Two decades ago, the concept of an Indian single malt whisky was virtually unheard of on the global stage. Today, in a remarkable turnaround, domestically produced single malts have surged past imported bottles in sales. The architect of this seismic shift is master distiller Surrinder Kumar, whose experiments, risks, and unwavering patience fundamentally reshaped the world's perception of Indian spirits.
From Glasgow's Pubs to Global Acclaim: The Birth of a Category
In 2002, a pivotal moment unfolded in Glasgow, Scotland. Rakshit Jagdale, an MBA student and son of Amrut Distilleries' chairman Neelakanta Rao Jagdale, was on a mission. He carried miniature samples of a single malt crafted thousands of miles away in Bengaluru. At the famed Pot Still bar, the manager declared the malt outstanding. In a blind tasting, enthusiasts mistook it for a mature Highland Scotch, aged 10-12 years. Their surprise was palpable upon learning its Indian origin.
This validation set the stage for a historic launch. In August 2004, Amrut Distilleries introduced the first Indian single malt in Glasgow. The journey from curiosity to category leader had begun. Fast forward to 2025, and sales of Indian single malts—including brands like Amrut, Indri, Paul John, Rampur, and Godawan—are estimated to have crossed 410,000 cases (till November), far ahead of bottled-in-origin imports at less than 250,000 cases.
The Master Distiller's Journey: From Sopore to Stills
Surrinder Kumar's path to becoming the "father of Indian single malt" was unconventional. Hailing from Sopore in Kashmir, he initially served as a gazetted officer in the state agriculture department after a degree in agriculture. Realizing it wasn't his calling, he pursued a master's at the Central Food Technology Research Institute in Mysuru.
A fateful piece of advice from Sharad Dravid, father of cricketer Rahul Dravid, steered him towards distilleries. After honing his skills in Meerut, Kumar joined the then-obscure Amrut Distilleries in Bengaluru in 1987 as a production superintendent. It was here, leveraging surplus malt stocks, that he began the experiments that would birth Amrut Classic. The breakthrough, however, required global recognition.
That came in 2010 when renowned critic Jim Murray rated Amrut Fusion the third finest whisky in the world in his Whisky Bible, praising its "mystical complexity" and declaring its Indian origin "irrelevant." This review catapulted the brand and the category into the international spotlight.
Scripting Another Success: The Indri Phenomenon
After 32 years at Amrut, Kumar moved to Piccadily Distilleries in Indri, Haryana, in 2019. Faced with a vast inventory of nearly 40,000 barrels of maturing malt, he embarked on a new experiment. Rather than adhering to a traditional distillery style, he pioneered a triple-wood maturation process. The spirit was aged in ex-bourbon, red wine, and sherry casks, creating a complex flavour profile for the brand Indri-Trini.
Launched in 2022, Indri-Trini became a sensation. By 2024, it was India's largest-selling single malt, commanding a 47% market share with sales of 170,000 cases. The brand's success, attributed to its quality, packaging, and competitive pricing (₹3,000-₹4,200 in North India), also triggered a massive rally in Piccadily Agro's stock, which soared from under ₹30 in early 2022 to nearly ₹570 by December 2025.
The Indian Advantage and a Lasting Legacy
Kumar emphasizes the unique character imparted by India's tropical climate, where whiskies mature faster, interacting intensely with the wood. The high "angel's share" (evaporation loss) and the wood's expansion and contraction create a distinct flavour profile impossible to replicate elsewhere. You cannot make an Amrut in Haryana or an Indri in Bengaluru, he notes, highlighting the importance of terroir.
Anant S. Iyer of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) states that Indian single malts now enjoy genuine consumer trust as products with their own identity, not mere substitutes. This credibility is underscored by global giants like Diageo launching Indian single malts like Godawan locally.
At 69, Surrinder Kumar, the soft-spoken pioneer, continues to experiment with new spirits at Piccadily. His legacy is a thriving industry that has not only captured the domestic market but has also firmly established India as a credible and celebrated whisky-producing origin on the world map.
