Amrut Spectrum 004, 2021 Edition
Whisky: Amrut Spectrum 004, 2021 Edition
Country/Region: India
ABV: 50%
Cask: American and French Oak, Oloroso and PX Sherry
Age: N/A (Bottled 2021)
Nose: Chocolate, fudge, brownies, cinnamon, nougat, baking spices, ginger, white chocolate, pepper, earth.
Palate: Medium-bodied, balanced, ginger, cola, citrus, vanilla, chocolate, caramel; more leather earth, brine and spice at the end.
Finish: Long, warming, and drying as more woody tannins asserted themselves.
Score: 8 (87)
Mental Image: 2PM Wonka Factory Tour
Narrative & Notes: Loads of chocolate and fudge took me right inside Willy Wonka’s factory where cinnamon red hots and licorice sticks floated on a river of nougat. Cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and a treasure chest of baking spices floated on to ginger and white chocolate cookies. Hints of pepper and gochujang lingered around saltier notions with hints of dried grass, earth, and anise. Medium-bodied and well-balanced with plenty of ginger, cola, cardamom, and a twist of citrus blooming into vanilla extract, chocolate malt candies, and caramel— it was all sweet soft drinks and candies. The flag was planted in Willy Wonka’s factory, though more leather and earth slowly intruded with a touch of salt fronting a similar panoply of spice. The finish was long, warming, and drying as more of the woody tannins asserted themselves.
Fantastic fare— this did not quite hit the heights of my first encounter with an the original Amrut Spectrum 004, a whisky I have been fortunate enough to have a few times over the years, but it was a few pegs above the Spectrum 005 that I reviewed back in 2020. This was a real return to form with an impressive balance of flavors and mouthfeel— it was never too woody, except perhaps a bit on the finish, but that just left me wanting to take another sip.
Overall, I am not the biggest fan of “wood-core” or, as a friend put it, “wood tech” style whiskies, but this was great and shows exactly what you can get when everything goes right— though at great risk.
Image Credit: Must Have Malts
