Amrut Spectrum 004 Single Malt Indian Whisky (700ml)

If you like old-fashioned Edradour, Glengoyne or heavily sherried malts of similar ilk, this Indian flavour-bomb is sure to put a smile on your face.

Another innovation from Amrut. If you've not heard about it yet, Spectrum has been talked up as "pushing the boundaries" even "History making" - in short, one of the world's most innovative takes on the spirit to date. It's an imaginative experiment in maturation that's seen Amrut's spirit aged in reconstituted barrels composed of different oaks. The 004 release was originally limited to 1800 bottles in 2017. It's closer to 6000 bottles now. That's still tiny by global standards meaning it will continue to be hard to get. Once again, it's a combined stave cask including new American Oak (char #3), new French Oak (lightly toasted), ex-Oloroso Sherry and ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry. Due to copyright issues, the Bond-themed “004” subtitle has been covered up on the packaging this time around. We have a small allocation.

From the first sniff, our tasting revealed a sherry extravaganza, boasting all of the baking spices, fruit cake and dense malt notes that are typical of the most expressive in this genre. Combined, they give it an almost Amaro-like aroma, and while the initial entry is low-definition, Spectrum balances the equation in a finish that is impossibly wound-up, sweetly oaky and drenched in fruity sherry, exotic spices and bitter peel with an aftertaste that lasts for close to a minute. If your preference is for older Edradour, Glengoyne or even well-aged Demerara rums, this should be one of the easiest buying decisions of the year. Our 50ml sample benefited greatly from air contact, so we recommend pouring a glass and returning to it over several hours. 

Mark Gillespie from www.whiskycast.com explains the original concept: "...the Indian single malt was originally matured in Amrut’s Bangalore warehouse in ex-Bourbon casks for three years. Then, in an experiment that could only be described as Frankenstinian in nature, five separate finishing casks were created at an undisclosed location in Europe from new American oak, new Spanish oak, and new French oak, along with previously used Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso. Staves from each cask were then removed and replaced with staves from each of the other four casks to create five complete casks with five different types of wood in each one. The barrels were then taken to Bangalore, where the whisky was filled into them to mature for an additional three and a half years before bottling."

To quote Ingvar Ronde, Editor of Sweden's Malt Whisky Year Book, Amrut Spectrum is, “One of the most innovative whiskies I´ve tried in a long time and one of the best this year... I can´t remember when I last experienced such a complexity of flavours in one whisky and at the same time, everything was in balance. I got coffee, chocolate, tobacco, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, orange preserve, sandalwood, walnuts, pecans, stracciatella and cocoa. This is pushing boundaries and whisky making at its best and I love it!”

Other reviews... The sherry is a bit more concentrated on the nose than the 2017 release, with brighter, punchy notes of stewed dark fruits and almond paste. While its predecessor showed more sultry, damp oak and smoke, this is definitely more fruit-forward and lively with secondary notes of fresh ground clove, coffee beans, and rose oil. The palate reflects a similar contrast with a more youthful and sweet sherry character. Layers of rum raisin, berry jam, orange oil, and dark roast coffee ride atop an oily, vibrant body. A gentle warmth builds into the syrupy finish, which sees a bit of astringency as all those different oak influences battle for your last bit of attention, teasing for the next sip with notes of candied citrus and stone fruit. While I prefer the 2017 bottling, which was a bit more balanced on the sherry front, this latest release is still a worthy addition to the Spectrum lineage. - drinkhacker.com