Properly Sauced: Amrut "Fusion" Single Malt Indian Whiskey

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 18, 2010 6:20PM

Last Thursday I was a judge at Sable Kitchen & Bar's "Bottle Battle: Whiskey vs. Wines" dinner pairing between head bartender Mike Ryan and Master Sommelier Emily Wines. It was that rare dinner event in that the pairings from both Wines and Ryan were well-rounded selections for enjoyment with food and without.

Ryan won the judges competition from a panel that included, besides myself, Grub Street Chicago's Nick Kindelsperger, Metromix's LIsa Balde and Chicago Magazine nightlife blogger Amalie Drury. One of Ryan's whiskey selections stood out for me because I have a bottle of it at home. ' wrote about Indian distillery Amrut back in April, as part of a review of Whiskyfest Chicago. Of Amrut's selections, the one I kept coming back to after the fest was their "Fusion," so named because of the use of Indian and Scottish malts in the distilling process.

The Indian malt gives Fusion its sweetness, while the heavily peated Scottish malt provides the kick to the palate and spice on the nose. This is a massive whiskey and, at $60 a bottle, in my opinion undervalued.