India’s Premium Single Malt market is buzzing with a new name: The GlenJourneys. A maiden venture of three-time National Award-winning actor Ajay Devgn with Cartel Bros. marks his entry into the spirits world. Cartel Bros. collaborated with Sanjay Dutt a couple of years ago to launch The Glenwalk, a scotch whisky brand aged in traditional oak casks. For The Glenjourneys, they have four unique offerings.
Under the GlenJourneys portfolio lies Pioneer Edition, a 21-year-old exclusive single malt Scotch whisky launched earlier this year, and Cask Series: Rum Cask, Sherry Cask and Bourbon Cask single malts. The Cask Series launch took place amidst pomp and glory, and Ajay unveiled the spirits along with co-founders and co-owners of Cartel Bros.: Mokksh Sani, Jitin Merani, Rohan Nihalani, and Manish Sani. Talking about how the venture started, Devgn says, “I was shooting in Scotland, and he (Mokksh) brought me some testers. We started discussing, choosing them, and the one we tried was fabulous, and that’s how it all began.”
Thoughtfully curated, The Glenjourneys, at the launch, was adorned with one-word associations like “Scotland”, “cherish”, “elegance” and more by the co-founders. When it came to the taste test, one could feel all that it is being touted as in each dram. India, a country of whisky-drinkers, loves its spirit, and in an overcrowded market like this, the founders envision capturing a 20 per cent market share within two years. A lofty aim, but given how receptive Indians have been towards The Glenwalk Scotch Whisky, it doesn’t seem like an unattainable feat. While the Pioneer Edition has only 600 bottles released worldwide, the Cask Series targets Maharashtra to have 10,000 cases by the end of the financial year. After the Mumbai-Maharashtra launch in October, they will foray into Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, and Chandigarh in November.
In the noughties, Amrut gave India its first single malt that globally shattered Indian whisky’s perceived image of being industrial. Soon, many distillers followed suit, and India now produces award-winning, premium single malts. While quick maturation due to the climate poses a challenge, Indian whisky-makers are choosing to shorten the oaking of the spirit to deliver bold flavours.
From the Scottish Highlands, premium single malt in the Cask Series is finished in Rum, Bourbon, and Sherry casks and has been curated specifically for Indian palates. Each cask lends its unique flavour profile to the malt. The Bourbon cask smells of vanilla oak on the nose with floral notes and has a fruity, deeper palate. The Rum cask is sweet-smelling, with an oaky flavour profile. The Sherry cask is more rounded, fruity, cinnamon-y and oaky on the palate. I preferred the Bourbon the most as it goes down smoothly.
Sonal Holland, India’s only Master of Wine, took all present on a tasting experience, expression by expression, and rounded off the session masterfully. While she couldn’t pick a favourite, how about you try and let us know which one you enjoy the most?
The Cask Series is priced at 6409/- per bottle in Mumbai and is available at premium retail outlets.
