Mature and evolving tastes

If you thought it was an "old" drink, think again. The single malt is getting popular again.

Did someone say that whisky is a thing of the past? Or that vodka and other "young" drinks have upstaged the old stalwart. Check out the growing number of single malts available and how they are selling in India and you will have your answer.

Malt lovers in the country have never had it so good. Brands like Glenmorangie, Dalmore, Laphroiag and Glenfiddich, not to forget good old Johnnie Walker, are slowly finding their way to whisky drinker's cellars.

Says Harish Moolchandani, managing director, Being Global, the company that markets Laphroiag, "People are gradually moving towards single malt from blended scotch." While vodka still remains a favourite among young drinkers, there are many who are diversifying to single malt from scotch, and even from vodka.

The shift is partly to do with the fact that people are now able to appreciate and buy expensive brands.

Consumer education about single malts on a continuous basis has to play an important role in making potential customers more knowledgeable and eager samplers.

Laphroiag, which sells at a retail price point of Rs 3,500 for a 750 ml bottle and $52 at duty-free, has been in the country for over three years now. Though Moolchandani is not expecting a big rise in the number of malt drinkers, he is confident that more and more people will move to malt whisky.

"You can't have people sipping and appreciating single malt in one day, it takes time to develop and enjoy the taste."

Whyte and Mackay's Dalmore is one of the most expensive single malt whiskies available in the country. It costs Rs 9,000-14,000 and apparently undergoes several stages of maturity over 21 years. The whisky is available at select retail points in the country and is sold by Kyundal India.

Moet & Hennessey also has Glenmorangie, which is one of the most popular single malts in the country. It is priced at Rs 3,000 for a 750-ml bottle.

Glenmorangie has been available in India for some time now but was available only at duty-free shops and five-star hotels. But Moet Hennessey brought six variants of Glenmorangie "" mainly a 10-year-old, a 15-year-old and four wood finishes. The price of Glenmorangie goes up to Rs 12,000.

Glenfiddich is also one of the most prominent single malts and has become a favourite of many malt lovers.

"Glenfiddich is one of the most popular malts on our menu," says Rishi Raj Singh, the beverage manager of Delhi's Maurya Sheraton.

Maurya, which has one of the largest collection of malt whiskies, gets customers from the age group of 30-45 asking for malts. "A good malt should not be swallowed but slowly sipped." There is a malt you can order at the Maurya bar for Rs 7,500 "" that's what you pay for a 30 ml shot! The price of a 750 ml bottle? A cool Rs 2 lakh.

Diageo's Talsiker is another malt which is distilled using water from 14 underground springs and is available in various ages. Says Santosh Kanekar, V-P, marketing, Diageo, South Asia, "It is powerful and smooth in taste and has a distinctly peppery character." It is priced at Rs 4,000.

While Talsiker remains one of the flagship brands for Diageo, it also has another malt called Clynelish. Priced at Rs 3,500, it is one of the lesser known brands, though its sales are picking up.

Glenmorangie Margaux is another rare malt which was recently brought to the country. Only 3,500 bottles have been produced in total, 100 of which were received in India. The whisky is made using a small number of rare barriques, which previously held wine from vineyards in France. Priced at Rs 38,000 for a 750-ml bottle, it apparently combines the taste of French vineyards and Scottish maturity.

Moolchandani is confident of getting more people hooked onto single malt. "Maturity and taste is a must for single malt drinkers and with the kind of brands in the country, it is a matter of time that the market grows." Kanekar shares this view.

"With lifestyles getting more chic and urbane, malts will become very popular." So pick up a bottle of single malt and prove the truth of Winston Churchill's old saying: take more out of alcohol than alcohol takes out of you!