Two years ago, the Amrut 10yo Greedy Angels I tried was a fantastic demonstration about the difference about maturation and evaporation, the Angels’ Share, between countries and regions of the world. So I did some research to better understand how the Angels’ Share was working. How the type of warehouse, the oak the cask is made from and the climate all have an influence on the evaporation of the content of the cask. How some volume disappears over the years. Why usually the alcohol by volume drops in the whisky, but sometimes it’s rising. But I won’t write it again about the Angels’ Share, just go read what I wrote early last year, when I reviewed another Amrut 10yo Greedy Angels. Then in February when I kept the Angels’ Share part of the article to have a dedicated one in the ‘All about whisky’ category. But tonight, I’ll just review another victim of the angels, the Amrut 10yo Greedy Angels Peated Rum Finish.
Amrut 10-year-old Greedy Angels Peated Rum Finish
This Amrut Greedy Angels is the 4th release in a series that now counts a few, ranging from 8 to 12 years old, and including a few different finishes. The one I try here is a peated one, made from Scottish peated barley, and finished in an ex-rum cask before being bottled in October 2019. The outturn was 450 bottles at 57.1M ABV, obviously unchill filtered and without colouring. I don’t know what the initial price was (I’d say around 600€), but now you’ll need to say goodbye to about 800€ or more to get one.
Colour:
Old Amontillado
Nose:
Either the malt was lightly peated, or the peat really toned down with the years, maybe quicker than how it does for Islay whiskies for example, as the peat is quite subdued on the nose. However, the wood is intense, with aromas of toasted wholemeal bread, with salted butter and redcurrant jelly. The initial maturation may have been done in ex-bourbon American oak casks as there are notes of vanilla, butterscotch and hints of coconut shavings. There are also some sweet spices, giving a gentle kick to the nose. The alcohol is quite well hidden, I would have guessed low 50s had I tried it blind.
Reduction brings out a slightly more dark fruits and acidity but maybe also makes the peat more noticeable.
Palate:
Thick oily mouthfeel, with gentle peat, wood and stronger spices than on the nose. Ginger, chilli pepper and tabasco sauce play around notes making me think of the ex-bourbon Hampden single cask exclusive to Whisky Live Paris 2019. The wood is, like on the nose, quite present, while the peat is here earthy. Bitter notes of very dark chocolate and cocoa powder, ashes, smoked grapefruit and passion fruit and a bit of salinity.
Water gives more smoked chocolate and lowers the spices.
Finish:
Woody, with dark chocolate, lingering on and on for quite a long moment.
Comments:
I’m happy to have been able to try another and quite different Amrut 10yo Greedy Angels. Nose and palate are quite complex, but the peat is not that present to be honest. I’d say it was lightly peated, as the peat is very soft. Or, as it’s said that whisky matures quicker in India or Taiwan, it peat gets softer over the years, maybe it grows weaker more quickly than on Islay for example. Compared to the previous Amrut 10yo Greedy Angels I reviewed back in January 2020, the tropical fruits are here quite hidden, was it’s also more woody than the other. This is good whisky, no doubt, but I would definitely not pay 600 or even less 800€ for a bottle.
