
October 31, 2018

Little duos, today new Amrut

No need to remind you that I’ve always thought the world of Amrut.

Amrut 5 yo ‘Rye’ (50%, OB, for LMDW, India, 2018)

Amrut 5 yo ‘Rye’ (50%, OB, for LMDW, India, 2018)
Indeed, this is single malt rye! Certainly a first, let’s try it… Colour: full gold. Nose: you cannot not think of some bourbons, but Amrut’s trademark fruitiness is there too, especially the mangos. So you end up with a feeling of a blend of mango juice and rosehip tea with some camphor and eucalyptus, with, additionally, some pencil shavings and quite some vanilla thrown in. Actually, this work. With water: eucalyptus got amplified. Some curious touches of Laphroaig here and there. Mouth (neat): same feelings. There are a few dissonances, but isn’t this free whisky? The shape of whisky to come? Mango juice, some kind of grassy smokiness, thick apricot bread, cedar wood, oranges, eucalyptus syrup… With water: same-ish. Finish: rather long, rather smooth, remaining coating and a tad syrupy, in a good way. Dried apricots and sweet wholegrain bread. Comments: unusual and very excellent, even if the rye is less obvious than in other, well, single ryes.
SGP:652 - 87 points.

Amrut 2013/2018 (652.8%, Le Gus’t, bourbon, cask #2288, 102 bottles)

Amrut 2013/2018 (62.8%, Le Gus’t, India, bourbon, cask #2288, 102 bottles)
This new one for those excellent wee French bottlers down in Manosque (Provence). Colour: full gold. Nose: this is liquid cake. I mean, cakes. We do find this wee smoky side which was in the rye as well, as if someone had burned some eucalyptus wood in the neighbourhood. Other than that, it’s perfect, with tarry mangos and a bag of ripe apricots. Apricots from Provence, naturally. With water: there, it becomes wider, with some menthol, seaweed smoke on a remote beach, porridge, rye bread, papayas, some tar, a wee bit of tyre (from an Enfield motorbike, of course)… Mouth (neat): my this goes down like that! At this strength! I guess it’s one of those whisky that one could call ‘homicidally good’ then. With water: all right, it’s perfect indeed. Pink grapefruits, always these traces of eucalyptus smoke, mango chutney, dried pineapples, menthol… What’s really interesting is that each and every time you would think it would become a little too fruity, some smoky/mentholated elements bring it back to the righteous path. Finish: long and perfect. Grapefruits smoked over eucalyptus wood. Comments: I’m wondering if this wasn’t very lightly smoked. Hard to tell. Anyway…
SGP:662 - 90 points.