Indri is the latest single malt brand to emerge from India, and it’s wasted no time in garnering accolades and attention. Like so many other “overnight success stories”, the real story reveals that success is actually the result of years of effort and development, and not some sudden, lucky strike of lightning. Trini (fully styled as Trini The Three Wood) is the flagship offering from the Indri stable, and it’s a whisky worth your attention. Indri Trini’s credentials, as we’ll see in a moment, make for a worthy pedigree.
India, of course, is no stranger to whisky, and while much is made of the adulterated or molasses-based neutral spirit that is the backbone of Indian “whisky” per se, a small number of brands have made the decision to produce a quality, single malt whisky to the specifications and standards that the Scotch-drinking world recognises. Brands like Amrut, Paul John, and Rampur have paved the road beforehand, and now Indri has announced itself as another player in this space.
Indri’s parent company is Piccadily, which traces its origins back to 1953 when the founding family first entered the alcohol distribution business in Punjab. Piccadily was officially founded in 1967 and the company grew and diversified to incorporate interests in restaurants, film distribution, and hotels in the 1970’s and 80’s. The actual production of alcohol entered the picture in 1993 with the founding of a sugar mill and distillery in Patiala, followed by the establishment of a second sugar mill and distillery in Indri in 1994. In 2009, following government approval, Piccadily became the first company in India to distil spirit from sugar cane juice (as opposed to neutral spirit from fermented molasses), thus making a legitimate rum. And finally, in 2012, the Indri facility was upgraded and expanded to incorporate a new malt distillery.
Photos of the Indri distillery. (Courtesy of Piccadily). Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.
The Indri distillery is in the state of Haryana, right up in the north of the country, and roughly a three-and-a-half hour drive directly north of New Delhi. (In terms of latitude, Indri actually sits above Kathmandu, in neighbouring Nepal!) The geography and climate of the area brings some challenges for the maturation warehouses, where the temperature can range from 1o C in winter, to typical days of 40-46o C in summer. The malt, a six-row barley variety, is grown locally in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan, just slightly to the south-west.
Trini The Three Wood is notable for its cask make-up. As the name suggests, The Three Wood is comprised of spirit matured in three different casks, namely ex-bourbon, French red wine, and ex-pedro ximenez sherry casks, which is blended together to create the bottled spirit. Not surprisingly, such a combination has the potential to deliver a complex, multi-faceted whisky, and Trini indeed displays aromas and flavours that are characteristic of these casks’ provenance. Bottled at 46%, it is non-chillfiltered, and has no artificial colouring.
So with all that as background, Indri’s Trini looks good on paper. But how does it stack up in the glass? Whisky & Wisdom sat down with a generous pour on a Sunday afternoon and gave the whisky some critical assessment. Here are our thoughts….
Indri “Trini – The Three Wood”, NAS, 46% ABV.
Nose: There’s a lot to unpack here! Varied and diverse aromas fly out of the glass faster than you can process them. There’s stewed fruits (rhubarb?), trifle, sweet malt, leatherwood honey, hints of sweet sherry, and fruit toast initially. As the lighter volatiles blow off after a few minutes, there are strong caramel notes, particularly fudge or Scottish tablet.
Palate: The mouthfeel is velvety in nature, and the palate initially offers up cereal – particularly, oats/porridge with berry compote. Then red apple skins. The ABV sits comfortably at 46% and is well behaved and integrated. With time in the glass, things become more savoury as the whisky offers up some dried fruits, popcorn, and macadamias.
Finish: Sesame and ginger snaps emerge as the sweetness recedes. There’s a pleasing touch of oak that rounds out the finish, leaving the palate with a bittersweet footprint, somewhat akin to marzipan or almonds.
Comments: It would be interesting to know the composite ratio of the cask “recipe” here, although one suspects the French red wine casks are playing a strong hand, given the red fruits on display on both the nose and the palate. The nose is particularly complex; the palate is a bit more straightforward, but no less flavoursome. It’s a sweet and fruity dram but – importantly – the barley malt is never lost and the cereal keeps this grounded in familiar, comfortable, and appealing territory.
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Indri is gaining increasing distributorship and export markets around the world, and this follows the whisky’s success at numerous spirits competitions, including “Best Indian Single Malt” at the 2022 World Whiskies Awards. RRP is $80 (Australia), £45 (GBP), and US$60, which makes it an affordable single malt in anyone’s language. If you’re keen to explore the rapidly growing world of quality single malt whiskies produced outside of Scotland, Indri is certainly worth your time.
Cheers,
AD
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PS: You also might like our article, “The challenges of starting a new whisky brand“.
