Rampur whisky is an Indian single malt made by Radico Khaitan at a distillery in Uttar Pradesh that dates to 1943, making it India’s oldest. Sitting in the foothills of the Himalayas, where summers and winters pull in opposite directions, it produces a fruit-forward style and has become the most cask-experimental of India’s major distilleries. The range runs from the flagship Double Cask through the world-first Indian wine cask Asava, the Shiraz-finished Barrel Blush, the multi-country Sangam World Malt, and the cult Jugalbandi series of cask duets. Master distiller Anup Barik leads it. Start with Double Cask.
Who is Rampur?
Rampur is the single malt arm of Radico Khaitan, one of India’s largest and oldest drinks companies. The business was originally known as Rampur Distillery and began operating in 1943, four years before Indian independence, which makes it the oldest single malt distillery in the country. Today Radico Khaitan is India’s fourth-largest spirits company and exports across more than 100 countries.
The malt is distilled, matured and bottled at the distillery’s home in Uttar Pradesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas. While the company history runs deep, the Rampur single malt brand is a more recent arrival on the world stage, and it has used that combination of old infrastructure and new ambition to move quickly.
The range is overseen by master distiller Anup Barik, and he is the reason Rampur stands out. Of the major Indian distilleries, Rampur is the one most willing to experiment with cask types, and Barik’s restless approach to finishing has given the brand one of the most diverse cask programmes in modern world whisky.
Why Rampur tastes the way it does
The distillery’s northern location gives it a climate of extremes. The famous Indian summer brings fierce heat, the winters turn cold, and that swing drives maturation that runs roughly four times faster than in Scotland. The whisky pulls flavour and colour from the cask quickly, and the house style leans toward bright tropical fruit, apricot and warm spice.
That fast, intense maturation is also what makes Rampur such a good base for experimentation. Because the spirit takes on cask character so readily, a finish in an unusual wood leaves a clear mark in months rather than years, and Barik has used that to push Rampur into territory the Scottish tradition rarely visits.
The Rampur range
The core is straightforward. Rampur Select is the bourbon-matured entry point, and Rampur Double Cask, matured in bourbon and sherry, is the flagship best-seller and the most widely available bottle. Above them sit the PX Sherry Cask, the ultra-exclusive Signature Reserve, and Trigun.
It is the experimental releases that define the distillery, though. Asava was a genuine world first, the first single malt anywhere finished in Indian wine casks, in this case Indian Cabernet Sauvignon, and it remains the bottle that put Rampur’s creativity on the map. Barrel Blush takes the same idea to Australia, finished in Shiraz red wine casks. Sangam is a “World Malt”, a cross-cultural blend of malts from different countries. And then there is the Jugalbandi series, the clearest statement of what Rampur is about.
What we make of Rampur
If you want to understand Rampur, you taste the Jugalbandi series, and we have worked through all six editions released so far.
The name comes from Indian classical music, where a jugalbandi is a duet between two soloists playing different instruments. Barik applies it to casks: every Jugalbandi starts in American bourbon barrels and is then paired with a second cask, so each release is a duet between the bourbon base and one distinctive partner. The series launched at Whisky Live Paris and is planned to run to eight editions, all at cask strength.
| Edition | Second cask | Character |
|---|---|---|
| No.1 | Moscatel | Dark dried fruit and complex spice |
| No.2 | Calvados | Sweet baked apple |
| No.3 | Port | Velvety, sweet plum cake |
| No.4 | IPA (Indian Pale Ale) | Hops, pear, green apple, floral |
| No.5 | Tokaji | Sweetness and warm spice |
| No.6 | Madeira | Floral and citrus |
Tasting them in sequence is the best argument for Rampur’s whole approach. The bourbon base stays constant, so each edition becomes a clean lesson in what a single cask type does to the same spirit: the Moscatel piling on dark fruit, the Calvados turning it toward baked apple, the IPA cask doing something genuinely unusual with hops and green apple, the Madeira lifting it into floral citrus. The No.3 Port is the easiest to love and the No.4 IPA the most surprising.
Beyond the Jugalbandis, the breadth holds up. Asava shows what an Indian Cabernet cask brings, all dark fruit and a dry, tannic backbone under Rampur’s tropical signature. Barrel Blush does something similar with Australian Shiraz. Double Cask is the dependable everyday malt, and Sangam pushes the idea of a single malt outward into a blend of world malts. We have even tasted a 9-year-old 2016 first-fill bourbon single cask bottled for the French market, the stripped-back version of Rampur with no finish to hide behind, and it held up on its own.
No other Indian distillery is running a cask programme this varied. Some of the experiments land better than others, which is the nature of experimenting, but the willingness to keep trying is exactly what makes Rampur worth following.
Rampur Double Cask: the one to start with
Double Cask is the natural first bottle: the flagship, the most available, and the clearest expression of the Rampur house style before the cask experiments begin.
Rampur Double Cask tasting note
Nose: tropical fruit, honey, vanilla, gentle oak spice Palate: ripe orchard fruit, dried fruit from the sherry, caramel, warm spice Finish: medium to long, honeyed and lightly spiced ABV: 45% | Cask type: ex-bourbon and sherry | Price: approx. £60 to £70
From there, Asava is the move for dark-fruited wine-cask character, Barrel Blush for Shiraz, and the Jugalbandi series once you want to follow Rampur down the experimental path.
What is new at Rampur
Rampur has been collecting recognition steadily. Barrel Blush took a Double Gold and Sangam a Gold at The Fifty Best World Whisky Tasting, and at the start of 2026 the wider Rampur portfolio was named a top trending world whisky. The brand also expanded into nationwide US distribution with Barrel Blush in 2025, and pushed its luxury range, including Jugalbandi editions 5 and 6, into travel retail.
The Jugalbandi series itself remains the one to watch. With six of a planned eight editions released, each exploring a different second cask, it is a slow-burn project that keeps giving the distillery new ground to cover.
Price and where to buy Rampur
Double Cask, the flagship, costs around £60 to £70 for a 70cl bottle. Asava and Barrel Blush sit a little higher, in the £75 to £90 range, and Sangam above that. The Jugalbandi editions are cask-strength limited releases and priced accordingly, typically £130 and up, with the rarer numbers climbing well beyond. Single casks and the Signature Reserve reach into serious money. 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 Rampur. The brand has a strong presence in France through La Maison du Whisky, distributes nationwide in the US, and appears across travel retail including Delhi Duty Free. Most specialist retailers ship internationally.
Is Rampur worth it?
Yes, and it is the most interesting of the Indian distilleries to follow rather than just drink. Double Cask is a solid, fairly priced everyday malt, but the real reason to pay attention is the cask programme. Asava and the Jugalbandi series are doing things almost no one else in world whisky is attempting, and even when an experiment is more interesting than delicious, it is never dull.
Start with Double Cask to learn the house style, try Asava for the world-first wine cask, and explore the Jugalbandi series if you want to taste a distillery thinking out loud. India’s oldest distillery has turned out to be its boldest, and that is a combination worth watching.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rampur whisky? Rampur is an Indian single malt whisky made by Radico Khaitan at a distillery in Uttar Pradesh that dates to 1943, the oldest single malt distillery in India. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is known for a fruit-forward style and for being the most cask-experimental of India’s major single malt producers.
What does Rampur Double Cask taste like? Rampur Double Cask is matured in bourbon and sherry casks. Expect tropical fruit, honey and vanilla on the nose, then ripe orchard and dried fruit, caramel and warm spice on the palate, with a medium to long, honeyed finish. It is the flagship expression, bottled at 45% ABV.
What is the Rampur Jugalbandi series? The Jugalbandi series is Rampur’s cask-strength experimental range, named after the duet form in Indian classical music. Each edition starts in bourbon barrels and is paired with a second cask. The six released so far use Moscatel, Calvados, Port, IPA, Tokaji and Madeira casks, with eight editions planned in total.
What is Rampur Asava? Rampur Asava is a single malt finished in Indian Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks, the first whisky anywhere to use Indian wine casks. It layers dark fruit, apricot, blackberry and plum over Rampur’s tropical signature, with a dry, tannic structure from the red wine. It was named Best World Whisky at the John Barleycorn Awards in 2023.
How much does Rampur whisky cost? Rampur Double Cask costs around £60 to £70 for a 70cl bottle. Asava and Barrel Blush run roughly £75 to £90, and the cask-strength Jugalbandi editions start around £130 and climb higher for rarer numbers. Single casks and Signature Reserve cost considerably more. Prices vary by market because of local taxes and duty.
Where can I buy Rampur whisky? In the UK, The Whisky Exchange, Master of Malt and House of Malt all stock Rampur. The brand has a strong presence in France through La Maison du Whisky, distributes nationwide in the US, and appears in travel retail including Delhi Duty Free. Most specialist retailers ship internationally.
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