Whisky : Amrut 4 Year Ex-Rye for Norfolk Whisky Group

Country/Region : Indi

ABV : 60%

Cask : Ex-Rye (Amrut Rye)

Age : 4 Year (Distilled July 2015, Bottled March 2020)

Nose :  Buttery with floral and herbal spice.  Buttery pastries flavored with cinnamon, sugar, black sesame, and cardamon all came to mind.  Beyond the pastries were notes of sandalwood, pecan shells, and eucalyptus oil.

Palate : Medium bodied and very oily with layers of wood, spice, and subtle fruit.  Sweet spice hit the palate first with cinnamon, cardamon, and orange peel.  However, woody oils dominated as pine, menthol oil, camphor, and eucalyptus essence.  The dram was a bit hot, though a few drops of water cooled things off and calmed down the tree oils enough that cardamon pastries and an almost pistachio nuttiness came through.  

Finish :  Lingering fragrant oils and polished wood

Score : 3

Mental Image : Koala Snacks

Notes : I generally love Amrut, but this was not at all to my taste.  I imagine a lot of the spice and arboreal oils on this came from the rye cask as I do not think I have encountered a lot of these notes on Amrut before.  This was almost medicinal at times with the amount of menthol and eucalyptus that came through.  I can think of only one other dram, a Glenlossie 7 Year from SMWS, that struck me as quite so “arboreal,” though that one leaned more toward pleasant cinnamon bark.

Overall, this was a tad hot with a unique and striking palate that heavily featured notes of eucalyptus.  Notes of cardamon pastries were pleasant, but the impression of essential oils was not to my liking.

Image Credit : Norfolk Wine & Spirits