Country: India - Rampur
Distillery: Radico Khaitan
Type: Single Malt
Age: NAS
Cask: Ex-Bourbon & Indian Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel
ABV: 45%
Proof: 90
Price: $80
Nose: Mango, vanilla, raspberries, plums, vanilla, cinnamon
Palate: Silky, oak tannins, blackberries, plums, cherries, raspberries
Finish: Cherries, tobacco notes, cherry bark, dark tobacco, dry, long.
Indian single malt whiskies like Rampur, Paul John and Amrut already started to challenge world-famous single malts from the rest of the world. With Rampur Asava, Radico Khaitan decided to add another step to the challenge.
You can find reviews of Paul John and Rampur from my Whisky Reviews!
What Is Asava?
Rampur Asava was just released in October 2020 and I have received a bottle to review thanks to our friends at Rampur! Asava is firstly matured for an undisclosed number of years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in Indian red wine casks which were previously seasoned with Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Rampur tried to introduce dark and robust notes from the wine to their single malt.
Rampur's Double Cask impressed me a lot with its balance and showcase of both barrels' qualities. Let's check how red wine casks treated this single malt
Rampur Asava and Double Cask Indian Single Malt Whisky
How Does It Taste?
The nose starts with mango and vanilla and then an explosion of red fruits happens. Raspberries, plums with vanilla, cinnamon and grapefruit zest. The palate is a festival of ripe and vibrant red fruits. Feeling of blackberries, raspberries, cherries, plums. The texture is not extremely thick but we can easily call it silky and creamy. The oak tannins from the red wine cask are everywhere.
The finish is dark with cherry bark, tobacco, dry and lingering.
Verdict
Rampur Asava is an interesting and different single malt that I am used to seeing from Indian single malts. If you are a red forest fruit lover in your whisky, this is a 90+ single malt for you. Impressive and sparkling. There is also another point of view as some can find Rampur Asava a little bit overpowered by the red wine casks.
As someone that cannot stand the intense cherry feeling in my whiskies, I actually found Rampur Asava pleasantly overpowered. After tasting Rampur Double Cask again, I would love to have the red wine casks finish as balanced as Double Cask's Sherry influence.
My overall experience with Rampur Asava is quite lovely and I want to thank the Indian distiller to showcase the results of this challenge.
