Return Passage to India

I’ve been a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society on and off for over 25 years. Because I live and work in the New Town, using the Queen Street venue for lunches, meetings and tastings has become almost second nature – in fact I like the place so much, I’m getting married there in September.

Without question, one of the best events I’ve ever attended at SMWS, Queen Street, was last year's Indian Whisky Festival, so when I heard it was being reprised in 2026, I jumped at the chance to get tickets. And I’m pleased to report that the second iteration was equally as good as the first.

The event was hosted in partnership with the Consulate General of India and showcased a curated lineup of India’s leading single malt producers.

●    Amrut: One of India’s pioneering single malt producers, internationally recognised for bold, flavour‑forward whiskies.
●    Godawan: A fairly new Rajasthan‑based single malt brand owned by Diageo, inspired by desert terroir and traditional Indian botanicals.
●    Indri: Known for its triple‑cask matured expressions and meteoric success in various global whisky competitions.
●    Paul John: A Goan‑based distillery acclaimed for both unpeated and peated single malts with tropical maturation character.
●    Rampur: A heritage Indian distillery producing smooth, fruity single malts influenced by Himalayan climate conditions.
●    Solan Gold: A single expression malt produced by one of India’s oldest distillers, offering a lighter, classic Indian single malt profile.

These six brands formed the core of the tasting stations at the event, each represented by ambassadors sharing stories, production methods and regional influences behind their whiskies.

The festival was designed to highlight the rich diversity of Indian whisky regions – from the Himalayas to Goa to Rajasthan – showing how climate and local traditions shape flavour. It also featured some delicious Scottish‑Indian canapés and opportunities to meet distillery experts and whisky lovers from a wide variety of backgrounds.

As most of you will already know, a whisky aged between three to five years in India can undergo as much wood interaction as a whisky aged 10-15 years in Scotland, purely because of climate. Heat + Humidity + Wood = Faster chemical reactions.

In much of India, warehouses regularly reach 30-40°C. Heat makes the spirit expand into the wood much more deeply and more often. Naturally The ‘angel’s share’ is much higher, but most distilleries are working on strategies to counteract this.

With the exception of Solan Gold, each distillery had a number of expressions which were freely offered for trial. Measures were modest it has to be said, although the chap manning the station at Indri thankfully did not receive the memo and was pouring drams in abundant quantities. (The queue at the Indri station was somewhat larger than the others).

Of course I had favourites, and if you’ll indulge me, here they are;

●   Bronze Medal: Indri “Dru” Cask Strength (57.2% abv)
Dru means ‘Distiller’s Reserve Unfiltered’. This bold expression was exclusively matured in ex-bourbon casks. On the nose, butterscotch, toffee and a hint of cinnamon. On the palate, a tropical punch of melon, mango and papaya. This is a gorgeous dram that has a long, lingering almost ‘chewable’ finish, highlighting its sweet and spicy notes.

●   Silver Medal: Amrut Single Malts of India “Marudham” (46% abv)
This is the Amrut distillery’s first foray into the world of independent bottling with its Single Malts of India collection, showcasing whiskies produced at other distilleries across India. This edition was sourced from a ‘Marudham’, or agricultural land, and displays layers of tropical fruit and vanilla. On the nose, plantain, vanilla and candied pineapple. On the palate, more pineapple and chocolate, with a hint of spice. The gorgeous finish was sweet and long lasting.

●   Gold Medal: The Paul John “Oloroso Select Cask” (48% abv)
This is an award-winning Indian single malt whisky characterised by its non-peated profile and a distinct finishing period in oloroso sherry casks, which imparts rich, nutty and fruity notes. On the nose, sherry-soaked fruits, dried peel, walnuts, apricot and a hint of molasses. On the palate, quite a lot of complexity with nuts, chocolate, orange peel and honeycomb. This is an absolute cracker with a long, moreish, yet surprisingly dry finish. I’m not surprised it won Best Indian Single Malt at The International Whisky Competition a couple of years back.

Each distillery offered products on the night at a well discounted rate. Although tempted, my fiancée warned me not to bring more bottles home on account of the distinct lack of space in my whisky cupboard. And I’ve got a wedding at a prestigious venue to pay for. Did I mention that?

Intrigued by Indian whisky? The SMWS currently has bottles available from David’s gold medal distillery which is bottled under SMWS code #134