Review: Royal Pride Exquisite Whisky   76/100
review by Chip Dykstra (Aka the Rum Howler)
Posted March 22, 2017

Royal Pride Exquisite Whisky is produced by Jagatjit Industries Limited  who both distill and bottle the blended whisky in the small town of Hamira which is situated in Kapurthala district, India. (Jagatjit Industries was founded in the year 1944 by Mr. L.P. Jaiswal in the erstwhile State of Kapurthala under the patronage of its Maharaja Jagatjit Singh.) In addition to whisky, this company also produces Rum, Gin and Vodka, and is currently the third largest IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) producer on the sub continent.

The spirit is a blend of selected Indian grain whiskies and imported (aged) Malt Whiskies from the Highland, the Speyside and the Islay regions of Scotland. The website goes on to tell us that:

Master Blenders from Scotland then carefully blend in the aged imported scotch malts & a very Special Single Malt Scotch whisky to achieve smooth, mellow & full bodied blend with a tinge of peat that delivers a sensational taste to your deserving palate.

The final spirit is bottled at 42.8% alcohol by volume.

In the Bottle 4/5

The medium size, somewhat squat bottle which houses the Royal Pride Whisky is shown to the left along with its protective cardboard box which is coloured to have the appearance of mahogany wood. On one side of the cardboard box are basic tasting notes which I found most helpful as they mention that I can expect to taste a little smoke and peat within the whisky. Some of my friends (like Denis) love peated whiskies, and others (like Lukasz) do not. I always appreciate knowing ahead of time, what flavour profile I am serving.

In the Glass 8/10

The whisky has a coppery bronze colour which looks inviting. When I tilt the glass and twirl it, I see a thickened sheen of spirit on the inside of my glencairn which has formed a firm crest which only grudgingly releases its fat droplets. The tasting notes on the side of the box indicated that on the nose I should detect honey & vanilla combined with a balance of smoke, peat and fragrances in the breezes above the glass. I am pleased these tasting notes are accurate. I would add that there is some underlying oak and wood spice drifting into the breezes, a light but firm presence of malted whisky, and some soft nutty aromas as well. I should also point out that as I allowed the glass breathe, I sensed some astringency of youthful alcohol and spicy grain beginning to come forth as well.

In the Mouth 45.5/60

The entry into the mouth is sharper than I was expecting with both alcohol astringency and spicy grain leading the way across the palate. There is a soft punch of peat smoke, and perhaps a few indications of sherry cask flavours (dark fruit) underneath the soft peat. As I continued to sip, I noticed a light cane-like sweetness coming forward as well.

Although the sharpness which I mentioned earlier makes the whisky difficult to classify as a sipper. I did find enjoyment mixing the spirit with ginger-ale. In fact, when I also add a few bitters, a couple of firm splashes of Amaretto and some ice, the resulting tall drink (see recipe below) was more than acceptable fare for my regular evening outing in my hot tub where I watched the early winter stars gliding by overhead.

In the Throat 11/15

Although the spirit has the mouth-feel of a medium bodied spirit, a rather short finish tells us another story. Grainy spice and a moderate alcohol burn tell me the spirit is not aged as long as those leggy droplets on the insides of my glencairn would have had me supposing.

The Afterburn  7.5/10

As you can see, I never really warmed up to the Royal Pride Exquisite Whisky. Although the tasting notes on the side of the box promised a rich full-bodied taste explosion, I instead, found the spirit rather light-bodied and somewhat discombobulated. After my experience with Solan No. 1 (another blended Indian Whisky which combined Indian Grain Spirit with Scottish malt whisky) I had high hopes. My enthusiasm unfortunately was tempered, and mixing with ginger-ale turned out to be the spirit’s destiny.

You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.
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