Indian single malt whisky comes of age

Did you know that India is the largest consumer of whisky in the world? There is a caveat on that though. It’s not all whisky as you know it. Mostly it’s what is known as IMFL, or Indian Made Foreign Liquor. In India, there’s very little regulation about what can be put in a bottle and labelled ‘whisky’, particularly for blended whiskies. IMFL is essentially a neutral spirit tinted with caramel colouring and supplemented with something like two to 40 per cent single malt, depending on the price tag.  Unsurprisingly, Indian whisky hasn’t been held in the highest regard. But that’s starting to change, thanks two distilleries in particular: Amrut, and Goa-based Paul John. Launched in 2012, Paul John produces close to 1.2 million litres a year of single malt whisky, which would place it comfortably in Australia’s top five producers in volume terms. Paul John master distiller Michael D’Souza was in Sydney recently. We sat down for this interview about the exciting evolution of Indian whisky. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.