Amrut's Portonova paired with a La Flor Dominicana Chisel Maduro cigar and Chuao's Framboise Bonbon

Indian distillery Amrut continues to enchant the world whiskey community with its new releases and Portonova is no exception. The name Portonova is a delicious double entendre with its nod to a historic port city in India and Amrut's extra maturation of this new expression in select slim Port pipes from Portugal.  Finally available in the U. S., but selling out fast, we were delighted to snag a bottle for our February Featured Pairing with the La Flor Dominicana Chisel Maduro cigar and Chuao Chocolatier's Framboise bonbon.

From a story point of view, Portonova weaves an interesting yarn that reflects India's strong historic links to Portugal.  That union started with the discovery of a sea route to India by adventurer Vasco da Gama.  This eventually lead to the rapid spread of Portuguese colonies across the nation in the 16th through early 18th centuries.  Among its most eastern territories in India, was the port city of Porto Novo in the state of Tamil Nadu (now known as Parangipettai).  Porto Novo flourished as an important sea trade center.  It is therefore fitting that Amrut's namesake new whiskey would be extra-matured for a year in Port pipes, as Port is a Portuguese wine that was "fortified"to help it withstand many long journeys by sea.  

 Amrut uses barley from the Punjab region and distills its malt whiskey in a modern facility in Bangalore, India. Portonova is an un-peated malt, initially matured in new American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels then transferred into selected Port Pipes for one year. It was then put back into ex-Bourbon casks to mature for an additional period of time before bottling. This limited edition expression is ruby-rich in color, powerful and vibrant with aromas of wine soaked berries, honeyed figs and sweet pipe tobacco.  It delivers a truly one of a kind palate to which there is no comparison.  On first sip, this aggressive dram fires a rapid succession of flavor notes.  A ripe raspberry and red currant jamminess is intermingled with dark chocolate, cardamom and chili spices that hang on to the front and sides of your tongue.  The somewhat astringent early nip mellows out to a full bodied and mouth coating oakiness that mimics something akin to a pleasant fruity tobacco.  The Port influence is surprisingly subtle, but its tannins contribute to the long and drying finish which sweetens every so slightly at the end.  This is an astounding dram that is warming and intriguing albeit very difficult to describe . (Click on picture to purchase)

Portonova has a very puzzling characteristic in that it doesn't yield to whatever it is paired with but tenaciously holds its own flavor ground. With this in mind, we tried to mimic the flavors as closely as possible and found that Framboise was just the ticket.  The rich raspberry pate of the filling with its layer of fudge and sensuous dark chocolate coating truly make it the best mate for this dram.   (Click on picture to purchase)  

Port wines and Tawny Ports are easily a great match for a fine cigar, which is why we were so excited to see the release of this port-finished whiskey. A good port wine typically is full-bodied, fruity and rich, with soft peppery tannins, light acidity and typically a dry finish. Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels. This exposes the wine to oxidation and evaporation, much like aging whiskies in oak casks. The exposure to oxygen imparts a nutty flavor to the wine, softens the tannins and produces a smoother, more viscous wine that is golden-brown in color. As you can see from the tasting notes of the Portonova, there is much carryover of these characteristics into the whiskey.

Our cigar pairing was selected for its full body and rich, complex taste with flavor notes that would match distinct flavors in the whiskey. While the La Flor Dominicana Chisel Maduro might be too strong to match with a Tawny Port, its strength is perfect for a whiskey that is bottled at 62.1% alcohol by volume. Available in both Natural and Maduro wrappers, we chose the Maduro to gain access to those fantastic chocolatey, coffee flavors. This cigar is from the Double Ligero family and uses Dominican Republic ligero for its binder and filler, wrapped with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. All of that spells strength, and it truly is a strong cigar. Of the more than 13 vitolas, we selected the Chisel due to it's unique shape and the way the smoke is spread across the palate. (We also couldn't imagine getting through a Churchill size cigar of that strength without passing out.)

(Click on picture to purchase)

The Chisel Maduro begins with rich dark chocolate and coffee flavors that mingle well with the Portonova. Spice, cedar, licorice and black pepper flavors also make their appearance throughout the cigar, highlighting oak and chili pepper in the whiskey. The thick, mouth coating smoke helps to subdue the long, dry finish of the whiskey and interestingly heightens the sweetness as well. We were really interested to note how the coffee and tobacco flavors were very distinct in the Portonova, more so with the cigar than without. Putting these two together with the Framboise bonbon was a real treat, as the dark chocolate smoothed everything out and cut the strength of both cigar and whiskey.

The Portonova is a surprising and exciting expression that must be experienced. And if you like a good, strong cigar, then the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel Maduro is an excellent choice as well. Together ... fabulous.

Post-note -

The interesting image on the cover page is of fishing boats anchored in a town called Parangipettai (Portonovo) on the east coast of India. This region of India was under Portuguese control from the 16th to the 18th century, and as you may know "Port"  is a Portuguese fortified wine. Amrut's use of the name Portonova thus has several layers of meaning, showing an interesting juxtaposition of historical elements behind the creation of this whiskey.

The image/photograph is the work of Jaggy from Chennai, India. His insightful images of India are mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful. You can see more of his work on flickr here at this link:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/13085811@N08/5497275508/

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