Indian Whiskies That Should Be Your Next Pour

You’ve heard of Amrut and Paul John and their glorious success stories, but there are other whiskies trumpeting their Indian origins that are worthy of your attention.

- Anish Trivedi

This begins with a fishing trip, high in the foothills of the Himalayas. There’s snow on the peaks and hail in the valley, and on a cold night around a fireplace, Christopher, the proprietor of the Himalayan Trout House, tells me to set aside my Scotch and try the product of a local distillery instead. The whisky he offers me, Solan No 1, is hardly new. It’s one of the country’s oldest brands, dating back to well before Independence. “Ah,” says Christopher, “But have you tried the single malt?” I haven’t. So I do.

There isn’t much information on the bottle, just that it’s distilled in Kasauli, not too far from where we sit. There’s no age statement, just the bottling strength, which is a shade under 43 per cent. With the lights out following a thunderstorm, it’s hard to gauge the colour when it’s poured into a glass, and when I nose it, it’s easy to tell this is a young whisky. Clean on the nose, and with light honey and citrus notes, it’s not got much in the way of complexity. Take a sip and there’s a sweetness that combines caramel and citrus, nuttiness and oak. The finish is also light. This is not a whisky you’re going to need to sip slowly. Into the glass and down the throat is how Christopher suggests I do it. The man knows his fish, his mountains and his drink. I do as he says.