Indian Single Malt Is Underrated. This Affordable Whisky Shows Why
I've covered Indian single malt before for Forbes, and based on traffic alone, it's clear the category garners interest (and page views). But that's not just a flash in the pan, nor is it because of superlative drams from a single distiller. Indeed, while there are many up-and-coming producers in the globe's most populous nation, a number have been churning out delicious—and even budget friendly—expressions for some time.
One such producer is Indri, a name derived from the Sanskrit word Indriya, indicating the five senses. (The distillery is actually named for its town of Indri, located in the state of Haryana state.) Their bottlings have quietly been racking up numerous accolades, from the New York International Spirits Competition to the World Whisky Awards.
Today, we're looking at Indri Trini—or 'The Three Wood'—a consumer-minded bottling that retails for between $55 and $60 in the United States. It's distilled from 6-row Indian barley and aged across three different types of casks: ex-bourbon, ex-French wine, and ex-sherry. The expression is the entry-level in Indri's line and is bottled at 46% ABV.
After a taste test, I think it's an accessible (and dare I say refreshing) single malt more folks should pay attention to, flavorful enough to hold its own internationally while still expressive of its region and grain pedigree.
The nose hits early with a bright fruit cocktail, and while I admit it's not the most high falutin tasting note, the early scents remind me of a syrup-sweetened mix of diced peaches, pears, and cherries. Sherry builds to a moderately pronounced degree and intermixes with the fruit scents, which gradually get more tropical with time. Dried pineapple and ripe persimmon come to mind, along with spiced white tea and blackcurrant jam.
At first sip, the whisky is lightly sweetened—in this case very much not a knock against—in the realm of passionfruit custard. Hints of Chinese five spice, fermented white grape, and the tiniest bit of seasoned wood develop along the midpalate. The mouth feel, while not especially viscous, does just enough to allow flavors to linger across multiple quadrants of the tongue.
Like the midpalate, the finish is light to moderate in intensity, but not lacking in complexity; more fruity custard sticks around, along with syrup-sweetened cherries and orchard fruit.
Indri's 'Three Wood' whisky isn't marketing itself as an ultra-premium pour. But it's got enough flavor and depth to hang with similarly priced global single malts (and may very well eclipse the majority in a blind). And it's memorable enough to once again pique my interest in Indian single malt whiskies—a category drinks around the world should probably pay more attention to.
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