Neidhal – Single malt whisky peated
ABV- 46%
Colour: Between burnished & chestnut oloroso sherry
Now this is very interesting and a bold move by the torch bearers of single malt whisky in the modern age for India- Amrut. So lets get some of the facts straight before we dive into the notes about the whisky.
It is a single malt whisky which has been ‘matured & bottled’ in Amrut Distilleries Bangalore. If you notice the ‘Distilled’ word is missing from the usual label details. The name also is suggestive with “Single Malts of India” being called out. So, this whisky has been distilled elsewhere but is being bottled by Amrut. Progressive is what comes to mind.
If a manufacturer like Amrut has picked a whisky distilled elsewhere and has decided to bottle this as a one-off bottling; it must be interesting to say the least, and of course it had the word ‘peated’ added to it, does it need a further invitation? I guess not.
Neidhal – A word picked from the south Indian language of Tamil stands for a place close to the seaside (now I know what you may be thinking, hold your horses) Must commend on the very elegant packaging and a change in the bottle shape by Amrut.
Nose: This is lovely costal peat. Oh boy this one is a bloomer keep it aside in a copita for around 5 minutes before nosing and you will see what I mean. It’s not a peat slap from Islay but way more refined. Fenny? Or is my mind playing games? One can feel the brine on the nose. Underground cellar and earthiness, very beautiful indeed. There is some citrus and orange peel in the distant backdrop. The typical sweetness of Amrut distillate is missing and there is more dryness out here. This nose by itself is on a 90+ score. Very enjoyable. Its like the Laphroaig 18 year old but there are more layers to this, in terms of dimensions of fruit, sea salt, peat. It does have a bit of smoked bacon note too.
Mouthfeel: Keep this in your mouth and wait for the drink to evolve from a cool inert sensation it moves to spiced bitterness wafts of smoke and touching on that brine. That bitterness is a very enjoyable one, like bitter chocolate dipped in peated whisky. This is a lovely mouthfeel. It’s got that very luxurious and buttery texture to it and almost devoid of any edges, very balanced and rounded. Some green vegetation and flora in the mix.
Finish: Medium finish and has a lingering note of dry upper peat in your mouth. This is not very long but has the remnants of flavours tingling for a while. The bitter note persists for a bit.
If dry bittersweet peat whisky is your thing this is a bottle you would not want to miss. Very well done indeed. Get a bottle and start guessing where this has been distilled!
