Tag Archives: Peated Whisky

Laphroaig Single Malt and Willem Dafoe Partner in Global Campaign

Laphroaig Islay single malt, has announced its global partnership with actor, Willem Dafoe. The first of its kind in the distillery’s history, the campaign includes a short film titled ‘The Taste’, global advertising, a bespoke cocktail creation and tease of a limited-edition whisky.

The collaboration marks the latest instalment in the brand’s ‘Unphorgettable’ campaign, which was launched in 2024 and celebrates the unmistakable flavour of this whisky.

‘The Taste’ brings to life Dafoe’s search to define Laphroaig’s taste —something he can’t quite put his finger on. It draws inspiration from components in Dafoe’s life and his thirst for immersing himself to get a taste of experiences, including the attempt, as a child, to get a sense of flying to space by remaining in a wardrobe for two days. With this individual and curious style, Dafoe seeks the words to describe the bold single malt, and recites humorous descriptions submitted by some of the whisky’s biggest fans —Friends of Laphroaig.

The film and full campaign will be shared globally across channels, with a focus on digital and paid social. This will be reinforced with out of home, print, PR and in-store promotions in key markets, including the US, UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Japan, Australia and Global Travel Retail.

Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Suntory Global Spirits, Scotch and Irish, said, “Willem Dafoe is bold, curious, and impossible to define, much like Laphroaig itself. His uncompromising dedication to craft mirrors our own approach to whisky making. He is the ideal partner to bring to life the intense, unmistakable, and truly ‘unphorgettable’ flavour of Laphroaig, and to celebrate those around the world with character as distinctive as his.”

Speaking on the inspiration behind the film, Dafoe said, “The first time I ever travelled overseas, I went to Scotland. I was a kid, and the first thing I thought when my feet touched down on the ground was, something feels familiar here. I feel at home. The land spoke to me, and it must be genetic because my grandmother was from Glasgow. ‘The Taste’ depicts that sort of familiarity that’s found when exploring Laphroaig. It’s the flavours and how they come together.”

Laphroaig has also enlisted award-winning mixologist, Meaghan Dorman, to create a cocktail, named ‘The Other Island’. It blends Laphroaig 10-Year-Old, fresh pineapple, lemon, spiced cinnamon syrup and Amaro Ciociaro, with a touch of prosecco, to create a smoky, tropical and gently spiced spritz, balancing Laphroaig’s familiar character with layered flavours. The cocktail will be available first to guests at The Barley Mow pub in Mayfair, London, being renamed ‘The Barley Dafoe’ for campaign launch, before appearing on menus in additional select bars worldwide.

This Dafoe partnership will also extend to a limited-edition product collaboration, set for release in 2026. Together with Sarah Dowling, Senior Whisky Maker for Laphroaig, Dafoe has developed a limited-edition, that is quietly maturing, steeped in the peat, smoke, salt and the surprising sweetness that infuses all Laphroaig whiskies.

Indri Agneya Whisky Review: Peated Indian Single Malt

Price & Availability

Coming back to Indri Agneya – it is produced at Piccadilly’s Indri distillery in Haryana and is priced at ₹3,800 for a 750 ml bottle, with an ABV of 46%. It is currently available in Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Daman, and Goa, with more states and select international markets joining soon.

The price ranges from Rs. 3,800 – Rs. 8,000 with the most expensive being in Maharashtra.

How It’s Made

The name “Agneya” comes from Sanskrit, meaning “belonging to fire,” a nod to its smoky character. This expression uses indigenous six-row barley and is matured in Sherry and Bourbon casks.

According to Master Blender Surrinder Kumar, this is one of the most refined single malts they’ve made to date. The barley is gently kilned over peat smoke, allowing smoke to enhance rather than dominate the spirit. This ensures the whisky stays balanced and doesn’t lean too heavily on smoky intensity — a common challenge with peated malts.

Packaging

Agneya comes in a bold black bottle that stands out from the Trini’s design. The label highlights that it’s non-chill filtered and has no added colour. It even mentions that the whisky might appear slightly cloudy in cooler climates, completely natural.

The whisky itself has a deep, dark brown hue and the bottle design, with its striking black cap, gives it a premium, confident look.

Nosing

Light smoke
Delicate chocolate & vanilla sweetness
Warm spice
Fruity flavour – possibly apple and apricot
Earthy peat dust

Tasting

Sweet profile, toffee nutty flavour with gentle spice
Warm wave of peat smoke
Long finish with bite of spice

Conclusion

How is Indri Agneya? At Rs. 3,800 it is Picadilly’s bold expression.

Peated whiskies are usually an acquired taste, but this one feels refined and inviting. If you’re a fan of Indri or curious about exploring peated malts without going full Islay-style, this is definitely worth trying. It’s a confident step forward in India’s single malt journey and one that whisky lovers will appreciate.

The MBA Thesis That Catapulted Indian Single Malt to the Global Stage

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The success story of Indian Single Malt (ISM) whisky in the global market place, pioneered by Bengaluru-based Amrut Distilleries, has been well documented. It is not only an interesting story, but also an inspiring one on how the Jagdales – father-son duo – the late Neelakanta Rao Jagdale and Rakshit Jagdale – hit upon the idea of making a breakthrough in the whisky landscape, dominated by Scotland.

Rakshit Jagdale, in a podcast ‘Expert Talk with Bhavya Desai’ recalls his student days at Newcastle University doing an intense one-year MBA programme. “It was a Sunday morning and I was strolling along Northumberland street, a busy shopping center in New Castle upon Tyne, when my father called up and asked what I was planning to do for my thesis. I said a theoretical project on supply chain management. He said ‘no, no… you should do a practical project’ and suggested ‘why don’t you check whether there is scope to sell Indian single malt whisky in Indian restaurants within Great Britain’ stating that Kingfisher and Cobra beers were quite popular in Indian restaurants there. My father asked me to check out whether there was demand for Indian single malt as an aperitif or a digestive. I said it’s a brilliant idea.”

Miniatures that captured the imagination

Neelakanta Rao Jagdale then sat down with the excise officials in Karnataka and had two cases of miniatures of single malt whisky sent over to New Castle. “It was in June when exams were going on. I went over to the Customs bond and duty paid and cleared one case. The packaging was very rudimentary with a black and white label with simple words ‘Amrut’. We knew our product was exceptionally good. The colour of the whisky was good, dark enough and natural. We don’t add any caramel, it is 100% natural. My father had sent 300 miniatures of 60 ml each in two boxes. It was a live project for the company. I did a lot of my survey in New Castle, Edinburgh in Scotland and in the Midlands. I visited several Indian restaurants and bars in Scotland and the response was amazing. Everybody liked it. Some said it’s a 10-year old whisky, some said its Irish, when I said it was Indian, it was a jaw dropping moment.”

On returning to India, Rakshit presented the project to the family board. “It took us two years to conform to the packaging standards of the European Union and on August 24, 2004, we launched Amrut in Café India in Glasgow. That is how the journey of Indian Single Malt whisky began.”

Making the Grade in Whisky Bible

Not to sit on these laurels, they set off on taking it to the world, creating Amrut Fusion which was next level to the Classic Indian Amrut. “Fusion is a completely different product. It is a combination of peated barley and unpeated barley, the former coming from Scotland and the unpeated from India. It is an 80:20 ratio. My father felt that as the Indian palate is accustomed to little bit of peat with Johnnie Walker Red Label and Black Label, they would like the combination. That was running in his mind.”

Explaining the process, Rakshit mentioned, “Fusion is matured for a longer period, five to five and a half years. The base malt, both peated and unpeated, is matured for four years and then we marry them and mature it again for nine months to one year, which gives it not only depth, but also complexity of flavours. When Jim Murray first savoured it in 2009 and found it unique and said there was no other product in the world that had this kind of combination. He loved Amrut and gave 97 of 100 in his Whisky Bible in 2010 and ranked it as the third finest whisky in the world.”

From humble beginnings in 1948 as a simple bottling company, Amrut is a name to reckon with. It moved on early into distillation and premiumisation and that has paid dividends. “We have reasonably come a long way. We have grown organically and we are happy with progress we have made.”

This is the third generation of the Jagdale family which is running the business, started by Radhakrishna Rao Jagdale in 1948. The fourth generation is getting ready and Rakshit mentions that ‘the time is right to discus with his son and niece to find out if they have any interest, prima facie, in carrying forward the rich legacy of my grandfather and father.”