Indian whisky arrives in UK
The next time you fancy a wee dram in your local don't be surprised if you're offered something a little bit more exotic than a scotch.
Rakshit Jagdale, a 25-year-old businessman, is looking to shake up the whisky world by releasing a new single malt whisky... distilled in southern India.
He has won European trade clearance to export Amrut whisky into the UK, following successful country-wide trials. Its sternest test, without doubt, was a blind tasting in the Pot Still bar in Glasgow, a well-known haven for whisky connoisseurs.
Mr Jagdale, who has recently been appointed executive director of Amrut Distilleries, said the tasters at the Pot Still compared Amrut to a 10-year-old Speyside malt.
"They were stunned when they heard it came from India," he said.
However, Mr Jagdale did point out one problem faced by Indian distillers during maturation of the spirit - the very large amount of evaporation caused by the heat of the Indian climate.
"In the cool climate of Scotland, they only lose about two per cent a year, but we lose at least 10." he said.
"After four years we've lost so much we've had to stop. We'll never be able to produce a 12-year-old malt."
Allowing an Indian whisky to be sold in Europe will now raise serious issues about Indian trade laws and the huge duties levied on alcoholic products.
Currently, the duty burden for a scotch brand wishing to export to the potentially lucrative Indian market is between 213 per cent and 525 per cent, making it unaffordable for many ordinary Indians.
A spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association said: "International trade cuts both ways. If India wants to become a major player in the European market, and there is no reason why it should not, then scotch whisky should be sold fairly in India."
Amrut is named after the nectar of the Hindu gods and will have its official UK launch at Café India in Glasgow in the summer.
Amrut Distilleries also produces brandy, rum, vodka and gin brands.
It has plants in Bangalore and the southern state of Kerala, producing between them 2.5 million cases a year.
