Amrut 5 Year Old 2015 XI Ex-Rye for Malt Society Arabia

Amrut is no stranger, of course. I already tasted a lot of goodies from these guys from Bangalore, India. And last year I also met some people from the Malt Society Arabia, in Dubai. Now those guys have bottled a cask for their club and I have received a sample of it through my friend Dennis (who is a member of the club, by the way, because he works in Dubai). So we can taste to our heart's content. It is an Ex-Rye barrel, which may mean that the barrel was reused after Amrut bottled their rye whisky from it (which is delicious, by the way). I find the nose relatively closed. It takes a while before it lets itself be discovered, but it is worth it. Unripe banana, pineapple, some papaya and mango with notes of nuts and baked apples. Kiwi? Freshly sawn boards. Letting it breathe for a moment, that works wonders. Soft and oily, but immediately a very perfume-y side, almost soapy. Yes, really flirting with lavender, to be honest. Fortunately, it remains just at the right side of that fine line. A soft, fruity malt develops, with both apples and lemon and some Oriental herbs like curry. Something of chutney from apricots. it gets better from the second sip forward. The finish is particularly long, sweet and exotic and the best part of this Indian malt. Interesting choice from our friends from Dubai, although I could hardly detect anything of rye, except maybe in the considerable spiciness.

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