Introvert single malt is finally mixing

At the typical single malt whisky tasting the whisky master would hold up a stout Glencairn glass to the light and discuss the colour of the contents amber golden or copper Wersquod be urged to nose it for its bouquet that opens aromatic notes After a swirl and small sip the liquid on the palate would be discussed for the body tasting notes and finish Then a few drops of water would be allowed in to unfurl the complex liquid The single malt drinker would be the guy in a suit with a preference for leather chairs sometimes holding a cigar This is was the old hackenyed world In the new one the single malt drinker is nursing the same drink as a cocktailYangdup Lama of Sidecar and Speak Easy in Delhi and Gurugram thinks that the narrative around single malts is changing and cocktails are the futurePicNishad AlamLast month one of Scotlandrsquos most famous distilleries Glenmorangie launched Glenmorangie X mdash a fullbodied dram aged in new charred oak barrels that lend it a spicy note with hints of dark chocolate ginger sweet chilli and vanilla Master distiller Bill Lumsden calls it a single malt created for mixing cocktails ldquoA lot of single malt drinkers are snooty or a bit afraid to experiment While we donrsquot expect a connoisseur who prefers an 18 YO 18yearold whisky and 25 YO 25yearold to mix cocktails with single malt X offers a democratic product that one can drink neat on the rocks with soda or in a complicated cocktailrdquoLumsden a scientist began his journey three decades ago as a distillery manager He says back then yoursquod be thrown out of any Scottish bar if you asked for a cocktail with single malt ldquoPeople have a wider taste now they have become more cosmopolitan and travel extensively This makes them open to experimentation The change is partly also driven by the fact that millennials donrsquot want to be bound by old rules Our product has a lot of heritage but to keep it relevant we have to be relaxed We have to encourage people to drink our product in different ways We still make our rare whiskies that wonrsquot go in a cocktail but the industry has become more democraticrdquo Lumsden addsBourbon street cocktail at Sidecar PicNishad AlamNot all brands however are pushing single malts in cocktails Angad Singh Gandhi brand ambassador Glenfiddich agrees that the whiskey drinking audience has expanded to include younger members but people are still sensitive when challenging their preferences and experimenting A majority of their clientele is aged 35 and older ldquoSo we change the narrative depending on who we are interacting with While we donrsquot go all out with encouraging mixing single malts in cocktails we do say that you should have fun with the drink With many young whiskies launching consumers continue to explore and experiment with each of them differentlyrdquo says GandhiShehan Minocher brand ambassador of Moet Hennessy India mixes a cocktail called Indiamdasha highball with tender coconut water soda honey water and lime juicePopular single malts are usually aged between 10 and 12 years and itrsquos a myth that they must be had neat Contemporary malt whiskies are young with no age statement argues Keshav Prakash of The Vault Collective a Mumbaibased import house for fine spirits and platform to develop their appreciation ldquoHow are you experiencing your whisky is it paired with a cigar had with food sipped in a cocktail or are you studying it like a work of artrdquo he asks Under his curation Ziya at the Oberoi will soon launch the tableside Highball a muchcelebrated long drink whisky popular in Japan Itrsquos chosen to complement Michelin Star chef Vineet Bhatiarsquos menu ldquoBlended and single malt whiskies are like apples and oranges One is predominantly grainbased and the other is 100 percent malted barley These new expressions are helping people enter the world of whisky in the most approachable manner often via mixologyrdquo Prakash thinks He the example of Godawan a single malt whisky named after the Great Indian Bustard launched recently in Jaipur by Diageo ldquoAt the launch they used the whisky to prepare dishes for the guests and even desserts This relaxed single malt has qualities that are great for mixingrdquoVikram Damodaran Chief Innovation Officer Diageo says Godavan is not created for mixing but nor is it a straightjacketed single malt It is created for a series of perfect sips A true blue single malt that exposes consumers to experiences They are free to experiment with this new brand that follows traditional codes of whisky makingDr Bill LumsdenCocktails are an effective entry point for the young drinker bar entrepreneurs concur because as Yangdup Lama of Sidecar and Speak Easy in Delhi and Gurugram says ldquoThe young consumer doesnrsquot want to know the history of a distillery or the water used to make it They want to hear the fun parts and get sippingrdquo Lama believes that the narrative around single malts is changing and cocktails are the future ldquoThey have become premium A decade ago a bar would use its cheapest alcohol to put together the cocktail menu But with the arrival of the new age consumer bartenders have received a massive boost as has the quality of liquor used to mixrdquoCraig Wedge head of operations Maisonz is on a mission to redefine what liquor is all about PicBipin KokateIn 2018 Lama was part of a project with Glenfiddich single malts using the 12 15 and 18 YO to make cocktails that were headlined by Indian ingredients such as walnuts from Kashmir bay leaf from Assam and tea from Darjeeling The story of Scottish water and cask strength was missing The aim was to let people know that it is a great single maltrdquo says Lama At the GK2 outpost of Sidecar which was placed at No 16 in the Asiarsquos Best Bars 2021 list Lama serves the Bourbon Street R650 where he uses Islay single malt and another Smokey Island which is oldfashioned with the smoky peaty Lagavulin 16 He says that 20 years into his career his comprehension of cocktails has evolved ldquoI am now happier using single malts and its characteristics to play with new cocktailsrdquoEarlier this month Mumbaibased mixologist and flair expert Ami Shroff undertook a collaboration with Paul John an awardwinning single malt from Goa to create cocktails for Nirvana One of them was an orange sour ldquoCocktails are finding their time in the sun Talent among mixologists is improving They are making wellbalanced drinks relying on precision of ingredients good quality ice and highend spirits It improves the mix immenselyrdquo she saysIn Lower Parel stands Mansionz a multiuse lifestyle space that houses an American brasseries a panAsian eatery focusing on dim sum a tasting room and rooftop bar to compliment a luxurious liquor shopping experience by Living Liquidz Here the drink Mansionz gold R650 comes with 60 ml of Paul John Bold Olorosso Sherry maple syrup Drambuie Benedictine and Angostura aromatic bitters Garnished with orange or cherry the drink is an example of introducing customers to nuanced spirits and taste profiles At Mansionz the bar menu embraces the classics but uses a higher caliber of spirits as baseAmy ShroffCraig Wedge head mixologist says the purist will jump up and down worried about tainting purity but there is a new kind of customer thatrsquos looking for novel experiences and bar chefs are happy to seek out new flavours and combinations ldquoWe focus on redefining what liquor is about When it comes to classics it has single identity complexities and the job of a good bartender is to magnify and compliment this complexity For example a Manhattan is taken to a different level by using the a 12 YO or 18 YO The classic gets a reboot here A single malt drinker is no more the grumpy man sitting in the corner She could jolly well be the life of the party And women are driving this change because they are a little more adventurousrdquo says CraigHemanth Rao founder of Single Malt Amateur Club clears the air about single malts ldquoWe know it comes from Scotland a relatively cold country where the practice is to consume it neat to warm the body They may add a few drops of water to release the bouquetrdquo Rao explains ldquoWhile cocktails such as Old fashioned have been around since the 1850s with fewer ingredients as compared to today it was the Japanese who were among the first to create cocktails with single malt whisky They added ginger ale and aerated water to create a high ball on lots of icerdquo India has long been portrayed as a country that preferred rum over whisky since it was produced from molasses and not grain However this is not true Mohan Meakin Ltd set up its first Indian brewery as long back as 1855 Indians have also been trashed for not knowing how to consume whisky and these observations are made by lsquoexpertsrsquo But they have not considered many factors Our weather is not conducive to having distilled robust spirits neat Brands themselves are now changing the way they present their products making room for a younger audiencerdquo he clarifiesRao steers the focus towards the whiskies that are being promoted as cocktail forward ldquoYou will never see distillers talking about limited editions and exclusive and rare whiskies for mixing A decade ago no one thought it was okay to bottle a whisky within three to four years Now whiskies are being bottled after completing as low as four years in the cask which has given rise to no age statement NAS whiskies This trend began in the midrsquo90s and early 2000 While such whiskies will not make it to connoisseur appreciation tables they move faster and make for great cocktail mixersrdquoGlenmorangie in its new brand positioning doesnrsquot think much about the complexities of whisky making It focuses on the fact that it is delicious to drink ldquoWe received a lot of criticism from the Scotch whisky industry but I take that as a compliment We are doing something right that they are jealous ofrdquo Lumsden signs off