When I first read about this expression in 2015 (@maltActivist’s review is below) I was intrigued, but at the prices I had seen for it I wasn’t keen on searching out a bottle. Reading about it on other platforms once in a while, I became resigned to it being one of those I would never taste.

Then @Cricklewood saw some sales in Calgary and my brother in law, @Nosebleed, went and picked up some well-priced and discounted bottles of Portonova and Intermediate Sherry (as we have heard they may become more scarce). Sitting there was Naarangi, just begging to be taken home. Though not the best price we’ve seen, there was a 10% discount for $500 in purchases which (between me and @paddockjudge) we were able to come close enough to (the discounted bottles didn’t count per se, but because we got them too we were given the 10%), and one of my holy grail whiskies was landed.

Naarangi is first matured in ex-bourbon casks and then dumped into specially prepared ex-sherry casks. These casks held sherry into which orange peels were thrown and allowed to season the cask for 3 years. The whisky was matured a further 3 years. There is no age statement on the bottle but this suggests that this is one of the more lengthy maturations for Amrut. Sadly, it is bottled at 50%, which for any other distillery would be considered a step up.

I opened this with my brother in law on Halloween night, and we were both quite impressed with it. It eclipsed the single barrel Sherry cask bottle we tried the same night. I decided to present it as my “leading bottle” at my EPIC TASTING on November 10. It must have been a it because when I poured it tonight it was just over half full.

This expression is reviewed in my usual manner, allowing it to settle after which I take my nosing and tasting notes, followed by the addition of a few drops of water, waiting, then nosing and tasting.

Nose: 24.5/25

Sweet, warm spices, orange peel oil, sherry, dark fruits. Cherry. Something savoury that I can identify but not name. So layered and complex. with the Ashok manoeuvre the nose becomes even more alive, with cloves, as in mulled wine. Fantastic! Water has no effect.

Taste: 22/25

Sweet, a little spirity. red wine. White pepper on the development. Lots of spices. Ashok manoeuvre brings out the spiciness and makes it hotter. Water makes it more bitter, and with the Ashok manoeuvre I get a hint of menthol. (21/25)

Finish: 22/25

Medium long, orange, spice. A little pepper. With water the finish is more bitter (21/25)

Balance: 22/25

The nose is sweeter and more syrupy than the palate.

With time, the sample with water smooths out a bit and becomes a pleasant sipping dram.

Score: Neat - 90.5/100 With Water: 88.5/100

One thing that really impresses me is that they pulled this off without Naarangi tasting like a sweet orange whisky liqueur. This tastes like a whisky, like a single malt. It is a fantastic single malt.

Sadly it is very expensive. If I could I would rush out and buy a case. Given its premium pricing I may have to make do with one more…

I would SO like to try this at cask strength!

Here is @MaltAcivist’s review:

connosr.com/amrut-naarangi-whisky-review-1…

@NamBeist commented:

@Nozinan Thanks for your review. This Amrut is on my wish list. I can't think of any Amrut which wouldn't be on my wish list by the way .

@paddockjudge commented:

"It must have been a it because when I poured it tonight it was just over half full."

That is a huge statement considering we sampled 26 whiskies at the November Epic Tasting.

Comment on @Nozinan's review

Amrut and I have had a love affair ever since I picked up a glass of the Amrut Fusion and wondered

That was over five years ago and since then I have managed to put every single Amrut release on my shelf. No mean feat given it's almost complete scarcity weeks after release. But where there's a will there's a way.

I like to think of Ashok, their GM of International Sales, Global Brand Ambassador and over all good guy, as a good friend and so it was at a small dinner at a mutual friends' house that Ashok decided to surprise us all. For he had with him this particular expression (three months before it's official launch) which he decided to share it with all of us.

At the time he made me promise not to write anything about it and so I refrained from taking any notes and simply sat down to enjoy the whisky. Luckily for me I had the chance to try it again a few days ago at a friends' place who also managed to secure me a bottle!

In line with Amruts' increasingly crazy experimental gene this single malt has seen a truly unique maturation. Matured first for three years in bourbon the spirit is transferred to a specially prepared Oloroso Sherry cask.

For three years that barrel had been sitting with Oloroso Sherry that had been mixed with orange peels. Oranges from Madikeri located in the picturesque Western Ghats of India which imparted a truly unique citrus and sherry combination to the oak.

My sample is from a brand new bottle and served at 50% ABV

Lightly toasted oak. Orange peel (duh). Dry leaves. Rich sherry. Chocolate. Mint leaf. Cinnamon. Nutmeg. Jute bag. Vanilla. This is a super rich nose and the orange is quite prominent, though, thankfully it does not overpower. Amrut noses are seldom flawed and neither is this one. 22/25

Good weight. Nice body. Coats the mouth with chocolate. Cinnamon. There's that orange again. But more of an orange cake this time. Oak. Black pepper. Ginger. This is a nice twist. Makes me want to bust out my Compass Box Orangerie and conduct a head to head. This ticks just the right amount of unusual for me. 22/25

Extremely long. Oily. Lip smacking cinnamon. Best of part of the experience. 23/25

I'll be honest. I walk into an Amrut knowing that I'm going to like it and, quite frankly, am unashamed to be biased. They've done a lot of good in a very short space of time. Ashok is a solid gentleman who loves his craft and lives by it. And when you can pull of bizarre experiments like this then what's not to like?