We welcome two new single malts this week—Rampur, from India’s far north, and Laphroaig from Islay.
Rampur Indian Single Malt
StyleSingle malt whisky
Proof: 43% ABV
Price: $70
Release: January 2017
Availability: 12 states plus Washington, D.C. with expansion in the works
Need to know:
Rampur joins Amrut and Paul John in the ranks of Indian single malt whisky. Unlike the other two brands, which both hail from India’s southern half, Rampur is made at the foot of the Himalayas in Uttar Pradesh.
Whisky Advocate says:
We’ve been impressed with existing Indian single malts like Amrut Spectrum, which just won our World Whisky of the Year award, and look forward to trying this one.
Laphroaig 30 year old
Style: Single malt Scotch whisky
Proof: 53.5% ABV
Price: $1,000
Release: December 2016
Availability: Nationwide, but in limited quantities
Need to know:
Aged in first- and second-fill bourbon casks, this is a limited-edition expression that won’t come around again.
Whisky Advocate says:
With this much age, the whisky loses much of the medicinal peatiness of younger expressions on the palate, but it’s unmistakably still Laphroaig.