India has now officially become a part of the Order of the Phoenix. The 124-year-old family-owned distillery,William Grant and Sons,recently introduced a new malt brand,the Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix,to whisky aficionados in India who prefer the amber fire on the rocks. Peter Gordon,Chairman,William Grant and Sons,who was in New Delhi for the launch,said,As the worlds largest whisky market,India holds wonderful promise. People in India understand malts now and they are buying some of the more premium variants of Glenfiddich. Gordon also said that although the largest malt markets are the US,the UK and France,India is not very tiny when you put together the domestic and the travel retail volume. In India,80,000 cases of single malt sell every year and Glenfiddich has a 42% market share. Worldwide,Glenfiddich is the largest selling single malt and does over a million cases annually. At the launch event held at The Taj Palace,the origin of the Snow Phoenix single malt was suitably explained to the select gathering of 100-odd from the Capitals glitterati. Snow Phoenix,dubbed as the whisky born out of chance and adversity,has been created by marrying together natural strength and non-chill filtered casks of different ages and finishes,including the American oak and Oloroso sherry. Once the initial momentum was built,the formal unveiling happened. Then came the moment that perhaps everyone was waiting for the tasting session. The Snow Phoenix is gold in colour,with bright copper highlights. Its nose is creamy vanilla,mingling with vibrant notes of apple and pear. The taste is reminiscent of apples roasted in the embers of a campfire,sweetened with honey,with a whiff of burnt sugar,coffee and woodsmoke. Bottled in 2010,the packaging is in a distinctive monochrome case with amazing photography on it.
