to definitions of Indian Single Malt and Single Grain
-In 2024 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) updated definitions of Indian Single Malt new definitions took affect March 2025
-Indian Malt Whisky Association established
-working towards establishing an Indian Single Malt GI
Indian Malt Whisky Association
-Board includes:
Paul J John (Paul John)
Rakshit N Jagdale (Amrut)
Abhishek Khaitan (Radico Khaitan)
Akhil Dada (Piccadily)
IMWA Guidelines launched March 2024
-Indian Single Malt Whisky must be 100% Malted Barley distilled to no higher than 60% ABV (120 proof)
-Aged minimum of three years in oak barrels smaller than 700L
-nothing can be added to alter cask
-crafted using only three ingredients: malted barley, water, yeast
-Carmel coloring and demineralized water may be added before bottling
-Blended Malt or 100% Malt must be mixture of two or more malts from different distilleries
-distilled, matured and bottled in India
-Do NOT designated minimum bottling ABV
