Indri Trini, Indian Single Malt
The Magic of - Mashing, Fermentation, Distillation, and Maturation
Commencing by procuring premium 6-row malted barley grown in and around Rajasthan. Manufactured in Haryana State in North India at Indri which is known for its tropical climate has an ideal mix of temperature and humidity to help the whisky mature in a specific way.
The manufacturing process of Indri Trini starts with ‘Mashing’. The malted barley is milled in a 4 roller mill to a course grinding called the grist which results into the different component fractions of Husk, Grist and fine flour. This Grist is mashed with hot water in the Mash Tun to convert the starch into the simple sugars with the help of natural enzymes present in the malted barley. The wort is drained, cooled and pumped to the fermenter.
The moment the fermenter receives the wort, rehydrated dry yeast is pumped to the fermenter to initiate the ‘Fermentation’ process. Yeast is a living organism and needs food for its survival. The extracted sugars in the wort are consumed by the yeast converting it into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Initiating the ‘Distillation’ process that happens in two stages, the fermented wash is distilled in ‘Wash Still’ to get the low wines of approximately 19 - 20% ABV. These low wines are charged into the ‘Sprit Still’ for the final fractional distillation. Three fractions are collected - Heads, Heart and Tails. The Heart is the product and is collected separately. The Heads are comprised of low boiling fractions and the Tails which are high boiling fractions.
The new make spirit now enters the most important ‘Maturation’ stage that happens in ex-bourbon barrels from the US, ex-French wine casks and Sherry barrels from Spain. Finishing upto a specific period of time to impart the unique profile to Indri Trini, inventories from different cask sources are matured to a standard age after which the barrels are selected and placed into a vatting tank at cask strength as per the recipe.
We at TLI got talking to the brand representative. Excerpts from the interview :
When did the brand start?
2022, we are less than a year old.
Why is it unique?
Indri, is named after the place where the distillery is located, it is a quaint little village situated in the catchment area of River Yamuna, looked upon by the mighty Himalayas. Indri also refers to the word Indri or Indriya in Sanskrit, which denotes the 5 senses, i.e., Smell-Taste-Touch-Sight-Sound. This remarkable single malt is made from indigenous six-row barley grown for hundreds of years in Rajasthan. Matured with care since 2012, Indri–Trini is also the first Indian whisky to be produced in three different wooden barrels: ex-bourbon, ex-wine, and PX sherry casks.
Where is the manufacturing unit?
It is distilled in Indri, Haryana, near the Himalayan foothills, in the catchment area of River Yamuna.
What is your take on the whiskey market in India?
India is the world's most lucrative whisky market with market size of more than $18 bn. The Indian market is driven by strong demand for high-quality premium homegrown whiskies with an increase in consumer purchasing power. As per CIABC, the share of homegrown single malts have increased from 15% to 33% in the last 5 years. This is further expected to grow in the coming years. Today, Indian Single malts are making noise all over the world by winning various awards and creating a notion that Indian single malts are at par or even greater than global products.
What makes your brand different from the other Indian whiskey brands?
Indri-Trini is an inaugural single malt expression from the house of Piccadily Distillery. It has emerged to be one of the most refined and incomparable spirits across the globe. Launched in 2022, we have won accolades locally and internationally. The extreme temperature of the Northern plains helps our malt spirit mature faster inside the barrels, naturally. This also means the angels happily take away their share, leaving behind sweet tropical flavours and rich natural colour. The distillery proudly uses no Fossil fuels to generate its power needs. It is also home to 6 traditional copper pot stills (designed and made in India) with a warehouse capacity of close to 40,000 barrels, rapidly expanding its capacity to hold another 30,000 barrels.