Islay almost always dominates the conversation around peated whisky, and it is understandable. The island has built its reputation on iodine-heavy, medicinal, smoky drams, and for a lot of drinkers that is where peat begins and ends. But there is a growing amount of peated whisky being made outside Scotland that is worth your attention, including in India.
Indian whisky has grown enormously in recent years, and it is usually the rich, tropical fruit profiles that get the attention. The heat does most of that work, with casks losing around 10 to 12% a year to evaporation against roughly 2% in Scotland. Beyond the tropical side, though, India is now producing more peated whisky than it ever has.
The peat itself comes from Scotland, since India has no source of its own. What changes is the maturation. Whisky Advocate notes that phenols soften considerably in Indian conditions, so a malt kilned to 25 ppm tends to become gentler than the number suggests.The A-Z Of The World’s Best Whiskies, From Someone Who’s Tasted Over 3,000
Here are seven peated Indian whiskies to try if you love smoky Islay whisky.
Indri Agneya, 46%, £40 / $75 / ₹3,800
Agneya is the gentlest whisky on this list and a sensible place to start. It comes from Piccadily Distilleries in Karnal, Haryana, and is made from Indian six-row barley malted locally, then kilned to 25 ppm using peat imported from Scotland, according to Whisky Advocate. Maturation takes place in first-fill bourbon, Pedro Ximénez, and oloroso casks, which are married together rather than used as a sequence of finishes.
The smoke here is dusty and earthy with a faint medicinal edge, and underneath it you will find tropical fruits, ripe banana, toffee, and a light spice. It is bottled at 46%, non-chill filtered, with no added color, and it is widely available in the UK and across the US.
If you drink Caol Ila or Bowmore and want something in comparable territory with tropical fruit underneath, this is the one to try first. It won Double Gold at the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition. A favorite of mine.
Woodburns Contemporary Indian Whisky, 42.8%, $40 / ₹1,500
Made by Fullarton Distilleries in Candepar, Goa, it is a blended malt rather than a single malt, described by the producer as “an amalgamation of Indian malts, both peated and unpeated,” matured in charred oak casks. The charring is doing real work alongside the peated component.
You will find woodsmoke and dry oak tannin, a little tar and iodine, then honeyed barley, burnt toast and dark chocolate, and sesame. Difford’s Guide describes it as having “almost Islay-style woodsmoke,” and also notes the use of caramel coloring.
At 42.8% it is a light pour, but if the ashy, tarry side of Islay is what you enjoy, it is a fairly inexpensive way to find out whether Indian peat suits you.
Crazy Cock Dhua, 42.8%, ₹12,500
Dhua means smoke in Hindi, and it is the peated release from South Seas Distilleries, a family-run operation in Dahanu on the coast of Maharashtra. It is made from six-row North Indian barley and matured in first-fill bourbon and sherry casks.
The smoke is gentle and on the sweeter side, with raisin, dark chocolate, cinnamon, and orange citrus, with the sherry influence coming through clearly and a warm finish.
If the sherried, softer end of Islay appeals more than the medicinal end, this is closer to that territory. The catch is availability, since it is sold in India and through duty-free rather than in the UK or US, and ₹12,500 is a lot to ask for a mild peat.
Paul John Bold, 46%, £46.50 / $64
Bold is the most familiar bottle here for an Islay drinker, and it is well worth the money. It is made at the Paul John distillery in Goa, from Indian six-row barley peated to 25 ppm, and the peat comes directly from Islay. Maturation is in ex-bourbon American oak in an underground warehouse, with the distillery losing around 10 to 12% a year to the angels.
There is smoked mocha and burning fruitwood on the nose, then banana and honey, brown sugar, coffee, a touch of menthol and clove. The smoke is medium weight and sits on the sweeter, more maritime side.
If you drink Bowmore, this is the closest fit on the list, with a comparable weight of smoke and the same sweetness sitting underneath it. It took Double Gold at the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
GianChand Manshaa, 42.8%, ₹10,690
Manshaa is the first peated single malt from DeVANS Modern Breweries, which has been distilling in Jammu, in the Himalayan foothills, since 1961. It is made from Indian six-row barley with peat imported from Scotland, though the distillery has not published a ppm figure, and matures in a combination of American bourbon and oloroso casks.
This is the most medicinal whisky on the list and the one that holds its smoke longest. Underneath you will find citrus and spice, along with a mineral salinity, some sandalwood and honey, and a charcoal note toward the finish.
It has also collected a whole host of awards, including International Whisky of the Year and a Grand Gold at Meininger’s ISW 2025, where the judges described “long medicinal peat smoke, perfectly framed by citrus and spicy flavours.”
Although Manshaa has a gentler smoke, there is something Laphroaig-esque about this dram.
Availability is the limitation, as it is currently sold through Indian duty-free and select retail.
Epitome Reserve Peated Single Malt, 42.8%
Epitome Reserve is the hardest bottle here to get hold of and the least like anything from Scotland.
Diageo India released it in 2021 as the second Epitome Reserve edition, limited to 3,600 numbered bottles signed by master blender Mahesh Patil. Indian six-row barley travels from the Himalayan foothills to Goa, where it is distilled, peated with Islay peat, matured in American oak and then finished exclusively in Cabernet Sauvignon casks.
You will find mint, plum, mulberry and cherry alongside caramel and charred wood, with brine and white pepper around a smoke that sits on the sweeter side.
Nothing on Islay works quite this way, which is the appeal, though as a collector’s release from 2021 it is realistically an India-only proposition now.
Amrut Peated Cask Strength, 62.8%, £79.75 / $105
Amrut is the obvious endpoint if you came to this list from Ardbeg or Lagavulin. The distillery has been in Bengaluru since 1948, working at around 900 meters of altitude, and this expression is made entirely from peated Scottish barley rather than the Indian six-row used across most of the range. Maturation is in ex-bourbon casks with some new charred oak, and the whisky is bottled without chill filtration at full strength.
The peat here reads as charcoal and soot, with dark honey, banana, candied lemon peel, clove and licorice underneath, and an ashy finish that runs long. The standard 46% Peated is a softer whisky, and the extra strength is what gives this version its structure.
Amrut notes on the label that the strength varies between batches, so expect small differences between bottles.
Which One Should You Try?
None of these will replace the Islay bottle you already keep on the shelf, and none of them sets out to. What they offer is a different route to some of the same things, with tropical fruit and concentrated oak sitting where you would usually find brine and cold earth.
If you want the cheapest way to find out whether Indian peat suits you, Woodburns at $40 will tell you a lot for the money. Indri Agneya is the better introduction if you would rather start with the peat handled more carefully, and Paul John Bold is the strongest all-round buy here.
Anyone coming from the heavier end of Islay should go to the Amrut Peated Cask Strength, or to GianChand Manshaa if medicinal length is what you are after. Epitome Reserve is the most unusual of the seven, though Crazy Cock Dhua is easier to track down.
Have you tried any of these, or found other Indian peated whiskies worth recommending? Let us know in the comments.
Read the full article at 7 Peated Indian Whiskies for Islay Scotch Drinkers
