BHAKTA Spirits Enters Emerging Indian Whisky Category

POULTNEY, VT — BHAKTA Spirits, the world’s preeminent House of Vintages, announced today the launch of its inaugural international whisky, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky (SRP $149). Synthesizing the brand’s vintage spirits vision with its mission of cross-cultural curation on a newly global scale, this luxury limited release—one of the first single vintage whiskies ever produced in India—stands as a testament to the nation’s arrival at the vanguard of craft spirits innovation.

It’s also an homage to the whisky-forward heritage of the brand’s founder, Raj Peter Bhakta. Half-Indian and half-Irish, Bhakta is a first-generation American entrepreneur who burst onto the craft spirits scene by trendspotting the imminent rise of rye—and then catalyzing the category’s climb through his iconic brand WhistlePig Whiskey. Just fifty years after his father had arrived in America as an Indian immigrant with only fifty dollars to his name, Bhakta had, from a broken-down dairy farm in a forgotten corner of Vermont, grown WhistlePig into a billion-dollar behemoth.

Against the backdrop of an only-in-America immigrant success story, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky symbolizes the convergence of an accomplished category-builder and three on-the-rise categories: Indian whisky, Armagnac, and single vintage spirits.

Born of Northern India’s grain-rich fields and copper pot distilled in the tropical landscapes of Goa, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky is one of the oldest ever produced in this historically whisky-crazed nation. After more than ten years of initial aging, this exquisite vintage voyaged halfway around the world to the BHAKTA-GRISWOLD Campus in Poultney, Vermont—the House of Vintage’s global headquarters on the campus of the former Green Mountain College, which the brand acquired in 2020 and has since revitalized as the nucleus of its oldest-in-the-world spirits collection.

There, in BHAKTA-GRISWOLD’s reimagined college library, Founder Raj Peter Bhakta and Master Blender Peter Lynch shepherded this superlative single malt through an additional 131 days of finishing in French oak casks of the House of Vintage’s acclaimed BHAKTA 1982 Armagnac. Offered at a cask strength of 113.8 proof, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky tells an inspiring tale of heritage and tradition, capturing time in a bottle at a level of complexity and specificity quite unlike any other single malt available today.

It’s also emblematic of single malt’s sudden rise to prominence in India, the world’s largest whisky market—and one which has been, until recently, inextricably linked to imported Scotch. The Indian whisky category emerged in its own right some eighty years ago; once overlooked, it has grown in breadth, depth, and quality over the last decades as domestic production has coalesced into a robust category with a well-defined identity. Since 2004, Indian single malt distilled of 100% 6-row malted barley has been seen as the category’s calling card, regularly beating out more well-known, pedigreed peers on the world awards circuit.

Seeking to champion India’s growing whisky revolution, BHAKTA turned to Craig Henriques of Goa-based Ocean King Distillers; together, they unearthed some of the nation’s oldest single malt ever made. Double distilled in 2012 on copper pot stills from the finest 100% 6-row malted barley grown in the rich soils of Northern India, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky aged for over a decade in non-climate controlled rickhouses—in a fiercely tropical environment that regularly sees an angel’s share of 8-9%. The result is a whisky of true intensity whose complexity and depth belie an already impressive age statement.

“BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky offers a sensory journey like no other,” says Master Blender Peter Lynch. “A visual delight in the glass, this topaz-hued single malt shows cardamom, cacao, and tropical fruits on the nose. On the palate, it unfolds with a malty, delicate sweetness showing roasted chestnut, toasted oak, and peat smoke. The finish is long and insanely vibrant. This is whisky you won’t soon forget—and one that has without question won its place in our House of Vintages.”

BHAKTA’s House of Vintages is the product of Founder Raj Peter Bhakta’s pioneering mission to discover, curate, finish, and release the most exquisite spirits yet found on earth. To date, the entrepreneur’s endless adventure has seen the brand offer vintage Armagnac of ancient provenance, astoundingly aged Jamaican rum, boundary-breaking blends of brandy and rye, and some of the finest single vintage bourbons and rye whiskeys born of America’s heartland. The collection’s latest entrant, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky, represents the first edition of a new series that will see the brand offer curated single vintage Indian whiskies on an annual basis.

“Indian whiskies are virtually unknown to the mainstream of the American whiskey-drinking public,” says Bhakta. “But this is a stunning and sublime example of what Indian whisky can be. India has a tremendously rich distilling tradition—and you're simply going to get more flavor out of Indian whisky than you'll get out of a Scotch single malt, which is unsurprising. Consider it like comparing, flavor-wise, fish and chips versus chicken tikka masala.”

Symbolizing a full-circle moment for the Vermont-based House of Vintages, BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt Whisky connects a compelling story of personal heritage with a global vision of industry innovation as the Indian single malt category emerges into a brave new world of exquisite vintage spirits.

About BHAKTA 2012 Indian Single Malt (SRP $150)

• Aged 10 Years, 4 months
• 131 day BHAKTA 1982 Armagnac Cask finish
• Cask strength 113.8 proof | 56.9% ABV
• 100% Six-row North Indian Malted Barley
• Limited release of 1000 cases

Tasting Notes

• Aspect: Topaz
• Nose: Cardamom and cacao, with fresh sourdough, tropical fruits, and a hint of smoke 
• Palate: A malty, delicate sweetness gives way to roasted chestnut, toasted oak, and peat smoke, with honeyed floral notes  
• Finish: Lengthy and bright, with marmalade and a touch of smoke/peat

About BHAKTA Spirits

BHAKTA Spirits is the world’s preeminent House of Vintages. Founded by visionary entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta — also the founder of WhistlePig Whiskey — BHAKTA offers a luxury craft spirits portfolio of limited-release Single Vintage whiskeys, brandies, rums, and more, anchored by its ancient and awe-inspiring Armagnac holdings dating back to 1868. An innovator in the experiential hospitality space on a quest to help guests “Find Their Spirit,” BHAKTA’s destinations include historic properties in France, Vermont, and Florida. BHAKTA Spirits is headquartered on its BHAKTA-GRISWOLD Campus in Poultney, VT, the former site of Green Mountain College.