Amrut Spectrum 004 Review
If you’ve read my 2017 Whisky Awards, then you already know what I think of Amrut Spectrum 004—I named it the best overall whisky of the year. So with this review, I’m going to take a look at why I think it’s worthy of that title. First a little background on the whisky itself.
Amrut is a brand of Indian single malt whisky. The name “Amrut” is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as “nectar of the gods” or “elixir of life” or something similar. Although the Amrut Distillery has been around since 1948 (producing a variety of different types of liquor), Amrut single malts are a more recent product—the first Amrut single malt was launched in 2004. Amrut has since won much acclaim for their single malt whisky, taking home numerous awards and accolades.
Some (rather snobbish) people may think, “Indian whisky? That sounds gross.” I’m not sure why. I guess some people think of cheap clothing or other cheap products that come from India and assume that Indian whisky must also be cheap and of low quality. But that is not the case, at least not with Amrut single malt. Amrut (as well as Paul John, another Indian whisky maker) produces outstanding single malt whisky that easily competes with the best malts from the rest of the world, including Scotland. I’ve been impressed with every Amrut expression I’ve tried so far.
Amrut used an interesting maturation process for Spectrum 004. The whisky began its maturation in ex-bourbon barrels, before being finished in hybrid casks put together using four different types of oak staves—ex-Oloroso Sherry casks, ex-Pedro Ximenéz Sherry casks, new toasted French oak, and new charred American oak (the 004 in the name refers to the four different type of oak staves). This is the second version of Spectrum. The original release actually used five different types of oak staves, with the fifth being new Spanish oak. Apparently the distillery didn’t think that the Spanish oak offered much, therefore they removed it from the second version.
Amrut is aged in a very warm climate, therefore the whisky matures in the casks much more quickly then it would in Scotland or other cooler climates. As a result, Indian whisky makers are able to make mature whisky faster than Scottish single malt producers. Although Spectrum does not disclose an age statement, it’s probably aged somewhere in the range of 5-7 years total (if that) between the two different casks.
Alright, let’s take a look at the tasting notes.
Amrut Spectrum 004 Review
Type: Single Malt
Region: India
ABV: 50%
Nose
Wow, incredible nose. This is one of those noses that you don’t even want to try to break down into specific notes, because there’s no way to do it justice. But I’ll try. Dried fruits. Wet oak. Baking spices, especially nutmeg. Sweet ginger. Brown sugar. Milk chocolate. Orange marmalade. Almond extract. I could sit around and nose this all day.
Palate
Fruity, in particular plums, berries, and black grapes. Vanilla extract. Custard. Sweet wine. All kinds of spices, including hints of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, curry powder, black pepper, nutmeg, and tamarind. Candied ginger. Anise. Rich maltiness. Sweet oak. Toffee. Raisins. Dried papaya. A touch of leather. Overall the palate is on the sweet side, but the spices and oak provide outstanding balance. It’s certainly not too sweet. Absolutely delicious.
Finish
Somewhat subtle, but long. A smorgasbord of fruits. Aged rum. Raisins. Drying oak. Hints of spice. Vanilla.
Overall
This is a masterpiece. I don’t know how Amrut managed to get so many spices that are common to Indian cooking into this whisky, but somehow they did. Sure some of those spices, like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, are commonly found in good whisky, but curry powder? That’s a new one for me. But from the first time I sipped this wonderful whisky, I thought about curry powder and other exotic spices. I’ve even pulled out the bottle of curry powder I keep in my spice rack, taken a big whiff, and then compared it to my pour of Spectrum, and yep, it’s there. Not a lot, mind you, but hints of curry that work in perfect harmony with the sweet wine notes, maltiness, fruitiness, and oak.
The nose of this whisky is simply fantastic. The palate is also amazing and quite complex. The finish is good, but not quite as amazing as the first two phases… but that’s just about the only (very minor) criticism I can give. I can’t tell you how much I love this stuff. Amrut Spectrum truly is nectar of the gods.
SCORE: 93/100
Final Thoughts
There aren’t a whole lot of whiskies that I drink that I think are really worth a price tag in the neighborhood of $150 MSRP, which is about what I paid for my bottle, but Spectrum is one of them. And among the whiskies that I do buy in that price range and really enjoy, I still would rarely buy a second bottle of the same thing. Usually when I spend that much, it’s meant to be a one time purchase/experience, not something I’m going to repeat regularly. But I would absolutely buy another bottle of this whisky… if I could find one. Spectrum 004 was limited to just 1,800 bottles worldwide, so it’s not easy to find. That fact that I managed to get a bottle at all is something of a minor miracle (thank you Tarak, the terrific owner of Elixir Spirits in Spring Hill, TN).
Buy again? Yes. After I bought my bottle and began to enjoy it, I went back to the store to try to get another bottle, but it was too late, as the other bottles had been sold. I will be anxiously awaiting the next Spectrum release.
Drink This Not That: Drink this, if you can find it. But you probably can’t, since it seems to be sold out most everywhere. I’ve enjoyed all of the Amrut whiskies I’ve tried, so if you see any of their other limited edition bottlings, give one a try.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.
