Review: Amrut  Old Port Deluxe Rum  (2011 Bottling)   86.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted on November 30, 2011

The Amrut Distillery is situated in Bangalore, ‘the garden city’ of India. The distillery sits in a tropical locale 3000 ft above sea level with its water source being the Himalayan Mountains. According to Indian Mythology, when the Gods and the Demons churned the oceans, they used the mountain, Meru, as the churner. As the Ocean was churned, a golden pot sprang up containing the Elixir of Life which was called the “Amrut”. This legend of course serves as the inspiration for the naming of the Amrut Distillery.

Amrut Old Port Deluxe Rum is the subject of this review, and it has undergone some changes since I last reviewed it 2 years ago. For Starters, the new bottle is slightly larger and contains slightly more (50 ml) rum. And, according to the importers of this spirit, Purple Valley Imports, the blend has changed to. The rum is continues to be distilled, aged,  and bottled at Amrut’s facility in Bangalore India using 100% Indian Cane. But the new style is apparently more whisky-like in body and delivery. I am hoping that the new blend still captures that wonderful exotic flavour of Indian Cane which I noted in my first review.

(Note: Purple Valley Imports provided my with the sample bottle from which this review was written.)

In the Bottle 4/5

I have both the older bottle (the shorter one), and the newer bottle pictured to the left. To be honest, I like the older bottle a little better. It has a funkier bottle shape with the softer curves, and I have always had a thing for those dark coloured bottles.  They just look ‘cooler’ to me. The new bottle looks more like a large soda bottle than a rum bottle, although I admit there is something to be said for a clear bottle which allows you to actually see the colour of the rum you are buying in the store.

In the Glass 8.5/10

The new Amrut Old Port Deluxe Rum shows a nice bronze mahogany  colour in the glass. I gave my glass a slow tilt and an even slower swirl. Slowly the oily sheen on the side of the glass released stubborn leglets which did not crawl down the side of the glass.

The aroma from the glass is filled with butterscotch candy. Light impressions of orange peel are present with vanilla and light oak spices. As I let the glass breathe, the aroma of sweet butterscotch-toffee deepens and a very light tobacco scent is apparent as well as some building baking spices. This is indeed much different from the older blend which contained much more heavy molasses in the aroma.

In the Mouth 52.5/60

The rum enters my mouth with a sweet honey and butterscotch flavour that contains quite a layer of zesty orange peel underneath. The taste of vanilla is obvious, and as I let the glass sit, I also notice light flavours of tobacco weaving in the sweet toffee of the rum. Some oakiness begins to reveal itself over time as well as lightly bitter raisins and dates which gives the Amrut Old Port a slightly smoky taste in the mouth.

When I mixed with cola, I noticed the new rum tasted very pleasant and relaxed. I think I even began to notice some of those wonderful exotic flavours which I believe are the signature of Indian cane. When I mixed the Amrut with ginger-ale, I decided the rum tasted even better!

In the Throat 13/15

When I sip the spirit neat, prunes and raisins slide down my throat in a long spicy finish. The burn feels a little stronger than I was expecting, probably strengthened by the spiciness. The oak flavour seems to linger on my palate for a long time before it vanishes along with whispers of chocolate and smoke.

The Afterburn 8.5/10

The new Amrut Old Port Deluxe Rum is a very different beast than the rum I reviewed two years ago. The old version of the rum was dark and rich with flavours of caramel and sweet molasses dominating the rum. The new rum is more whisky-like with oak and honeyed butterscotch leading the way.

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Rum Reviews.

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Suggested Recipe

When I was in Miami last year at the big rum festival, I was told that 40 % of the rum sold in Canada and the U.S. is mixed with cola. In the Caribbean however, you are more apt to see rum mixed with Ginger Ale. In the case of the Amrut Old Port Deluxe, Rum and Ginger-ale is definitely a good idea.

Rum & Ginger on Ice

1 part Amrut Old port Deluxe Rum
3 parts Ginger Ale

ice

Pour the rum over ice into an Old Fashioned Glass
Complete with Ginger Ale
Cheers!

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My Final Score is out of 100 and you may (loosely) interpret the score as follows:

0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:

70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)

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For the sake of transparency and honesty I have left my former review intact for your reading pleasure.  You may read it at your leisure.

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Review: Amrut Old Port Deluxe Rum (2009 Bottling)  92pts
a review by Chip Dykstra (AkA Arctic Wolf)
Posted October 2009

Old Port is distilled and aged at Amrut’s facility in Bangalore India using 100% Indian Cane. This cane has a unique taste all its own making this a truly different taste experience for a ‘Western’ palate like mine.

In the Bottle: (4.0/5)

The bottle presentation for the Old Port Deluxe is pictured to the left. I love the funky bottle. A nice cardboard box with a map of India or something like that would have been a nice touch.

In the Glass (9.0/10)

A nice rich semi dark liquid. The aroma is really hard to place as it has an exotic scent (probably the Indian Cane here) quite unlike other rums I have experience thus far. I would say it reminded me of the oriental 7 spice mixture buried in dark caramel.

In the Mouth (56.0/60)

I can taste real complexity here. Touches of soy sauce, caramel, cinnamon and Brazil nuts. Very complex, but there is a slight touch of bitterness hiding around the corner. Sometimes I get it and sometimes I don’t. This easily ranks up in texture and richness with the best rums I have tasted but I will warn you that it is a very different sort of taste. Oak is lurking in the background somewhere too.

In the Throat (14.0/15)

This rum feels very rich during the exit. The unique oriental style of spice dominates in the throat and the burn feels nice. The oak really reaches up to tickle the tonsils.

The Afterburn (9.0/10)

This is so unique, and yet so much like rum that I love it. It has a very exotic taste and feel. If this is a typical example of Indian Rum then we have been cheating ourselves in the west.

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