Indian Whisky

The ongoing semi-peated whisky from Indian distiller Paul John. It combines their fruity unpeated single malt whisky with some 20-25ppm peated spirit to give a sweet and spicy whisky balanced by an underlying earthy smoke.

Bold was a 2015 addition to the core range. This is made entirely with Indian barley smoked using Islay peat to around 25ppm. A superb alternative to classic peated Scotch whisky.

An unpeated whisky from Paul John Distillers, released in early 2013 to much acclaim. It's made using barley from the foothills of the Himalayas and is distilled and matured in Goa, producing a fruity spirit with a creamy texture.

Amrut Fusion gets its name from the fact that it uses two barleys: Indian and Scottish - with the latter being peated for good measure. Fusion has been picking up awards ever since it first appeared in 2009, and in 2012 was named the best whisky for a Rob Roy in the Ultimate Cocktail Challenge in New York.

The new 46% Amruts are a very different proposition to the pleasant but unexciting original release. At the higher strength this 24ppm peated effort fairly fizzes along the tastebuds. This is excellent - hugely improved stuff from a distillery coming along in leaps and bounds.

A peated bottling from Goa's John Distilleries under their Paul John brand. Produced using peat imported from Scotland (there isn't any in India). it was bottled in 2013 at cask strength. The brand first arrived in the UK in 2012 and continues to go from strength to strength.

Continuing the run of impressive cask strength bottlings, this edition from Amrut clocks in at a pokey 61.8% and promises their usual balance of spice and fruit.

A single-cask whisky from Paul John, based in Goa, India. This was produced using Himalayan barley, aged in bourbon cask 1906 and bottled at a hefty 59.5%.

From Amrut distillery, founded in 1948, just one year after Indian independence, this is a stormingly hot and spicy whisky, peated and bottled at a punchy cask strength of 62.8%.