Spirits
Scotch, Bourbon and Japanese Whiskies have established their presence on drinks menus across the world. And recently, interest in Indian Whisky is growing, with many winning awards on the world whisky stage (about time, we say!). We asked our Spirits Guru, James, to tell us a bit more about Indian Whiskies, and how they compare to others in the category.
World whisky has been growing more and more in recent years, partly as a result of more producers experimenting and partly because the whisky-drinking public are thoroughly enjoying the variety offered nowadays. And in amongst the French, Swedish, Mexican and Australian whisky, India is firmly holding its own with some cracking expressions coming out every year.
But what defines Indian whisky and what sets it apart from its world whisky brothers and sisters?
Production
Unlike Scotch or American whisk(e)y, there aren’t strict legal guidelines for what constitutes an Indian whisky. Sometimes it’s molasses-based neutral spirit, flavoured with malt whisky, for example.
But at Maharaja Drinks, we only stock Indian Single Malt in the definition Brits would expect - i.e. made with malted barley and matured in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. So, at a production level, Indian whisky is tricky to pin down compared to global new world whiskies.
Maturation
Perhaps the most notable element of Indian whisky is the maturation. The hot climate of areas such as Goa, where Paul John is made, or Rampur, where Rampur Distillery is situated, means an acceleration of the ageing flavours and aromas we expect, such as coconut, baking spice and caramel.
It also means the angels take a larger share of the liquid - the angel’s share is the name given to the natural evaporation of whisky as it ages. In a hot climate, the angels might take up to 10% of the whisky annually (Scotland is about 2%, by comparison)! That means a more concentrated whisky left in the barrel but also it means distilleries need to bottle the whisky sooner; if they wait until the whisky is 15 years old there’ll be none left to sell!
Grain & Ingredients
In the past 10 years, the whisky industry has woken up to the influence of raw materials on the final spirit. Anywhere that produces whisky using local grain, such as India, will therefore have a unique profile that can be traced back to the barley - whisky terroir, if you will!
Amrut Cask Strength is a great example of an Indian whisky made using Indian grains grown at the foot of the Himalayas.
These are just three things that define Indian whisky. There are plenty more and if you catch us at a tasting any time soon then we’re always happy to get geeky about the intricacies of one of life’s great spirits.
For now, it’s fair to say Indian whisky has firmly arrived (Amrut Peated won its category at the World Whiskies Awards 2025, no less!) and we’re big champions of some delicious liquid.
Head on over to our Indian Whisky page to take your pick of some of the finest malts to leave India.
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