New whisky offers taste of India

Neelakanta Rao Jagdale hopes Amrut will excite Scottish palates

An Indian distillery has launched its single malt export whisky in Scotland and plans to sell the Amrut blend in about 460 Indian restaurants.

Amrut managing director Neelakanta Rao Jagdale said he hoped the exposure offered in restaurants should help it to penetrate the European market.

The company aims to sell 1,000 12-bottle cases by the end of the year. A bottle will cost about £20.

The whisky is also being introduced in France, Italy and Spain.

The multi-million pound global whisky market is dominated by Scottish, Irish and north American producers, while the drink is also produced in Japan and a handful of other Asian nations.

I'd prefer that it stands on its own as an Indian single malt whisky Rakshit Jagdale

Alistair Sinclair, of Premier Scotch Whisky, Amrut's Glasgow-based partner, will help market the malt in Scotland.

The whisky is made from barley grown in the Himalayan foothills and is malted in Delhi and Jaipur.

Amrut is distilled in Bangalore, then matured for three years in American oak casks.

Mr Jagdale's son Rakshit said about 5,000 barrels are maturing in Amrut's facilities in Bangalore.

He said: "I'd prefer that it stands on its own as an Indian single malt whisky.

"That should be our unique selling point."