Everything You Need to Know About Single Malt Indian Whisky

If you ask a whisky connoisseur, they will tell you that Indian whisky is quite different from any other whisky. This is because the method for making single grain whisky and blended malt whisky in India hugely differs from those used in other parts of the world. Almost all the single grain whisky produced in India is made by blending spirit distilled from fermented molasses with either maize, wheat, rye or barley. Another reason for this significant change in the taste is the weather condition in the country. Due to all these factors a lot of whisky brands cannot sell their product in Europe as “whisky”. It has to be labelled as “spirit drink”.

The barley used to make single malt Indian whisky is produced in the north of the country along the borders of China, Nepal and Pakistan. They then then have to be transported thousands of miles to the distilleries to be fermented into whiskies. Some distilleries though import their barley from Scotland, this barley is either peated or pre-smoked. 

One of the biggest hurdles that Indian distilleries face in their production of single malt Indian whisky is the heat and humidity. The three main distilleries in India are located at Rampur, Bangalore and Goa. In these places summer temperatures can sore up to 35 degrees celcius. The temperatures can be managed though, it’s the humidity that causes problems. The lack of humidity is arguably the biggest obstacle faced by Indian whisky producers as it causes both the ageing process to accelerate. Sometimes as much as six times faster. This means that a three year old Indian whisky is as matured as an eighteen year old whisky from another country.

Indian whiskies are very much like Scotch whiskies and need to be consumed in the same way. There is no single way or recommended way to drink them. You can either drink them neat, or with water, or even in a cocktail. Whisky is one spirit that can be used to make some great and iconic cocktails. You can experiment endlessly with this drink.

It is estimated that the sales of single grain whisky in set to rise by up to 10% in the near future. The common perception the single malt Indian whisky is subpar with other whiskies from around the world is slowly but surely changing. This change will give rise to more distilleries and companies to set store in India.