During my visit to the Whisky Show in London last month, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of two Indian distilleries, Amrut and Paul John. In addition my husband found a bottle of Peter Scot that he brought to the U.S. from one of this trips to India. Now I have the opportunity to pair these delightful whiskies with my South Indian recipes.
Amrut, located in India’s tech hub of Bangalore and founded in 1948 but only started producing whisky in the 1980s, is the first Indian whisky that I have seen available in the U.S. The barley is grown in the Punjab and Rajasthan in North India then transported to Bangalore where it is processed and distilled and finally matured in barrels. At the whisky show I learned the altitude and weather there makes the whisky mature in just a few short years! My husband owns a bottle of their Fusion single malt whisky that is made with a unique blend of Scottish and Indian barleys as well as a bottle of their single malt. His friends Shail and Kishore gave these bottles to us.
Paul John, founded in 1992 by John Distillers, is located in beautiful Goa on the western coast of India. It is now one of the largest alcohol producers in India. I visited this area last year during my trip to India and fell in love with the food, land and people. I even sampled some of the local home brew called toddy or feni, This state is more progressive in its attitudes toward alcohol due to the influence of the Portuguese so locating a distillery here makes business sense. The climate in Goa makes it a perfect location for making whisky because it matures much faster here than it can in colder countries. Having sampled four of their different whiskies, their products are excellent and quite competitive. Their whiskies debuted on the international scene in 2013.
Started in 1968, Khoday, India, makes Peter Scot Malt which is labeled as the only 100% Indian malt whisky. Khoday is considered one oldest whisky makers in India for the Indian market and blends imported Scotch whisky with Indian spirits. Its history is colorful with legal challenges over naming and trademark infringement but that has long since been resolved. I have not seen this brand anywhere outside of India.
South Indian Recipe | Indian Whisky | Attributes |
Prawn Balchao | Amrut Fusion | Rich aroma on the nose with flavors of intense smoke, fruit, coffee and chocolate on the palate. The finish is intense as well with spice, sweetness and smoke. |
Black-eyed Pea Masala | ||
Steak Chettichurri | ||
Kheema Chatti Pathri | ||
Filet Mignon with Onion Chutney Cream Sauce | ||
Roasted Lamb Chops | ||
Langoustine Biryani | Amrut Indian Single Malt | Intense citrus and fruit aroma with spices, sweetness on the palate. Finishes with apples, apricots and malt flavors. |
Prawn Balchao | ||
Shrimp Avinasi | ||
Steak Chettichurri | Paul John Classic Select Cask | A wonderful whisky with fruit and barley on the nose, honey, salt, spices and chocolate all in the palate. Finishes with more fruit and a bit of oak. |
Kheema Chatti Pathri | ||
Filet Mignon with Onion Chutney Cream Sauce | ||
Roasted Lamb Chops | ||
Goes well with any Indian chicken or seafood entrée | Peter Scot Malt | Light on the nose, pleasant bouquet on the palate. Sweet, lingering finish. |