Amrut Two Continents

50% abv

Score:  90.5/100

Amrut has set the bar so ridiculously high already that I walk into new expressions with unfairly elevated expectations.  It’s a credit to the distillery that their weakest offerings (in my opinion anyway) are still head and shoulders above many other distillery’s best.

Before taking one more step forward, let me clarify.  This is a great whisky.  It is not a weak offering.  I only suggest it may not be as stellar as the Intermediate Sherry, Portonova or Fusion.  If you’ve tried any of those expressions you’ll likely have an understanding as to what caliber we are speaking to.

Two Continents is a bit of a hybrid.  Periods of maturation in both Indian and European climes have given this malt its moniker, but is this a novelty or would the same effect have been achieved if the spirit was simply aged and bottled near the Himalaya?  Who knows.  I suppose we wouldn’t have had such a cool name (and consequently) concept to natter on about.

The whisky itself, regardless, is Amrut through and through.  Bold ribbons of orange zest and shaved milk chocolate.  A hefty shaking of exotic spices.  This has become almost a distillery profile.  Yeasty bread dough.  Perhaps the faintest whiff of peat in there.  Rich vanilla ice cream.  Lingering notes of fresh baking and home-made apple pie.

One thing I want to note here.  People tend to look for rules or generalizations in order to give some structure to their lives and make organizing thoughts easier.  This applies to whisky as well.  Islay whiskies are smoky.  Older is better.  Speysiders are fruity.  Amrut is a prime example of how misleading a generalization can be.  These spectacular malts are mere infants compared to their Scottish cousins.  The temperate Indian climate is a maturation accelerant.  What the distillery is able to turn out is product likely still not even 5 years old, which bears all the hallmarks of a malt 3 or 4 times its age.  Never let a generalization sway your opinion before your senses have had an opportunity to make up their own minds.

Nearly textbook malt from this Indian superstar.  While not my favorite Amrut, still full of sparkle and shine.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt