Take a sip with the new generation of India’s whisky appreciation clubs

India’s most popular alcohol, whisky, was seen as a bar staple for older Indian men for decades. According to market research platform Statista, the average consumption of whisky per capita in India stands at 2.6 litres.

However, not all whiskies are created equal. There are single malts, blended whiskies, corn-based, rye whisky, and the rise of the Indian single malt, led by Amrut, Paul John, Rampur and more recently Kamet that has in recent years won hearts and awards across the globe.

More diverse, even with the classics

As a younger and more diverse Indian drinking population samples the spirit, it is undergoing a drastic image makeover led by trendy whisky clubs around the country.

At the Dram Club in Mumbai, women who enjoy their malts are at the heart of the events. “For us, the co-founder, Swati Sharma, being a woman probably broke barriers” says Vinayak Singh, co-founder of the club that began in March 2019. The group launched an app in 2021, with aggregated information on a cornucopia of whiskies — from expressions of a brand, to city-wise price lists, personalised recommendations and ultimately a delivery platform for single malts and whiskies, to generate revenue.

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With over 3,500 subscribers, the Dram Club offers free membership, with a fee ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹5,500 per event, based on the type of spirit, food and event location. Vinayak relishes the opportunity to conduct blind tastings: “We want members to look beyond the label, so that way they can really appreciate blended whiskies or others that don’t come from any of the hallowed distilleries. Our members discovered they preferred Paul John to some Scottish staples. We also enjoy Kamet and Blue Label’s Ghost and Rare, a limited edition blend from Johnny Walker,” he says.

Pooja Vir, who attends these events, concurs with Vinayak. “I began enjoying whisky during my time in London. When I moved back to India in 2017, I started a club called the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai, but two years ago switched to The Dram Club. The events offer an avenue to sample really expensive bottles before investing in them.”

A fast-changing landscape

The Single Malt Amateur Club (SMAC) in Bengaluru has the distinction of working with Amrut and John Distilleries in India, to bring out exclusive bottles for club members, the Amrut Amaze and Cask No.6028 respectively. Offering free membership and a fee per event, the club was started in 2011, and now has over 4,000 members.

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“The landscape of whisky appreciation has changed dramatically in the past three years, as evidenced by an uptick in our membership by about 30% since 2019, with members primarily in the 32-plus age group,” says founder Hemanth Rao. As SMAC partners with Indian single malts to provide members with exclusive offerings, Hemanth says the provenance of quality malts from India has helped push the popularity of whiskies. “Amrut and Paul John have moved the needle and now there is a turn inwards as Indians embrace new malts.”

Explaining how they kept members engaged through the pandemic, he adds, “while we couldn’t replicate the joie de vivre of a live event, we did sessions on peripheral subjects like the perfect glassware for single malts, whisky auctions, industry trends etc.”

Now Hemanth is introducing members to their own blending experiments in custom American white oak ageing barrels, in three- and five-litre capacities, ranging from ₹13,000 to ₹17,000 and one can even choose from ex-rum or ex-port barrels that lend the blends a fruity character on the nose and palate.

“Today Indians want to experiment, and they enjoy their whiskies very differently from their parent’s generation,” says Nikhil Agarwal, who curates experiences at All Things Nice, a luxury wine and spirits consulting agency.

Get the basics right

While most events are hosted in Mumbai, Agarwal, who conducts a course in the Fundamentals of Scotch Whisky in association with the Edinburgh Whisky Academy, has taken his love and learning of the spirit to Singapore and Hong Kong as well. All Things Nice has even paired whisky with poetry, music and art at events.

In 2019, All Things Nice hosted Jim Murray, whose Whisky Bible sets the gold standard for the best offerings every year. At events in renowned hotels across Delhi and Mumbai, participants were treated to four blind whisky tastings, paired with elaborate menus. “We organised Malt Week in Mumbai, when we paired whisky tasting flights with Italian, Continental and Pan-Asian food across 15 restaurants , including a six-course malt whisky paired dinner at Masque with Chef Prateek Sadhu.”

A session at the Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club

After the lockdowns, Agarwal had to find unique ways to engage audiences at home. A Blues and Whisky Virtual evening saw blues band, Wanted Yesterday, play their repertoire of music as participants savoured The Glenlivet 15 and 18 Year Old as well as Scapa Glansa and Skiren. “We dissected the smoky, light and fruity notes of the malts and enjoyed them with blues that amplified that style with a matching tempo, quite a departure from food and drink pairings. The event was very well received,” explains Agarwal, who speaks of an equal male to female attendance at his events, for audiences 35 and above.

In Kolkata, The Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club has grown from a cosy 20-member club in 2010, that originally met at the Tata Steel Room within the premises of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, to a club that has now added over two score to the fold, and meets at restaurants across the city.

Subhasis Ganguli, one of the founding members, says, “We are a not-for-profit group. I lead the tasting with some history of the single malts — the region, age, character, cask style and flavour profiles.” He adds that members pick up different age expressions of brands like Inchmurrin, Tomatin or spirits from the Speyside in Scotland when they travel, or from the Whisky Exchange in London. While virtual events were the order of the day for most of 2020, Deepavali marked a grand comeback for the club. “We enjoyed a six-course Awadhi style meal paired with five whiskies,” says Ganguli.

The highlight of the club’s dossier of experiences was a ‘smoke-based’ tasting. Smoky malts accompanied tandoori fare: the salty unctuousness of bacon complimented the Caol Ila. Lamb shanks went well with the 14-year Lagavulin, and Oban’s light touch married well with briny notes from smoked fish.

The Quorum, a sprawling 22,000-square-feet exclusive club in Gurgaon, which curates whisky tasting sessions and dinners, found imaginative ways to connect with members. Rachit Dang, general manager explains how the club — which stocks 69 variants of malts — conducted a blind tasting by sending members five transparent bottles (60 millilitres each), and asking them to rate the spirits from 0 to 5 in terms of their nose, body, taste and finish.

“By the end of the tasting, our members could identify their affinity towards Scotch, Bourbon, Irish, Canadian or Japanese Whisky,” he says.

The millennial consumer in India leaves master distillers across the globe buoyant about the prospects of premium malts in the country. Julieann Fernandes, master blender at South Africa-based Distell Group says, “whisky is beginning to find favour with millennial drinkers in India who are affluent, flavour curious, influenced by global trends and are open to experimentation. More experiential activation is helping with driving traction amongst this younger generation as well — pop up events, bar takeovers, tastings, and DIY cocktail sessions.”

Pooja Virwho associates her favourite malts with memories, sums up her love for the dram. “This is an exciting time to be a whisky connoisseur as homegrown malts are thriving, people are open to experimentation, and brands are elevating the experience for whisky drinkers who want to look beyond the label.”