Amrut Intermediate Sherry Batch 32
Whisky: Amrut Intermediate Sherry Batch 32
Country/Region: India
ABV: 57.1%
Cask: New Oak, Bourbon, Spanish Oak Oloroso, Refill Bourbon
Age: NAS (Bottled July 2016)
Nose: Rich and sherried, dried fruits, incense, baking spices, malty pastries, leather and charred wood, dark chocolate.
Palate: Medium-bodied and oily, woody, baking spices, dried fruits, lacquered wood, incense and woody resins, leather and brown sugar.
Finish: Long, resinous, and mildly drying with lacquered wood and dates.
Score: 7-8 (86)
Mental Image: The Deacon’s Secret Fortified Wine Stash
Narrative & Notes: Rich wine and wood teased chocolate, concentrated fruits, and fragrant incense as the aroma brought me back to childhood early morning church services as an acolyte. More cinnamon and buttered scones lingered further in with a panoply of baking spices, mint, and dried dates. Leather and charred wood occasionally appeared with more dark chocolate. Medium-bodied and oily with drying woody tannins that came on stronger at the end. The flavor profile closely matched the aroma with syrupy baking spices, concentrated dried fruits, lacquered wood, and frankincense. Incense and wood resins dominated as more of the spice fell away with hints of leather and brown sugar joining in. The finish was long, resinous, and mildly drying with lacquered wood and dates.
I have written notes for this bottle many times over the years. At one point, there was a spirited pepper that often popped out, but that has long since faded and the flavors have otherwise remained stable. The whisky was always quite woody and resinous, with big dried fruits and hints of more savory charred wood or dark chocolate in the background. I know some worry about how long a bottle of whisky remains good after opening, however there is no exact science to tell you what will improve, stay the same, or decline, and how quickly that might happen. I have learned not to worry about it, but if I notice a whisky seems to be changing for the worse, I will usually hurry up and finish it.
I originally purchased this bottle at the Delhi airport duty free some years ago. At the time, Amrut was difficult to find outside of Bangalore, something that has thankfully changed for the better. Since I was never been able to find a bottle of Amrut in India, I grabbed this on the way out, and promptly opened it when I got home.
Overall, a delightful sherry bomb— one that was more or less discontinued shortly after I bought it, though it has since returned with new packaging.
Image Credit: The Casks (check out their review through the link— because of course I had this bottle for years and never thought to take a photo! Oops.
