Trust the Japanese to have excellent quality control. Nikka, the founder of Miyagikyo distillery, searched high and low for the ideal location for barrel ageing. The air has to be pure and high in humidity, much like the Cairngorms highland in Scotland. He did find such a place in Japan after three long years. It was the foothills of Miyagi prefecture, where he built the Miyagikyo distillery in 1969.

Miyagikyo distillery is one of the most advanced whisky facilities, yet it uses old Coffey stills from the 19th century—a Japanese trait that respects both progress and tradition. The Miyagikyo Single Malt is their entry whisky and honestly could be mistaken for a Speyside scotch. It is that smooth. Unlike the Scots, who use wheat, the Miyagikyo uses maize for malt, which offers a novel experience on the palate.

Before Nantou and Kavalan was the TTL (Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation) who bottled, imported, and sold whisky since 1947. The first TTL distillery opened in 1978, where they produced adapted specialty spirits and wines to suit the Asian taste buds. It was a hit, and whisky, in particular, saw a spike in popularity and demand. To quench the thirsty crowd, TTL made their first Single Malt whisky and released it under their Omar and Jade Supremacy labels.

Their Omar line shares the same sources of malted barley as those in Scotland. The malt is fermented and distilled in Nantou—TTL’s newest distillery, then aged in ex-bourbon casks that are imported directly from Kentucky, USA. We don’t know how old (or how young) this whisky is, but we do know that the tropical climate in Taiwan only makes whisky age faster. Whatever your guess is, it’s probably younger than it tastes.

Amrut puts India on the map. It's a Single Malt that can compete with some of the world’s best. It won two gold medals too. When it comes to Single Malt, Amrut is the real deal. It’s even lightly peated with 25% of that Indian barley sent to Scotland for peating. The remaining 75% stays unpeated and dried in India. No brownie points for guessing where the “Fusion” came from.

As for age, it’s “four and half years old”, aged in new oak and ex-bourbon casks. In truth, it has the quality of a 12 to 15 years old scotch. No joke. Studies proved that whisky matures three to four times much faster in warmer climates. If we do the math, the Amrut could be 16 years and older. It’s not all age and no substance either. Many Scotch lovers would kill to get their hands on that 50% ABV. Great job, India!