MAKE LOCAL, GO GLOBAL: HOW CONFERENCES INDIAN WHISKY IS CONQUERING Ashok THE INTERNATIONAL Chokalingam MARKETPLACE 11 12 Established in 1948 in Bangalore, Southern India, Amrut Distilleries produces whisky, grape A unique production brandy, rum, gin and vodka at its local distillery. But as the company’s head of international sales process and marketing Ashok Chokalingam explained, So what really makes Amrut special? Amrut Amrut has also been successful in creating one of Distillery uses ex-bourbon casks, new American the most iconic single malt brands in the world. white oak casks, ex-sherry butts and former Port ‘pipes’ for maturation. All Amrut single malt Ashok Chokalingam described how his family’s whisky brands are unchilfi ltered and none are business became the fi rst distillery in India coloured artifi cially. to go global with a single malt whisky. Amrut single malt was befi ttingly launched in Glasgow, The distillery is located 300 ft above sea level in Scotland on August 24, 2004. The Amrut Fusion Bangalore where the temperature in summer brand was voted the third best whisky in the (April –June) can reach up to 39°C and fall to 20°C world by the Whisky Bible in 2010. Between whilst winter temperatures (October –February) these two landmark moments, the journey was range from 30°C at the top end to 17 °C at the extremely challenging as the brand not only had bottom. There is also an average diff erence to meet all the international requirements from of 6°C between the warehouse and ambient raw materials to fi nished product, it also became temperature. The region is aff ected by the South- the fi rst Indian single malt to secure approval by West monsoon (June –August) with 85% of rain in the TTB in the United States. the evenings. Challenges included the negative While the average perception of Indian whisky in the maturation loss (or angels’ international market, particularly share) in Scotland is because most Indian whiskies are between 2% to 3% per produced from sugarcane molasses year and the warehouse and were considered as rum rather temperature in a distillery in than whisky. However, as a malt- Islay about 8°C year round, based whisky, Amrut had to dispel in India the loss is similar the myth that all Indian whisky is to Kentucky at between 10- the same. To prove the point, by 16%. Whiskies are bottled 2010 the company had discovered by taste, not by age. the magic of blind tastings. To date, Amrut has conducted 500 blind tastings around the world. Amrut is now available in 42 countries and has 23 It has participated in most consumer exhibitions expressions including two new ones which were and tastings, ultimately transforming it into one launched and tasted for the fi rst time during of the most sought-after brands in India and the AWS presentation: Amrut Double Cask and abroad. Amrut Rye Whisky. Amrut didn’t just dispel myths in the international The company has not only been able to produce market; it also changed perceptions on the a 10-year-old single malt in an environment like domestic front. The brand was fi rst launched Bangalore, it has also successfully maintained abroad and later introduced to India. Only a distinctiveness for each and every variant of afterwards did the company witness huge Amrut single malt released on the market. consumer demand for it in the domestic market..