Press release, issued date: December 2009
 
Indian malt named Best Natural Cask whisky by Malt Maniacs
 
Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky has picked up an award from a prestigious group of malt whisky lovers.
 
Fusion was named the Best Natural Cask whisky in the Daily Drams Category at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2009. It picked up the award for the best whisky matured exclusively in “untreated”, regular cask(s) in the category for whiskies with an average street price of up to 50 euros. It was also awarded a Silver medal.
 
Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky gets its name from the fact that it uses two barleys: Indian and Scottish – with the latter being peated. It comes from Amrut Distilleries, the Bangalore-based company which introduced the first single malt from India to the UK in 2004.
 
This is the second important award for Fusion within two months: leading whisky expert, Jim Murray named it as the third best malt in the world in his Whisky Bible 2010 which was published in October 2009.
 
The Malt Maniacs are an international on-line collective of malt whisky lovers which have been spreading the gospel of single malt whisky since 1997. Each year members form a jury to sample – completely blind – hundreds of whiskies, in what is probably the only consumer-driven whisky competition.
 
The Maniacs’ comments about Amrut’s Silver-medal winning Fusion included: “All jurors agreed that this bottling from India deserved a medal, but opinions were divided about the colour. Robert loved [it] and gave it a score of 92 points [gold].”
 
Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s International sales manager, said: “This recognition for Amrut’s special East-meets-West whisky underlines the quality of our malt. We are delighted that such passionate whisky enthusiasts enjoyed our subtle fusion of Indian and Scottish barleys. It proves that Fusion, a whisky that has been highly rated by distinguished experts, is also a malt for armchair connoisseurs everywhere.”
 
In The Whisky Bible 2010, Fusion gained 97 points. Murray said it “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the word this year”. In his tasting notes, he adds: “It is one of those which command a big mouthful, a chair with a headrest … and silence. You will chew for seemingly hours and never quite get to the bottom of its mystical complexity. It is massive whisky, but its genius is that you get the feeling that there is some almost invisible element keeping the malt together so the proportions are never less than perfect.”
 
Amrut’s Indian barley comes from the Punjab and the distillation takes place in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3000ft. The barley from Scotland is also distilled in Bangalore and both are matured there separately. After they have reached their peak, the two whiskies are married in the bourbon casks in proportions which give both a subtle peat flavour and a rich fruity flavour from the Indian barley. This is bottled at 50% abv to reflect the depth and finish of the whisky.
 
This rare combination of Indian and Scottish elements means Fusion has a really excellent mouthfeel and palate, combining oak, a hint of vanilla, fruit and the sublime peat.
 
Notes to editors
Ashok can be contacted for further comment on 07838 229914
 
Further information:
Amrut Distilleries
Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India is relatively new to the global market, with it only launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown.
 
One of the Amrut Single Malt Whisky bottlings by Blackadder International won “The Best Daily Dram” category of last year’s Malt Maniacs Awards. All the Amrut brands entered into the same competition won silver and bronze medals.
 
Amrut Peated Malt Cask Strength Whisky won Silver and Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky a Bronze at the IWSC in 2008. Amrut is now sold widely in Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Spain) as well as Canada and South Africa. In August it was officially introduced in Australia and it will be lunched into the United States this year.
 
Malt Maniacs
Although they do meet in real life, the Malt Maniacs, founded 1997 by Johannes van den Heuvel, are the most well known of all Web-based whisky communities. The 24 members of Malt Maniacs are scattered all around the globe: Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa. Amongst them famous whisky writers Martine Nouet, Dave Broom and Charles MacLean.
 
The Malt Maniacs are 100 per cent independent and only their amateur members are entitled to score whisky for Malt Maniacs. The three websites that make for the Malt Maniacs’ online platform are www.malmaniacs.org, www.maltmadness.com and www.whiskyfun.com. Together they gather around 300,000 single visits a month.
 
The Malt Maniacs Awards, sometimes called “The Formula One Grand Prix of Whisky”, are organised every year since 2003. More than 200 whiskies are usually preselected and submitted by more than 60 different distillers, bottlers or brands and tasted blind by from ten to twelve independent jurors from various countries (India, Taiwan, USA, Canada, Europe…) There are no fees involved whatsoever. The results, usually published on 1 December, are always eagerly awaited and commented on by the whole whisky community.
 
Should you like to know more about the Malt Maniacs and/or the Malt Maniacs Awards, please contact Johannes van den Heuvel at maltmaster@gmail.com
 
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2010
A full account of the 2010 World Whisky Awards can be found in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2010, published on 5 October by Dram Good Books priced at £10.99 www.whiskybible.com
 
Images
high res images of Amrut Fusion and Ashok are available from Fiona Laing
 
Contact details
Ashok Chokalingam, General Manager – International Operations
The Grainger Suite, Dobson House, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 3PF.
Tel: + 44 191 233 6316.  Fax: +44-191 233 6346.
Email: ashok@amrutdistilleries.com
 
Issued on behalf of Amrut Distilleries
by Fiona Laing, Communications Consultant
0794 665 4451 or flaing@btinternet.com