Rampur is a distillery in India, founded in 1943. The company is now called Radico Khaitan and it’s the fourth largest liquor company in the country. In the 1990s they had a joint venture with White & MacKay and they still have a partnership with Suntory. Like other distilleries, they have local production (whisky made from molasses) and export production (from grains).
This can’t be old, but as you know maturation is more intense in hot climates. The Rampur PX was matured in traditional American oak barrels and finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry butts. A limited release of 48 casks.
Rampur Pedro Ximénez Sherry Finish (45%, OB 2018)
Nose: quite a fragrant whisky, full of orange blossom and rose petals as well as fruity hints of lychee and pomegranate. Quite exotic, and not overdone. Fresh apricots, cinnamon pastry. Light peanut butter underneath. Also a spicy hint, almost incense. Light but a nice surprise.
Mouth: the fragrance is coming from active casks, obviously. So here you get the same light flavours of berries, apple and Turkish delight with a lot of vanilla, white pepper, clove and freshly sawn oak. More ‘plain’ flavours of malt too. Hints of Armagnac too.
Finish: a bit short, with oak spices and rummy notes (banana).
The first Rampur I’ve tried and I’ve had far worse introductions to distilleries. The exotic side works well with the delicate PX influence. I can’t find it on sale any more but you can buy a sample from TWE.
Score: 82/100