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Beyond Scotland: world whiskies to explore

Single malts from India, Taiwan, England, Wales and Denmark, from Amrut, Kavalan, Cotswolds, Penderyn and Stauning, and the rules behind them.

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Some of the most interesting single malts now come from outside Scotland. For a start, try Indian single malt from Amrut, Paul John or Indri, Kavalan from Taiwan, Cotswolds from England, Penderyn from Wales or Stauning from Denmark. Each country sets its own rules, and climate changes how fast whisky matures, so compare the label rather than assume a national style.

What changes outside Scotland

Angels' share a year, by climate: the share of a cask lost to evaporation each year. In India it is 11% to 12% a year, about six times the Scottish rate. In Taiwan it is up to 15% a year. In Scotland it is about 2% a year.

Whiskipedia’s page on the angels’ share explains the evaporation.

India

Amrut Fusion (£49.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Single malt from Amrut near Bangalore, 50% ABV, made from Indian unpeated barley and peated barley from Scotland. Amrut was founded in 1948 and launched its single malt in the UK in 2004.

Paul John Brilliance (£42.50 at Master of Malt). Unpeated single malt from John Distilleries in Goa, 46% ABV, made from Indian barley and matured in ex-bourbon casks.

Indri Trini (£39.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Single malt from Piccadily Distilleries at Indri in Haryana, 46% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon, ex-French wine and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Piccadily says it is non-chill-filtered with no added colour.

Taiwan

Kavalan Concertmaster (currently unavailable). Single malt from Kavalan in Yilan County, Taiwan, finished in port casks, 40% ABV, in a 50cl bottle. The distillery, owned by King Car Group, first ran spirit in March 2006.

None of these bottles is in stock at the retailers we check right now.

England, Wales and Denmark

Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky (currently unavailable). English single malt, 46% ABV, from a distillery near Stourton in Warwickshire founded in 2014 by Daniel Szor. Cotswolds uses English barley and matures this whisky in ex-bourbon and red wine casks.

Penderyn Sherrywood (£43.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Welsh single malt, 46% ABV, from Penderyn at the foot of the Brecon Beacons. It is matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in sherry casks. Penderyn’s first whisky was released on 1 March 2004 and was made in a Faraday still, designed by Dr David Faraday, rather than a pair of Scottish-style pot stills.

Stauning Kaos Triple Malt (£66.40 at Tyndrum Whisky). Danish whisky from Stauning in West Jutland, 46% ABV, blended from three of the distillery’s own malts: malted rye, an unpeated single malt and a peated single malt. Stauning floor-malts its own local grain. Whiskipedia’s page on Danish whisky has the background.

More world whisky to compare

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

What is world whisky?
A shop and competition label for whisky made outside the traditional big producers: Scotland, Ireland, the USA, Canada and, often, Japan. Examples include Amrut and Paul John from India, Kavalan from Taiwan, Cotswolds from England, Penderyn from Wales and Stauning from Denmark. It is not a legal category.
Is world whisky the same as Scotch?
No. Scotch must be made and matured in Scotland for at least three years in oak casks, under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009. Other countries set their own rules: the Japanese industry standard requires at least three years’ maturation in wooden casks in Japan, and Indian and Taiwanese whiskies often mature faster in hot climates. See Whiskipedia on Scotch.
Which countries make whisky?
Many. Beyond Scotland, Ireland, the USA, Canada and Japan, whisky is made in England and Wales, India, Taiwan, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, France and Germany, among others. Single malt is made in most of them, for example by Amrut in India, Kavalan in Taiwan, Penderyn in Wales and Stauning in Denmark.
Why is some world whisky expensive?
Mostly scale and climate. Many world-whisky distilleries are young and small, so their costs are spread across fewer bottles. In hot climates the angels’ share is far higher: Whiskipedia gives 11% to 12% a year for India and up to 15% for Taiwan, against about 2% in Scotland. UK duty is charged per litre of pure alcohol whatever the country. See Why is old whisky expensive?.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.