HAPPY INNINGS

From drams to
cask (strength)!
By Hemanth Rao

Ever since I have indulged in whisky,

spending years understanding this great art
and spreading the love for it, I have simply
been unable to come to terms with the lack
of creativity in the Indian whisky space.
Whisky making in Scotland and other parts
of the world is considered an art; but in our
country, the largest consumer of whisky
globally, it is just another product coming
off an assembly line.
Well, with an annual consumption of 3.7
billion litres, why would the producers do
things differently?
I established ‘Single Malt Amateur Club’
(SMAC) in 2011 with the sole purpose of
bringing like-minded whisky loving people
of India together. I wanted to offer the
members of SMAC something unique and
bespoke – and ‘Cask 6028’ is just that!
In January 2019, SMAC created history by
curating India’s first whisky tour. Fifteen
club members were hosted by Paul John
at their gorgeous visitors centre in Goa. It
was a memorable experience for many who
were visiting a distillery for the first time.
While the tour itself was a resounding
success, I was secretly evaluating samples
from the best single casks that Michael
D’Souza (Master Distiller of Paul John) had
lined up. I tasted and chose with care and
we tucked away ‘Cask 6028’ to quietly work
its magic.
The numerous events and tasting sessions
conducted by SMAC helped me narrow
down the preferences of members, and this
selection was a reflection of that process. It
is also Paul John’s first single cask release
in India.
World class
A year later this sprit reached its prime, and
was ready to be bottled exclusively for the
members of SMAC. A single cask is whisky
All pics: SMAC, Bengaluru
32 I Brews & Spirits I Feb - Mar I 2020

matured in one single barrel which
exhibits individuality and character.
This wonderfully rounded, peated
whisky is bottled at near-cask
strength of 50% ABV. It has vanilla,
orange marmalade and honey as its
prime notes, with clean peat giving it
a remarkable spine.
Look out for that distinct edge of sea
salt which is common to whiskies
matured close to the shores. Paul
John has left no stone unturned
to make this product truly world
class, be it the elegant packaging
and design or the hidden artwork by
Mario Miranda – which reveals itself
as you consume the contents of the
bottle!
To give this bottle a fitting welcome,
close to 40 passionate members of
the club descended to the place of
origin – The Paul John distillery in
Goa on Leap Day (29 February 2020).
After an educative tour of the
production process the participants
were treated to some of the best
whiskies that Paul John produces.
These lucky enthusiasts witnessed
the unveiling of the single cask
release and got to taste the special
whisky.
This March the bottles will be
available for members to purchase
at Anurag Wines on Brigade Road,
Bengaluru, SMAC’s exclusive retail
partner. With a patronage of over
3,000 registered members, this
limited edition of 224 bottles is likely
to vanish from the shelves in record
time!
‘Amaze’ trilogy
This release marks the club’s third
such venture at offering exclusive
tailor-made whiskies for its
adherents. A trilogy called ‘Amaze’
was conceptualised and co-created
with Amrut Distilleries in 2017.
The first two editions of this bottle
met with tremendous success from
whisky judges across the globe, who
rated the whisky at over 90 points.
As a community the club continues
to grow at a rapid pace reflecting
the growing interest in single malt
whisky. Events conducted at regular
intervals, to kindle the passion
of tasting malt whisky, gives the
members an opportunity to meet and
exchange views about their recent
partaking.
HAPPY INNINGS
Apart from conducting whisky master
classes and hosting tasting events,
SMAC engages with various whisky
producers across the globe to offer
its members some very exclusive
drams. The best things in life are
free, and so is membership to the
club!
Having spent over 15 years exploring
the world of whisky and visiting
numerous distilleries across the
world my club members can be
assured of sustained creativity as I
endeavour to offer bespoke whiskies,
invitations to whisky launches, tasting
events and personalised distillery
tours.
Interested? You can write to me at
hemanth@smacindia.com.
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