Whisky : Amrut Spectrum 005

Country/Region : India

ABV : 50%

Cask : Frankenstein Cask (American Oak #3 Char, Toasted French Oak, Toasted Spanish Oak, Ex-Oloroso, Ex-Sherry)

Nose : Loads of wood notes kick things off: antique lacquerware, sandalwood, and oaky vanilla.  Sherry and European oak notes follow; milk chocolate, sweet tobacco, new oiled leather, and creamy nougat.  There is a lot of maltiness to the nose with whole wheat toast, rice crackers, and the crispy cookie inside of a Kit-Kat.

Palate :  Medium bodied and slightly dry.  Brown sugar, old honey, pandan, molasses, black sugar, kalo syrup, and black sesame all come through on an initial burst of sweetness.  Faint nuttiness, sulphur funk, oiled leather, and garden compost give a slightly odd bitter complexity.  Malty notes build and fade, but never disappear.

Finish :  Long and lingering, bitter dark chocolate and funky black sugar.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Weathered Snuff Box

Something Better : Amrut 8 Year Ex-Jaggery Rum (similar pandan, more tropical fruit, less wood/malt)

Something Similar : Glen Grant 30Y SMWS 9.149 (similar pandan, black sugar, more berries/pepper)

Notes :  This was nice, but I enjoyed 004 a lot more.  The only clear difference of which I am aware between the two is the addition of Spanish Oak staves into the Frankenstein finishing cask.  I got so much more complexity on the 004— and I honestly have no idea how much of that was just due to the incredible evening and circumstances under which I tried the 004.  The 005 I tried three times and while I enjoyed it, it never grabbed me and swept me off my feet in the same manner.

The Spectrum 005 had tons of wood influence and a strong malty character, but the influence of different wood types felt more like a competition than a harmonious chorus.  The different flavor profiles, spices, and sugars seemed to be locked in a cage match.  Maybe five types of wood are just too many— it was no Jura Seven Wood— but for my taste it tripped over some imaginary line in the sand.  This is the kind of bottle I would love to share with people, but I could not see myself drinking otherwise.