Amrut Fusion, an Indian single malt, has emerged as one of the treasured whiskies in the world. In 2010, whisky connoisseur Jim Murray declared the Bangalore single malt the world's third-best whisky in that year's edition of his annual Whisky Bible. This liquid gold was also the only Indian single malt to make it to the shelves of Harrods' Whiskies around The World section in October 2011.
Currently, Amrut Fusion is sold in 22 countries, including the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore and South Africa. "We always knew it was good," says Rakshit Jagdale, the executive director of Amrut Distilleries, whose grandfather Radhakrishna Jagdale, named and set up the distillery in 1948, "but we were honoured that India made it to the list of best whiskies in the world. Amrut means elixir of life and we love it that the name represents India."
Also remarkable are some of the marketing strategies that Amrut employed early in their journey. In 2002, when Rakshit was pursuing an MBA in Newcastle, his father Neelakanta Rao Jagdale suggested that he test the market for Amrut. Rakshit went to over 250 Indian restaurants and high end bars and pubs in the UK, armed with Amrut Fusion. "The response was fantastic," he says. "Many compared it to a 12-15 year whisky."
Amrut's official launch took place in 2004, in Glasgow's Cafe India. Rakshit says, "Scotland loved it." Back home, however, whisky connoisseurs were complaining to Rakshit. "Why do I have to travel all the way to London or the US to get a local product?" Rakshit says launching abroad before launching in India was intentional. He says, "We knew that once it was attested by the best, the rest would follow."
Amrut was launched in Mumbai in November 2013 and they are also set to launch their rum called Two Indies soon. Rakshit says, "Even though the percentage of whisky drinkers in India is small, they are knowledgeable about whisky." We will clink our tumblers to that. Amrut Fusion is available for Rs 3,750 at wine stores across Mumbai.
