DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 4 September 2026

By Murray

Amrut Kranthi: Indian Single Malts Take Another Shot at the US

Amrut Distilleries has launched Amrut Kranthi, a non-chill filtered single malt at 40% ABV, across the US through importer PM Spirits at $39.99. The name means "revolution" in Hindi. The Bengaluru-based distiller positions it within India's growing single malt category — nearly 700,000 cases and an estimated $105 million in annual value. Tasting notes describe tropical fruit, floral nuances, and pomelo on the nose, with a "vibrant and fruit-driven" palate, gentle tannins, creamy vanilla, and a "clean and refreshing" finish. Managing director Rakshit N. Jagdale called the launch "a tribute to my beloved father, Mr. Neelkanth Rao Jagdale, whose vision, courage, and pioneering spirit laid the foundation for India's single malt journey." Amrut was founded in 1948 and gained global recognition in 2009 when Amrut Fusion was named the third-best whisky in the world. Kranthi is the first non-chill filtered single malt produced in India.

Murray's take: Forty dollars, 40% ABV, non-chill filtered, from the distillery that put Indian single malt on the map. Amrut is not asking permission. The category went from zero to 700,000 cases in under two decades, and Kranthi is priced to sit on the same shelf as entry-level Scotch and win on character, not heritage. At $40, it removes the price argument. Whether American drinkers will reach past the familiar bottle for one that says "revolution" in Hindi is the open bet.

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Filliers Goes Japanese: Belgian Whisky Finished in Mizunara Oak

Belgian family-owned distillery Filliers has unveiled Master Distiller Mizunara Oak Finish, a single cask expression limited to 393 bottles worldwide. Crafted by master distiller Pedro Saez Del Burgo, the whisky was distilled in February 2019 using 100% Belgian malted barley from regenerative agriculture. It spent five years in a first-fill ex-Bourbon cask, then two more in a Japanese mizunara oak cask — a wood known for being porous, scarce, and notoriously difficult to coax into stable casks. Bottled at 45.1% ABV, the release offers aromas of coconut, honey, sandalwood, red apple, dark chocolate, and ripe apricot. The palate is creamy with coconut, vanilla, ripe apricot, and tropical fruit, finishing long with grapefruit and a subtle cedar note. Del Burgo said: "With this whisky, we bring two worlds of whisky together. Thanks to mizunara, the classic structure of Bourbon maturation takes on a surprisingly elegant, modern and exotic touch." The release is available now at the distillery, with a small quantity at Brussels Airport and local retailers. The Filliers webshop stocks it from October.

Murray's take: Belgian barley, American oak, Japanese oak, 393 bottles. That is an interesting cask journey — five years in Bourbon, two in mizunara, single cask, 45.1%. Mizunara is the wood everyone wants and almost nobody can afford — the trees take 200-plus years to grow and the casks leak. Filliers is not doing a three-month finish and calling it Japanese. Two years is a real commitment, and the notes — sandalwood, coconut, grapefruit — are textbook mizunara. At 393 bottles, this will disappear fast. The Brussels Airport listing makes it a travel retail play.

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Woodford Reserve Super Seasoned Oak: Seven Years in the Weather

Woodford Reserve has released Super Seasoned Oak, the 2026 Master's Collection and the 22nd bottling in the experimental series. Created under master distiller Elizabeth McCall, the expression uses barrels crafted from staves weathered outdoors for five to seven years — compared to the six-to-nine-month seasoning typical in standard bourbon production. The extended weathering reduces harsh tannins, opens the wood grain, and concentrates sugars. Tasting notes describe caramel, vanilla, almond, cherry, and cinnamon-dusted dried red apples on the nose, with a palate of vanilla, caramel, orange oils, cinnamon, and clove, finishing "sweet with warm cinnamon." Super Seasoned Oak retails at $179.99 for 700ml. The Master's Collection launched in 2005 and has explored barrel finishes, grain recipes, and maturation techniques. McCall succeeded Chris Morris as master distiller in 2021. Woodford Reserve is owned by Brown-Forman and produced at its Versailles, Kentucky distillery, a National Historic Landmark.

Murray's take: Seven years of weathering barrel staves before you fill them is not normal. Standard bourbon seasoning is six to nine months. Five to seven years outside means the staves have been rained on, sun-baked, frozen, and thawed before a drop of spirit touches them. At $180, this sits in the premium-experimental tier where Woodford's Master's Collection lives. McCall has kept the series interesting since taking over from Morris. Whether weathered oak tastes different enough to justify the premium is the buyer's call. Based on the notes — cinnamon, clove, orange oils — it should.

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Whisky Live Paris Returns: 70 Years of La Maison du Whisky

Whisky Live Paris returns to the Grande Halle de la Villette from 26 to 28 September 2026 for its 22nd edition, organised by La Maison du Whisky (LMDW). The event marks a double anniversary: LMDW's 70th year and the 10th anniversary of Cocktail Street. The show drew 24,500 visitors in 2025 across themed zones — Plateau Degustation, France Pavilion, Rhum Gallery, Sake District, Gin Lane, TAG Village, and a redesigned VIP area. The Plateau Degustation charts a route between Scottish and Japanese icons. The France Pavilion hosts the largest gathering of French-made whiskies and spirits. To celebrate the 70th anniversary, LMDW introduces Anthology Masterclasses — VIP-only sessions featuring rare and vintage bottlings alongside industry figures. A dedicated VIP space marks 200 years of Old Pulteney distillery. The event also previews Les Anthologistes, LMDW's new annual spirits collection. The French Drinks Awards reveal their best French spirits list on 25 September. Public access runs 1:30pm to 7:00pm on 26 and 27 September, with VIP entry from 12:30pm. Trade professionals attend 28 September from 10:00am to 6:00pm.

Murray's take: 24,500 people paying to taste whisky in a converted Parisian abattoir. That is one of the largest whisky gatherings in continental Europe, and it has grown because LMDW treats it as a festival, not a trade show. The 70th anniversary gives the programming weight: Anthology Masterclasses with rare bottlings, a dedicated Old Pulteney 200th space, the French Drinks Awards the night before. The France Pavilion is the quiet story — French whisky has moved from curiosity to credible category. If you are within a train ride of Paris in late September, this is the one to attend.

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Black Velvet and the 50% Tariff: A Lethbridge Distillery in the Crossfire

The Black Velvet Distilling Company in Lethbridge, Alberta, is facing what its vice-president calls "unsettling turbulence" as the latest round of Canada-US tariffs takes hold. The US imposed a 50% tariff on Canadian exports including alcohol on 22 August, after negotiations collapsed. Canada has announced dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of US goods, effective 8 September. Black Velvet, owned by Kentucky-based Heaven Hill Brands, produces roughly 10 million litres of whisky per year at the Lethbridge facility. The spirit is bottled in the US, and 95% of the Lethbridge-produced alcohol is sold south of the border. Vice-president Claude Bilodeau said the tariffs are "definitely going to negatively affect us in the short term," adding that "in the long run we don't know what's going to happen." Asked whether tariffs could stop Heaven Hill from making whisky in Lethbridge, Bilodeau replied the company has "no idea what the future holds." By late October, Bilodeau hopes a small bottling line will be added to the Lethbridge distillery to serve the Canadian market directly. Black Velvet has been produced at the Lethbridge distillery since 1973.

Murray's take: Ten million litres a year, 95% sold in the US, hit with a 50% tariff on the way across the border. Black Velvet is not a craft distillery — it is a workhorse Canadian whisky brand flowing from Lethbridge for over 50 years, built around shipping bulk spirit south for bottling. The counter-tariffs from Canada on 8 September will hit Heaven Hill's products coming back north. Bilodeau's plan to add a bottling line in Lethbridge by October is the right structural response — it cuts the cross-border loop for Canadian sales — but it is a fraction of the volume. Whether Heaven Hill keeps distilling in Alberta at all if the tariffs persist is the one that matters. "No idea what the future holds" is not reassuring from a general manager.

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