Amrut Intermediate Sherry
57.1% abv
Score: 92/100
An exemplary showing of flawless sherry cask maturation. Beautiful juicy Oloroso meets exotic Indian spice in a Monsoon Wedding of epic proportions. I’m not even gonna wait till the end of this review to let you know the verdict.
I. Love. This. Whisky.
Seriously, I’ve said it before and I’m spouting it here again: Amrut is one of the absolute greatest, most fantabulous, untouchable distilleries on the planet. Every new release is a thing of excitement and anticipation.
So, what is Intermediate Sherry exactly? Well…this is what Amrut have referred to as ‘sandwich maturation’. The whisky grows old (well…by Indian climate standards anyway) first in Ex-bourbon casks, then in Oloroso butts, then back into ex-bourbon. I believe brand ambassador, Ashok Chokalingam, referred to this is as a ‘sherry sandwich’ when last we met.
So what is it that makes this one so special? This…
Nose: Beautiful Oloroso sherry sweetness. Raw bread dough. Orange zest and cherry. Cocoa shavings. Amrut spice melange…particularly nutmeg. Wee bits of eucalyptus. Raspberry puree. Soft, crumbly sugar cookies. Bordering on the perfect olfactory experience.
Palate: Warm melting chocolate. Orange (and maybe lemon) notes. Spicy and sweet cherry/raspberry juiciness. Again…a slight minty tang. So much more going on here that I simply struggle to unravel it all, but man…what an exceptionally delicious and zesty linger. Wow.
One of the absolute highlights of the Amrut range.
Buy Amrut. Support this distillery.
– Reviewed by: Curt
– Photo: Curt
All Things Whisky 
I have to add my voice to this review. I tried this over the holidays at my in-laws and I had to go and find another bottle. Does anyone know if this was a on-off or if it is going to a regular offering?
This whisky is in its own league as far as I’m concerned. I’ve now tried 3 Amruts and I’ve liked them all, but the I-S is something extra special. It’s so good that even if I had an endless supply I’d feel obligated to save it for a special occasion.
I managed to find a couple bottles of this and my whiskey club will be featuring it next month. I am excited, to say the least. 🙂
Not sure what happened. I loved this Whisky in December. It was one of the best I ever tried.
But at our recent RWTS meeting it was a real disappointment. Different bottle, but both were bought in Calgary and have batch 5 on the bottle. No chocolate notes, not as smooth and warming as I recall. Now, I wasn’t in the best of health but others around me were of the same mind. Mind you, we tried it after A’Bunadh batch 44 so I wonder if there was some palate fatigue.
Come to think of it, when I tried this in December the first time it was the first dram of the evening and the second time it was the only dram.
I will definitely give it another go sometime when I’m feeling better, and when it’s the only item on my agenda, but I was pretty surprised at how underwhelmed I was.
Hmm. Odd. Our receptors change day to day, dependant on many factors. Don’t disregard your earlier impressions. I was similarly impressed. Look forward to having you weigh in again when you re-evaluate.
OK. The cold is better. The allergies are quiescent. No other whisky on the palate. It’s been in the glass about 10 minutes. Here we go (skip to the bottom for my conclusions if you want, my nose and palate are nothing like ATW’s):
neat:
nose – hot, strong alcohol burn. cover it a few minutes to concentrate the aromas, gentle sniffs, cocoa, vanilla, ripe bananasm spicy. begging for a sip.
taste – warm, thick mouthfeel. chocolate. spicy (a little hot at cask strength), orange. Finish is medium with a lighter citrus and sourness.
A few drops of water (my usual) and a couple of minutes to open up:
nose – The caramel is stronger, more rum-like, and the fruitiness lighter (less dense) and more complex
taste: It’s still pretty much cask strength but the 6 drops of water and time in the glass have left a smoother mouthfeel (not as hot). The chocolate is still there, the orange is more forward, it’s still warm, bit more fruity complexity.
In conclusion, I really like this.
This is more like the dram I remember in cold Calgary in December. So I think it was palate fatigue (too much A’Bunadh).
By the way, drinking this slow an alternating with small bites of milk chocolate that you melt in your mouth…. some may call it herecy (it’s not dark chocolate) but I call it as close to heaven as an atheist will ever get.
Happy Dramming!
I have a friend looking for this but it’s unobtainium here out east. Do you know if it’s still available in Calgary? He’d prefer not to pay more than $110 or so…
I have a contact who can grab it if it is for sale.