Review #846 - Amrut Aatma Ex-Sauternes Single Cask
The Aatma Single Cask Collector Series from Amrut is a collection of single malts produced in small quantities, with each single cask bottling focusing on a different type of cask. We’ve previously looked at one example that spent time aging in virgin Swedish oak; this time, we have one that was aged in a Sauternes wine cask. This sweet fortified white wine from France generally adds bright, sweet, floral notes such as honey, orchard fruit, and flowers.
This single cask uses unpeated single malt distillate, which was filled into the cask in February of 2017; there’s no obvious age statement on the bottle, but they do disclose that this was bottled in August of 2022, so we can impute an age of 5 years. That’s relatively young, but considering the hot maturation climate in India, this likely saw some strong wood interaction in those 5 years.
Like the other Aatma bottlings, this single malt was bottled at a strength of 56.5% ABV, and 240 bottles from this cask made their way to the US market.
Amrut Aatma Ex-Sauternes Single Cask
India - Single Malt
Price: USD 160 (2026)
Age Statement: 5 Years
Strength: 56.5% ABV
Cask Makeup: Sauternes wine cask
Details: Distilled February 2017, bottled August 2022; cask 8039; 240 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 3 months; bottles at 90% and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Lots of orchard fruits: apples, oranges, then some red grape and strong nectarine. Cardamom and a hint of dusty grain build, and we get some chocolatey malt; orange wine, citrus, and a soft savory Cognac note come in as well.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick. Strong orange notes, apples and cinnamon, and brown sugar dominate up front. It's nicely warming, and the wine influence builds, bringing stone fruit like nectarine or tangerine. Cocoa powder lingers on a later taste.
Finish: Cinnamon and nutmeg, honey and oats, a bit of sweet and sour nectarine and juicy orange. It's still nice and warming with that strength, and there's a fizzy sensation in the aftertaste.
Final Note: This is a nice single malt from Amrut with punchy fruit flavors and a decent amount of baking spice. The Sauternes influence shows in those orchard fruits and the honey notes, but we also enjoyed how there was a bit of a stone fruit element that we often find in the distillate from Amrut. It was a bit grain-forward at times, but it leans sweet overall.
Value is below average since this sort of bottle is quite expensive. These single casks in the Aatma collection seem to run around $150 to $160 in our area, which is quite an ask for a 5 year old whisky. It's very good whisky, but we think there are better values in the Amrut range.
Our Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.53
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
