Whisky : Amrut 4 Year “Bengal Tiger” US Exclusive Cask

Country/Region : India

ABV : 56.5%

Cask : Virgin American Oak, Port Pipe

Age : 4 Year (Distilled Mar. 2013, Oct. 2017)

Nose : Fruit, smoke, and malt.  Rich dried figs and sun-dried tomatoes contrasted against malty-herbal notes.  Smoke from a freshly kindled wood-fired oven along with mild sea salt, fruity apricots, and sarsaparilla.

Palate : Medium to thick body with a rich profile of fruit, wood, and malt.  Mixed bowl of dried fruits: apricot, strawberries, and candied lemon slices.  Subtle notes of sandalwood which led into a mild dryness and herbal notes of tobacco.  Malty impressions of cinnamon pastries and nutty fruit cake arrived at the end.

Finish : Lingering notes of berries, herbs, and a kiss of smoke.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Islay Beach Cottage

Notes :  I have been a fan of Amrut for quite a while and I waited a long time to finally try this bottle.  We poured this during a local virtual tasting over the holidays as a blind bonus sample after a night of peat.  I managed to sneak a taste a few days before we began and I was excited to see what the group thought, but I was surprised just how popular the dram proved to be. Reactions varied widely with most tasters pegging this as an Islay, several voices guessed Bowmore as a source, and most assumed it was a few years shy of two decades.  This was generally very well received and most people ranked it as their second favorite of the evening.   There certainly was a vaguely maritime and mineral layer of flavors that sat somewhere in the background which made this a really interesting one to sip on.

Overall, this was a wonderfully complex Amrut which combined a lovely profile of fruit and smoke with rich notes of wood linking things together.  This was quite delightful and handily one of my favorite Amrut single casks.