AMRUT LEGENDARY INDIAN SINGLE MALT WHISKY
The Road to Gold in America
Ashok Chokalingam - Master Distiller + Brand Innovator
Amrut’s New Distillery
What kind of company does it take to convince the Scots that there might be a whisky other than Scotch, worthy of their time proven tastebuds?
It’s been a great year for Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky in America. Both the Single Malt 46% and the renown Fusion whiskies continue to win gold medals. Fusion is one of the most awarded Single Malt Whiskies in the world since it first struck gold in 2010. Managing Director Rakshit Jagdale is proud of what Amrut has achieved both world-wide and in the USA. Americans are now the world’s largest consumers of Scotch Single Malt Whisky and now the USA is Amrut Distillery’s largest market as well. It surprises people when they hear that Texas is currently the largest consumer of Amrut in the country.
What is amazing is that all the accolades and awards are coming from industry professionals, including American Bartenders, in blind tastings. “Put that in perspective,” says Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s Master Distillery and Global Brand Ambassador. “Industry professionals who drink, taste and represent the best whiskies in the world, in a situation where they can only judge by taste and know little else about the whiskies in their glasses, give some of the highest ratings to Amrut Whisky.”
2019 is not the beginning! The gold and accolades started in 2010 when UK whisky guru, Jim Murray and his globally read Whisky Bible, declared Amrut Fusion the “third best whisky in the world.” That included Japanese, American and Scotch whiskies. With an award of 97 points, the whisky world soon discovered the quality Single Malt being produced by what has become a legendary Indian Single Malt Distillery.
In 2019, Amrut Distillery has so far been awarded World Whisky Producer of the Year by the Bartender Spirits Awards. Amrut Fusion was awarded gold medals at the Proof Awards (Double Gold), Bartender Spirits Awards and Whiskies of the World Awards. Single Malt 46% won Gold Best in Class at the Whiskies of the World Awards, a top honor, and all this from American Professionals!
While the Bangaluru based distillery itself was started by Rakshit’s grandfather in 1948, the journey for Amrut Single Malt started in 2002 when the late Chairman Neelakanta Jagdale asked his son Rakshit and his academic peer Ashok Chokalingam to develop a thesis on the viability of an Indian distilled Single Malt Whisky while they attended Newcastle University in the UK.
After their thesis indicated possible success, Indian Single Malt Whisky was launched in 2004. Ashok Chokalingam took to the road literally willing to clock 300,000 solo miles on the road across the UK, wearing out nearly three cars, in order to convince the whisky nation that there is a place for world whiskies when nary a market existed anywhere on earth.
Amrut introduced their Indian Single Malts to America in 2010. Acceptance first came from the Whisky aficionados or geeks as they are lovingly referred to. Amrut continued the strategy developed in the UK of blind tastings, putting their Indian Single Malt Whiskies up against the world’s most famous Scotch Whiskies resulting in shock and disbelief when so many selected as their favorite whisky or the whisky they believed to be Scotch only to have it revealed as Amrut Indian Single Malt Whisky.
Amrut has arrived as a world-class Single Malt. It’s not only available in the finest whisky shops across America, but in many of the large format liquor stores as well. It’s a tremendous Whisky to both celebrate special occasions and affordable enough to be a regular dram with friends. Best of all, due to the scarcity of Amrut Single Malt in India, people visiting family and friends in India arrive bearing Amrut as a precious gift.
new jersey STORES
Shop-Rite Wines & Spirits - Chester
Buy-Rite - Jersey City
Benash Liquor Store - Cherry Hill
Hudson Wine Market - Fort Lee
CONNECTICUT STORES
International Wine Shop - Westport
Toast Wines by Taste - Hartford
NEW YORK STORES
Grapes The Wine Company - White Plains
Continental Wine & Spirits - Fresh Meadows
Arlington Wine & Liquor - Poughkeepsie
All Star Wine & Spirits - Latham
Mora’s Fine Wine and Spirits - East Setauket
Astor Wines - New York City
Greenwood Grape & Still - New York City
dc, maryland, delaware STORES
Liquor Locker - Hagerstown
Total Wine & More - Most stores
Potomac Wines & Spirits - DC
Calvert Woodley - DC
Schneiders of Capital Hill - DC
Here is a great on-line tool to assist state by state searches for stores and specific Amrut Products.