Company: N.R. Jagdale Group
Distillery: Amrut Distilleries
Region: Kambipura, Bangalore, India
Aging: 3+ Years ex-Bourbon aged finish for an additional 3+ years in a cask made of four different staves: Level 3 charred American Oak, Toasted French Oak, Oloroso-Seasoned, and PX-seasoned staves
ABV: 50% ABV
Proof: 100 Proof
Mash Bill: 100% Indian Single Malt
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
MSRP Price: $200
Amrut Spectrum 004 – Indian Single Malt Whisky Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Molasses
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, oak, dark fruits, black cherries, blackberry, plum, chocolate-covered raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, baking spice, anise seed, clove
Palate: Malt, caramel, heavy oak, vanilla, dark fruits, clove, rich spices, black pepper, chocolate
Finish: Long rich finish with an amazingly oily and buttery mouthfeel full of rich flavor – leaves you with caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit sweetness with layers of oak, baking spice, clove, cinnamon, chocolate dessert notes and a lingering pepper spice
Is Amrut Spectrum 004 an Approachable Whisky?
Amrut Spectrum 004 is a whisky for the most experienced whisky drinkers.
It is packed so full of flavors that I wouldn’t recommend serving this one to beginners even though it does drink very smoothly.
What Makes Amrut Spectrum 004 Unique?
Most countries are unable to produce whisky in the way Amrut can in India.
Scotch and Bourbon regulations do not allow a barrel to be made from multiple different staves from different barrel types.
An example of this was Compass Box who used to experiment with many different approaches to creating unique and creative barrel profiles on their whiskeys like with their Compass Box Spice Tree Scotch Whisky.
Unfortunately, the Scotch Whisky Association decided that it was illegal and is not a “traditional technique” according to Scotch Whisky regulations and was deemed to not be a Scotch whisky.
Indian Single Malt Whisky does not have any regulations like this to prevent Amrut from creating a unique finish by creating a barrel crafted from 4 different barrel staves:
- American Oak with level three charring
- French Oak with slight toasting
- Ex-Oloroso Sherry Staves
- Ex-PX Sherry Staves
The result is a beautifully complex whisky that is unlike any whisky I have tasted before.
Is Amrut Spectrum 004 Complex?
Every time I pour a glass of this whisky, I get new and exciting flavors that I seem to have missed the previous time around.
Each sip has your classic single malt flavors that are malt, grain forward, Scotch-like characteristics, but are then followed up with an intense array of flavors that blast your taste buds with new flavors on every sip.
Most of the time the dark fruits and dessert-like qualities really jump out at me, but other times I really notice the complexity of spices, clove, and anise seed flavors that add a nice richness to the pour.
Some sips, it reminds me of the Amrut Intermediate Sherry and its decadent dessert-like qualities that remind me of a black velvet dessert cake after a nice meal.
Overall, the bottle is just stunning.
It is a top 5 whisky in my collection and holds its own against any whiskey in my collection.
What are Amrut Spectrum 004’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Amrut Spectrum 004’s strongest attribute is its complexity.
It’s hard to explain just how many flavors are in this whisky, but when you take a sip you get flavors that you have likely never tasted in a whiskey ever before.
It’s a really enjoyable experience that evolves as you sit with the glass.
Is Amrut Spectrum 004 a go-to whisky?
If only Amrut Spectrum 004 could be my go-to whisky.
Unfortunately, this bottle is limited to only 6,000 bottles total and is quite hard to find.
They release new editions every 4 years or so and this was the 2021 edition so we’ve got a few years before I’ll be able to purchase another batch (if I’m lucky).
Is Amrut Spectrum 004 priced accurately to its quality?
Even though Amrut Spectrum 004 is priced at $200, I think it over-delivers with its quality.
It’s rare for me to ever warrant a bottle’s price tag to be that high, but with the limited quantity of this bottle and the unique process of creating the whisky, this is one time that I recommend buying this bottle no matter what if you ever find one on the shelf.
Conclusion for Amrut Spectrum 004 – Indian Single Malt Whisky
Amrut Spectrum 004 is one of the best whiskies I have ever tasted.
If I could only pick 5 bottles from my entire whiskey collection, this bottle of Amrut Spectrum would be one of them.
If you have the opportunity to buy this bottle (at retail) buy it immediately.
Let Us Know What You Think
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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