Indri Trini - The Three Wood
Indian Single Malt | 46% ABV
Getting a seat at the cool kid’s table.
There’s a certain exhilaration that comes with being among the first to know something new and hip. When I was in high school – this was the mid 1980s, well before anything called the internet or cell phones had appeared – some buddies of mine lived in households with a new thing called cable television.
They all came to school and talked about new programs, movies, and music that were inaccessible to me. The cool kids knew the new lingo, new songs, etc. It wasn’t horrific, and I’m hardly scarred in any way, but I recognised I was usually one step behind on many cultural items. Fast forward many decades to my whisky life and we have a similar dynamic.
Immersing oneself in the amber liquid is a little more challenging in Connecticut than, say, Glasgow. We can (and do) read all about distilling, and the history of single malt whiskies. We educate ourselves about the myriad of labels and expressions, we astutely listen to whisky voices, and we avail ourselves of whatever whisky experiences we can, within reason.
However, living in Connecticut necessarily means that the vast majority of the new single malts being released are enjoyed by folks in the Glasgow area much more readily than we here across the pond. Most of these new single malts of interest come from Scotland, so it is natural that it takes distribution some time to spread the wealth to my corner of the world.
Sometimes it becomes a factor of years before we see those new expressions. Again, it isn’t horrific, and again, I’m hardly scarred, but it is ingrained in the reality of being a whisky enthusiast far away from Caledonia.
Yet, every now and again, the whisky Gods grace us with an invitation to sit at the cool kids’ table. To be “in” on a new and hot thing. And so it has been with the review I have here.
I read about this particular whisky in late 2022, and I recall that it sounded interesting. Subconsciously, I thought that I would see a bottle near me in 2024, and summarily filed it away in my creaky mental file cabinet and went on my way. Then, Indri Trini was spoken of by Aqvavitae during a vPub in January speaking of Whisky Predictions in 2023. My ears perked up, and looked forward to tasting this expression. My expectations sat, again, with an estimated time of arrival in 2024.
Since Roy’s uncorking on that vPub, I hadn’t seen many reviews of this bottle. Imagine my surprise when, during a trip to a liquor store, I saw this bottle sitting on the shelf. How did this get to my shores and my area before I heard chatter from Ralfy or the Scotch Test Dummies on this bottle? For starters, this isn’t a Scotch malt, so perhaps the distribution channels from India allowed for a better chance for me. However it came to me, it was a bit of good happenstance.
After I bought it in mid June, I gave it an uncorking and was happy with it. I put it back on the shelf, with all good intentions of coming back to it in short order. But, as we all know, life happens after you make plans. Due to some unexpected work issues, I was diverted from my whisky cabinet for some time. By the time I returned to it, I saw this bottle start to make wider rounds on WhiskyTube.
Nonetheless, I was satisfied that I had been at the cool kids’ table before those reviewers. Being on the ‘cutting edge’, for me, is pretty neat. Happy to be ahead of the curve, and I am glad to trumpet this rare occurrence, even if it’s a shallow one.
Ogilvie’s Review
Indri Trini, The Three Wood, Indian Single Malt, NCF, Natural Colour, Batch 02, March’22, 46% ABV
~£40 and available everywhere.
Nose
Caramel and honey. Over-ripe stone fruit. The PX sherry cask makes itself known. Almond butter. A hint of rum.
Palate
This is not a one-trick pony of a whisky palate. At first, I am reminded of the American candy Bit o’ Honey. The texture is rich and, while not oily or meaty, it is not thin. Flavours come from various places. That over-ripe fruit flavour is there as over-ripe apricots and nectarines. Raisins and dates. A nutty flavour (cashews?) is in the background (perhaps that Bit O’ Honey is lurking about…) A hint of latte comes to me. There is a very slight build of clove that blends with a cola-like note. It is a complex dram and one that is quite nice and interesting. I rather like this. It doesn’t blow my socks off, but it is an interesting sipper. No one is going to confuse this with a Scottish single malt, but it is worth your while as a very interesting and unique single malt.
The Dregs
Piccadily Distillers – the makers of Indri – are certainly on to something good. As I understand it, this is the first Indian whisky that is blended from three different types of casks. We have seen how a blend of three casks can make an interesting dram (Benriach and Balvenie come to mind), and this is equally interesting and compelling. The three casks used in this Indri are ex-bourbon, ex-French red wine, and ex-PX sherry. Each cask imparts flavours that are discernable and delicious.
In some ways this bottle has a bit of a Balcones vibe. It is non-chill filtered and no colour added, but is a non-age statement because the climate where this whisky is bottled and aged is of such temperatures that it yields in rapid maturation. This translates to a certain flavour profile that provides a good amount of depth.
Depth is a good word for this whisky. It delivers a depth of flavours that are compelling and work very well together. This is a strong proposition and I will be replacing this bottle when finished. And, it doesn’t hurt to have been on the forefront of things… for once.
Well done, Indri.
Score: 6/10
Earie’s Review
Indri Trini, The Three Wood, Indian Single Malt, NCF, Natural Colour, Batch 02, March ‘22, 46% ABV
~£40 and available everywhere.
Seemingly out of nowhere, this Indian distillery took me by surprise.
Sometimes, you sort of build your way into trying a certain whisky. Especially when you’re relatively new to the whole game, there are certain whiskies that you get to hear about, often in a glowing matter. Staples to many, but when first dipping the toe in the immense loch of malts, quite possibly still terra incognita.
These early stages of whisky discovery are a delight, as it seems there are pleasant surprises waiting to be discovered around every other corner. Whiskies you’ve only heard about, and are eager to try and decide for yourself if it’s worth the fuss.
But equally satisfying is getting granted a seat in the front rows of whisky discovery. When a new and thus far relatively unknown whisky suddenly appears, I really enjoy these moments where you’re able to share something new with your fellow enthusiasts. Letting them in on the secret might be overstating things a bit, but it comes pretty close. This Indian single malt is definitely one of those whiskies that grants you the opportunity to do just that.
Nose
Very rich and ‘busy’, with a nice depth to it: bags and bags of red fruit and tropical fruit with a hint of wine as well. A well working combo of mango, papaya, cherries and rich, red grapes with tropical wood and baking spices in the mix. All of this comes with a little ‘fizz’, and a gentle spicy sweetness of cola cubes. Over time a fresh herbaceous note shines through.
Palate
Again a rich and busy arrival, with a pleasant youthfulness to it. Heavier notes from Toffee, coffee and chocolate with spices, dried fruits (dates and raisins) and roasted nuts are countered by the fizzy and cola cube notes from the nose as well as lot of red fruit, Underneath there’s an oaky note, adding a bit of a drying bitterness to it all, making for a drying slightly oaky finish. The combo of wine and PX casks could easily have turned into a case of too much, but it’s well in tone and the spirit and the bourbon cask sort of balance out any potential overkill, making this a rich and busy, but very well integrated and very tasty dram, where spirit and cask get along ever so nicely.
The Dregs
I’m not gonna beat about the bush here; in terms of bang for buck whisky, I feel the Indri Trini is quite hard to beat.
I discovered this whisky somewhere last year when one of my go to stores put it on the shelves, retailing for less than €40. Truth be told, I was a bit sceptical at first, feeling it might well be yet another bottom shelf, budget expression and all the flaws that often come with it, but as the shopkeep assured me it was actually pretty solid, I decided it was well worth the punt for the price point. I am since on my third bottle and have gifted a few more to other whisky enthusiasts and none of them came complaining to me afterwards.
Having said that, I can see why it might not be to everyone’s liking, as it’s easily recognisable as a ‘tropical’ whisky. Even more so because of that gentle funky green note that I’ve come to associate with the use of six-row barley which can also be found in the likes of Amrut and other Indian single malts.
Depending on my mood, I’d say this hovers somewhere between 6/10 or 7/10, but calculating in the enjoyment that comes with finding a very good whisky for a very wallet-friendly price, this absolutely and easily merits a very good indeed.
Wally’s Review
Indri Trini, The Three Wood, Indian Single Malt, NCF, Natural Colour, Batch 03, Nov ‘22, 46% ABV
~£40 and available everywhere.
This is more than Indian single malt whisky. It’s an example for Scotch, Irish, English, American and many, many others.
That’s not to say it’s interchangeable with them, it certainly cannot be any of those categories of whisky, it can only ever be Indian. What it actually is, is a masterclass in how it should be done, and it’s infuriating that so many producers dance around with reasons not to do what is demonstrated here so powerfully. Let’s consider exactly what.
First, let’s recognise, as mentioned by my Dramface colleagues, there’s no age statement. Yet hopefully by now there’s a decent understanding that maturation in climates such as the Indian sub-continent isn’t comparable to Scotland, Ireland or the Northern Americas. Such is the level of evaporation during ageing, it’s unlikely there will ever be a 12 year old Indian Whisky.
With that dealt with, let’s move on to a quick summary of how startling this bottle actually is, and watch it destroy, blow-by-blow, most of your comparable bottles of scotch (or what-have-you) when it comes to potent transparency.
Batch number? Check, it’s on the back label and clearly printed, not etched in the glass or hidden in code. It’s malt whisky - a batch made product - it makes sense to include this for those who care.
Natural presentation? Check. It’s non-chill filtered and has no added colour and they tell us this on the website as well as the outer tube and - where it matters - on the bottle. Beauty.
Cask information? Check. They explain exactly what casks were used in the make up. In fact, it’s the whole point of this Three Wood edition; Ex-bourbon, ex-French red wine and ex-PX sherry. Perfect. All we need.
Avoidance of superfluous, generic marketer’s babble? Check. It talks about the six row barley, the specific shape of the pot still and other practical, interesting and relevant differentiators. Nothing more. Nailed it.
Decent ABV? Check, hand-in-hand with that non-chill filtration declaration we have a nice 46% ABV. In Limburg earlier this year I was able to try some higher ABV Indri single casks and can confirm that it’s really rather lovely at a higher strength too. I’d be first in line if they were made available here.
Value? Check. Very much so. I’ve bought many bottles of this. I’ve gifted it and I’ve quaffed it, the price makes me fall in love with it even more.
Dear every other producer; which of the above are actually difficult to achieve? Why do so few of you do this?
Control? Politics? Habit? Legacy? Tradition? Inertia? Arrogance? Could it be laziness? Because while you sleep, India is just one of the whisky-producing nations poised to snatch some of that low-hanging but largely ignored kudos-flavoured fruit from folk tired of being overcharged for releases that wilfully under deliver.
Nose
Inviting. Ripe tropical red and yellow fruits along with oak and sandalwood. A little wet earth and some crop harvesting going on, not cut hay, something greener maybe. Fragrant rosewater and lightly spiced jam, think strawberry with cardamom and black pepper. In the knowledge you’re nosing Indian whisky, you’ll find lots more spice, especially with a drop or two of water.
Palate
Soft and round arrival with a quick switch to a chilli prickle and bags of dense tropical, fruit. I’m now in papaya and mango territory, but yesterday it was pineapple and green banana. I’ll stop taking notes over multiple days, it’s too confusing and you don’t really read this bit anyway, do you? There’s a confectionary thread here too, Turkish delight and the gentle fizz of cola bottles and candied nuts. You can play with the kitchen spice rack once more; cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger and pepper. A decent medium-length finish with a sweet sherry syrup and hint of bitterness that will have you straight back in the glass again.
The Dregs
Owners Piccadilly have been particularly generous at doling out bottles of this to reviewers and influencers everywhere but, no judgement, know that all of the bottles reviewed here havebeen purchased by the writers themselves.
I took a lot of my nosing and tasting notes over a couple of nights, so they look lengthy, but don’t go thinking this is super-detailed and complex, just that there’s plenty to keep you interested. Likewise, it’s not a deep and profound glass of intensity either, but there is depth and full, rounded, richness. Also, despite what was mentioned above about being easy to recognise as a ‘tropical’ whisky, I get that, but, faced with a blind pour I beg to differ slightly. It can masquerade as scotch.
Being a devious sort who loves to sip blind and pour blind, I’ve yet to have a single person pick this out as Indian whisky and most have been guessing around that scotch landscape. The closest they’ve been is in the ability to detect some PX or wine cask influence. They do, however, remark on its tropical character, as Earie points out. But sipping blind is truly challenging and for many this may well pass as a very fruity, tropical, slightly funky scotch.
I’ve replaced a few of these and at every new purchase I’ve loved my time with each bottle and I‘ve been vocal about its proposition. While it would be true and honest to mention not everyone raves quite the way I do, I’ve yet to have anyone say “nah”, especially when I point out everything it does so well. It really is easy to love.
Currently, there are five bottles of scotch whisky unpurchased, by me alone, due to this bottle of single malt from Haryana. My pours are generous and my enjoyment without any tinges of anxiety. It’s widely available, enjoyable, affordable and really quite something to celebrate.
Over to you, Scotchland.
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