Rare Indian Whisky | Ambrosia India

Godawan Artisanal Indian Single Malt Whisky has been awarded Gold Medals for both its expressions, Godawan 01 Rich & Rounded and Godawan 02 Fruit & Spice, at the 2025 Monde Selection Quality Awards. This dual recognition further cements Godawan’s position as India’s most awarded single malt in recent times, with over 90 national and international accolades to date.

Unlike standard blind-tasting formats, Monde Selection adopts a comprehensive evaluation process, assessing each spirit not only for flavour and aroma, but also for authenticity, craftsmanship and purpose. This makes Godawan’s continuing wins at Monde Selection even more meaningful, affirming that Indian whiskies are not only on par with the world’s best, but also bring a unique identity to the global stage.

Crafted in the heart of Rajasthan, Godawan is India’s premium artisanal single malt whisky with a distinct story, one rooted in place and purpose. Named after the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, locally known as Godawan, the brand represents mindful luxury and a profound respect for craft and conservation. Distilled in the arid climate of Alwar, Rajasthan, Godawan undergoes a unique ageing process shaped by the desert’s intense heat, which accelerates maturation and yields a richer, more full-bodied spirit. Using locally sourced six-row barley and a selective cask finishing process infused with Indian botanicals, each expression delivers layered complexity and refined character, resonating with both seasoned connoisseurs and curious new consumers. More than just a premium whisky, Godawan is backed by a strong commitment to sustainability, contributing to water conservation and ecological restoration initiatives across Rajasthan through Diageo India’s broader CSR efforts.

“As India’s most awarded single malt whisky, receiving consistent recognition from platforms like Monde Selection is a tremendous honour. This growing global momentum reaffirms our belief that India is not only crafting world-class whisky, but doing so with a distinctive identity, rooted in provenance, craft, and purpose. Year after year, we remain committed to upholding quality and consistency that resonates across cultures & continents,” says Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer, Diageo India.

Building on this momentum, the brand has recently launched its latest Travel Retail Edition, now available on select duty-free shelves in Bangalore and Dubai.

Rakshit Jagdale, the Managing Director of Amrut Distilleries in a podcast conversation with Bhavya Desai talks about how the 75-year-old company has evolved over the years, starting from heritage brands such as Amrut XXX rum and Silver Cup brandy in the 1950s to the Amrut Single Malt and now to a limited edition of the oldest whisky from the sub-continent – The Expedition.

On February 26, 2025, Bengaluru-based Amrut Distilleries reached yet another highpoint in the alcobev sector when it launched The Expedition, the oldest single malt whisky in India, matured for 15 years, and sold for 12,000 USD (₹10.50 lakhs) per bottle. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, Amrut Distilleries released 75 bottles of this rare whisky, 66 of it for the international market and the rest for the Indian market.

Matured for 15 years

The Expedition is matured for 15 years, initially in European Sherry casks for 8 years and then American Bourbon casks for 7 years, developing deep, opulent flavours, complexity and depth. Amrut’s Expedition packaging exudes the grandeur of a royal heirloom. The merging of metal and wood took six months. Each handcrafted box houses an individually engraved and numbered bottle, featuring a diamond-cut design with intricate gold engravings. A regal silver peg measure, crafted by a Bangalore silversmith, has been embedded with a near-field communication (NFC) tag and authentication card.

Globalisation and the Market

Not just The Expedition, the international market for Amrut has been the US, followed by Europe and the APAC region, the last one is fast growing for single malt whiskies. “It has been a very exciting time for us in the industry now. We should see how it will unfold,” Rakshit said and mentioned how the markets opened up in India in 1990-91 with globalisation. “Seagram’s came with advertising blitzkrieg for Royal Stag, something which we had not seen. People started shifting from drinking heavier blended whiskies like MaQintosh or Peter Scot or Royal Challenge into drinking lighter whiskies like Royal Stag. At Amrut, we did not stop distilling, we kept on maturing our malts.”

Lighter Whiskies

It was around 1995-96 that Amrut cut down using heavier malts in MaQintosh from 35% to 10% to 8%. “It was then we thought why not go for single malt whisky, why not explore.” The first batch was matured for four years average and now the company is using a larger percentage of older whiskies. “We don’t have that much of quantity, we run out of supply,” confesses Rakshit.

Denying that the company created a demand to jack up prices and make it luxury, Rakshit said, “We didn’t have enough whisky, even now it is the case, but we do come up with special edition whiskies. Who wouldn’t want to sell more of their product.”

Technologies at play

Talking about how the company has evolved over the years, Rakshit said, “Techniques have evolved and barleys have improved from two row to six row. The yeast varietals have undergone massive change. Distillation technologies have also improved. The world over, the yield per ton of malt spirit has improved significantly now. Earlier, we were probably touching around 350 to 360 alcoholic litres per tonne, we are now hitting close to 400 alcoholic litres per tonne. With Scottish malts it’s even higher going up to 415 to 425 litres per tonne.”

On location advantage, Rakshit said Bangalore at an altitude of 950 metres above sea level has significant advantage with relative humidity remaining high in summer and dropping significantly in winter. “We lose angel’s share in our warehouses at an average of 9% every year. Probably it doesn’t happen anywhere else, may be in Kentucky. We lose more water than alcohol. If you go down anywhere near the coast or if you mature in Scotland, it is the other way around, because in Scotland’s cooler clime, the angel’s share is 2% per year, but they lose more alcohol than water, with the strength dropping. Humidity and altitude play a very significant role for us.”

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Godawan Artisanal Indian Single Malt wins Double Gold at Monde Selection 2025