Bengaluru-based alcobev giant Amrut Distilleries announced the launch of Bella, a jaggery-distilled and matured single rum, at a media briefing. The company said the rum is 100 per cent crafted from nutrient and mineral-rich jaggery and sourced from the Sahyadri range in the Western Ghats and Mandya in Karnataka.
Amrut further said that Bella has matured for six years in ex-bourbon barrels under tropical climatic conditions. With the launch, the company has celebrated its 75 years.
‘Bella’ meaning jaggery in Kannada, is the first rum to receive a production license from the Karnataka Excise Board, priced at Rs 3,500. Initially launched in the USA and Karnataka, it will expand to West Bengal, Haryana, and Maharashtra shortly, with plans for a pan-India rollout by Dussehra.
Amrut’s Bella offers a fruity blend of coconut and vanilla, evolving into marzipan with a hint of citrus. Its flavour combines chocolatey vanilla, green almond, and subtle citrus, finishing with a sweet, almondy touch.
Rakshit N Jagdale, MD, Amrut Distilleries said, “We dedicate Bella to my father as he created the category by presenting it to the progressive and forward-thinking Karnataka Excise which granted Amrut the first-ever license in India to distil jaggery single rum in 2012. We did a soft launch of Bella in July earlier this year and today commemorates Bella global launch.”
India has a history of rum production, primarily from molasses and sometimes cane juice. In 2013, Amrut introduced Two Indies Rum, blending Indian jaggery with Caribbean molasses, symbolizing a fusion of East and West. Now, with Bella, Amrut deepens India’s ancient connection to jaggery, a natural sweetener, in its rum-making tradition.