Bespoke Bottling of Indian Single Malt Takes Off

With five releases in the last few years, Bengaluru-based Single Malt Amateur Club is at the forefront of bespoke bottling for Indian Single Malts. One of the founders of SMAC writes about the experience

- HARSHA THIMMAIAH

Milroy’s of Soho, Cadenhead, Signatory, and Gordon McPhail are some of the notable names who have been in the business of buying whisky from renowned distilleries and curating their own specially bottled limited edition single malts for the market. It is a concept that is increasingly finding favour in India, and we at Single Malt Amateur Club SMAC) are proud to be among the earliest to introduce bespoke bottling in this country.

Recently, we in collaboration with Paul John Distilleries, makers of the Paul John range of single malts, jointly released the first of a duo offering of limited edition bespoke bottled single malts named Alter and Ego. The name comes from the fact that they were conceptualised to reveal the drastically diverse flavours of a whisky from the same distillery. Alter is a rich, amber, and peated single malt, matured for six years and complemented with a finish in an ex-Madeira cask. The edition is limited to 276 bottles and is priced at Rs 10,000 a bottle.

Alter is the fifth limited edition bespoke Indian single malt that we have released in the last five years. It is the culmination of our determined effort over the last five years to create a regular pipeline of these special single-malt whiskies for our members and other whisky lovers.

When we thought of the concept six years ago, we were hardpressed to find more than a handful of single malts retailed in the country, Indian or international. Our erudite members were looking for something exquisite and on par with the global expressions.