My previous booze reviews this month have been of whiskies that were peated to one degree or another: relatively mild (the Nikka Pure Malt White) to not-so-mild (the Ardbeg Corryvreckan and the Caol Ila Feis Ile 2016). To close out the month, let’s do a whisky that’s not peated at all. This is the Double Cask from Rampur, the Indian malt whisky distillery from the Radico Khaitan group. I’d lost sight of them after reviewing their original (?) release, the Rampur Select a few years ago. In the intervening period they’ve certainly expanded their portfolio of releases quite dramatically: their website lists five regular releases and four limited edition releases. This Double Cask is one of the regular releases. As per the distillery’s website, it is made by marrying spirit from American oak bourbon barrels and European Oak sherry casks (butts? re-made hogsheads or barrels?). So, not double maturation. As to what the ratio of the cask types in the vatting is, I have no idea. Well, I don’t purchase very much whisky any more but for some reason I couldn’t resist when I saw this bottle in the liquor department of my Costco last week. Let’s see if my weakness did me a favour or did me in.
Rampur Double Cask (45%; bourbon barrels + European oak sherry casks; from my own bottle)
Nose: A sweet arrival with raisins, brown sugar, a bit of dark rum. On the second sniff there’s baked apple, toasted oak and some cinnamon. As it sits some orange peel emerges as well. Water brightens the citrus a bit and pulls out more baked notes (vanilla, pie crust).
Palate: More oak off the top on the palate but otherwise as indicated by the nose. Very good texture and decent bite at 45%. Orange peel here too with time and a bit of vanilla. Spicier as it goes (but not tannic). Okay, let’s see what water does for it. It pulls out even more of the oak spice and makes it less sweet on the whole.
Finish: Long. The sweet notes hang out for a while. As on the palate with time and water.
Comments: Very nicely done. No complexity here but it’s very drinkable indeed. A good dessert whisky.
Rating: 86 points.