Indri whisky is an Indian single malt from Piccadily Distilleries, made in the village of Indri in Haryana, near the foothills of the Himalayas. Launched in 2022, it has risen fast to become the number one malt whisky in India by volume, helped by a master blender, Surrinder Kumar, who built Amrut’s single malt programme before joining. The northern climate of fierce summers and cold winters drives quick, deep maturation. The range spans the triple-wood Trini, the cask-strength Dru at 57.2%, the peated Agneya, and a sought-after annual Diwali Collector’s Edition. Trini won Best in Show at the 2023 Whiskies of the World Awards. Start with Trini.
Who is Indri?
Indri is the single malt arm of Piccadily Distilleries, founded by Siddhartha Sharma and listed in India as Piccadily Agro Industries. The group spent close to two decades making molasses-based spirits before turning to malt, and it is now the largest independent producer of malt spirit in the country.
The malt distillery was set up in 2012 in the village of Indri, in Haryana, near the Yamuna basin and the foothills of the Himalayas. It runs six copper pot stills designed and built in India, holds around 40,000 barrels, operates its own cooperage, and generates its own power without fossil fuels. The brand itself debuted in 2022, and by IWSR’s 2024 data it had become the best-selling malt whisky in India by volume, a remarkable climb in barely two years.
The whisky is overseen by an unusual pairing: master distiller Graeme Hamilton Bowie, a Scotch industry veteran of nearly four decades, and master blender Surrinder Kumar, the most decorated figure in Indian whisky. Kumar spent much of his career building Amrut’s single malt programme before joining Piccadily to create Indri, which is part of why the brand arrived fully formed rather than finding its feet in public. The name comes from the Sanskrit Indriya, meaning the five senses, which is a fitting label for a distillery this expressive.
Why Indri tastes the way it does
Indri sits roughly 1,500 miles north of Goa, and its climate is the opposite of the tropical south. Summers in Haryana can hit 50°C and winters drop close to freezing, and that wide swing is the engine of the whisky. The wood expands and contracts hard across the year, pulling the spirit deep into the cask and producing richer texture and bolder flavour than the age would suggest.
This northern microclimate is what distinguishes Indri from the coastal producers. Where Goa gives constant humidity, Haryana gives extremes, and the result leans toward orchard and dried fruit, integrated oak and warming spice rather than the wetter tropical sweetness of the south.
The barley is indigenous six-row grain, hand-harvested by family farmers in Bundi, Rajasthan, who have grown it for four generations. The spirit is twice distilled in copper pot stills, and across the range the whiskies are non-chill-filtered with no added colour.
The Indri range
What makes Indri interesting is how far it stretches. The core expression, Trini, is the triple-wood everyday bottling. From there the range fans out in three very different directions: up in strength with Dru, into smoke with Agneya, and into limited prestige with the annual Diwali Collector’s Edition.
Trini, “The Three Wood”, is matured simultaneously in ex-bourbon, ex-French wine and PX sherry casks, the first triple cask Indian single malt, bottled at 46%. Dru is the cask-strength expression, aged entirely in ex-bourbon and bottled at 57.2%. Agneya, whose name means “belonging to fire”, is the distillery’s first peated whisky. And the Diwali Collector’s Edition is the annual showpiece, a small-batch release with a different cask each year, individually numbered and built for collectors.
What we make of Indri
What stands out about Indri is the range. Few distilleries this young move so confidently from an easy-drinking everyday malt to full cask strength to peat, and tasting across the line-up is the best way to understand the brand.
| Expression | Style | Casks | ABV | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trini | Everyday, triple wood | Ex-bourbon, ex-French wine, PX sherry | 46% | Orchard and tropical fruit, dried fruit, baking spice |
| Dru | Cask strength | Ex-bourbon | 57.2% | Mixed fruit, vanilla, charred pineapple, wood lactones |
| Diwali Collector’s Edition 2025 | Limited, prestige | Marsala wine cask | 58.5% | Stewed apricot, red berries, chocolate, nutmeg, walnut |
| Agneya | Peated | Ex-bourbon, PX sherry | 46% | Green apple, sultana, gentle smoke, baking spice |
Trini is the one that sets the house style: tropical and orchard fruit with enough oak and spice to keep it serious. Dru takes that same DNA and turns it up, all the fruit and confection of Trini but with the volume and weight of 57.2% behind it. The Diwali Collector’s Edition 2025 goes somewhere else entirely, finished in Sicilian Marsala wine casks for a deep, mahogany-coloured dram of stewed stone fruit, red berries and walnut. And Agneya brings smoke into the picture, a lightly peated whisky that shows India can do peat with its own accent, green apple and sultana underneath a gentle, sherried smoke.
Seen together, that is a distillery that refuses to be one thing. From the everyday Trini to the full-power Dru to a properly peated Indian single malt, Indri covers more ground than most producers manage in a decade, and it has done it in under five years.
Indri Trini: the one to start with
Trini is the natural entry point, widely available and the clearest expression of the house style.
Indri Trini tasting note
Nose: orchard fruit, sultana, baking spice, light oak Palate: apple and pear, dried-fruit sweetness from the PX, French oak structure Finish: medium to long, spiced and warming ABV: 46% | Cask type: ex-bourbon, ex-French wine, PX sherry | Price: approx. £55 to £65
From there, Dru rewards anyone who wants the same profile at full strength, Agneya is the move if you want smoke, and the Diwali Collector’s Edition is the one to chase if you collect.
What is new at Indri
Indri has had a strong run of recognition. Agneya, its first peated release, took a Double Gold at the ADI competition in 2026 and a Gold at the World Whiskies Awards the same year, a notable result for a debut peated whisky. The Diwali Collector’s Edition 2025 Marsala Cask, bottled at 58.5% and limited to 180 numbered bottles in the UK, was named Best World Whisky at the Las Vegas Global Spirits Awards with a near-perfect score.
That momentum tracks with the brand’s commercial rise. In barely four years Indri has gone from launch to the top of the Indian malt market by volume, and its export push shows no sign of slowing.
Price and where to buy Indri
Trini, the entry point, costs around £55 to £65 for a 70cl bottle. Dru, the cask-strength expression, tends to sit a little higher, and Agneya lands in a similar bracket. The Diwali Collector’s Edition is the outlier, a limited release with a UK RRP around £250, and the rarer numbered bottles climb above that on the secondary market. Prices vary between markets because of local taxes and duty.
In the UK, The Whisky Exchange, Master of Malt and House of Malt all carry the range. Indri is increasingly available across Europe and the US as the brand expands, and most specialist retailers ship internationally.
Is Indri worth it?
Yes. Trini alone would justify the attention, a triple-wood malt that drinks well above its price, but it is the breadth that makes Indri compelling. Start with Trini, move to Dru if you want it at full strength, try Agneya for a genuinely good Indian take on peat, and watch the Diwali release each year if you collect.
For a distillery that did not exist as a brand five years ago to be making whisky this varied and this accomplished says a lot about where Indian single malt is heading. Indri is not the pioneer, that is Amrut, but it may be the clearest sign of how fast the category is now moving.
Frequently asked questions
What is Indri whisky? Indri is an Indian single malt whisky made by Piccadily Distilleries in the village of Indri, Haryana, near the Himalayan foothills. Launched as a brand in 2022, it has become the best-selling malt whisky in India by volume. It is known for a fruit-forward, oak-driven style shaped by northern India’s extreme climate.
What does Indri Trini taste like? Indri Trini, the “Three Wood”, is matured in ex-bourbon, ex-French wine and PX sherry casks. Expect orchard and tropical fruit, sultana and baking spice on the nose, then apple, pear and dried-fruit sweetness on the palate, with a medium to long, spiced finish. It is bottled at 46% ABV.
What is the difference between Indri Trini, Dru and Agneya? Trini is the everyday triple-wood malt at 46%, all orchard and tropical fruit. Dru is the cask-strength expression at 57.2%, aged in ex-bourbon, bolder and weightier. Agneya is the first peated Indri, bottled at 46% in ex-bourbon and PX sherry casks, adding a gentle, sherried smoke to the fruit.
Is Indri whisky peated? Mostly no, but Indri does make a peated expression. Trini, Dru and the Diwali Collector’s Edition are unpeated. Agneya, whose name means “belonging to fire”, is the distillery’s first peated single malt, lightly peated and matured in ex-bourbon and PX sherry casks, bottled at 46% ABV.
How much does Indri whisky cost? Indri Trini costs around £55 to £65 for a 70cl bottle. Dru and Agneya sit a little higher. The annual Diwali Collector’s Edition is a limited release with a UK RRP around £250, climbing higher on the secondary market. Prices vary by market because of local taxes and duty.
Where can I buy Indri whisky? In the UK, The Whisky Exchange, Master of Malt and House of Malt all stock Indri. The brand is expanding across Europe and the US, and most specialist retailers ship internationally. The Diwali Collector’s Edition sells through select retailers in strictly limited numbers.
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