Never say no to free whisky.

Picked up a bottle last week for $60. My new favorite Indian Whisky. Very unusual. Gets even better with a bit of watter added.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Glad you're enjoying it! 🥃

@keshavchauhan6616

8 ай бұрын

Shitty whiskey

Actually it will be exciting to see you making a series about Indian, Japanese, Taiwanese, Sweden single malts. Have you tried any Rampur Indian single malt?

This whiskey currently holds the title of " Best in the World "

@Mr.Amberman

9 ай бұрын

Not this whiskey that's a special series from same brand

@ssunil4205

7 ай бұрын

@@Mr.Amberman yes, diwali collectors edition

I just found out that the master blender Surrinder Kumar is former master blender of Amrut

@Gwhisky

10 ай бұрын

Oh? That's interesting, I had no idea. I guess they're in good hands, then. 🥃

Glad to get your insight on this one. I have this and Amrut Single Malt as my two Indian explorations. Both are good, but I prefer the Indri. On first pour, I didn't care for the Indri, but it has grown on me with each subsequent pour. It is different, in a good way. I find it works best for me resting in the glass for 15 - 20 minutes with a little water added. Could be just me, but the dominating flavor profile I get is sort of a roasted pineapple. I suspect I will buy this one again at some point especially if it remains around its affordable $54 price mark.

I’ve really enjoyed this and have just got a 2nd bottle. Your review perfectly describes the experience with this and I’m also looking forward to future releases.

Indri’s cask strength release, “Dru”, recently appeared in the L.A. market. Picked a bottle for $70.00. I sampled it at an Indri tasting event. Absolutely delicious! In your words: “Big, bold, and cask-y”. But at cask strength more of the spirit is showing through adding complexity somewhat lacking in the otherwise terrific “Trini”.

A nice balanced review. Free stuff triggers “reciprocity bias”, which is very hard to avoid. Thanks for disclosing that it was gift.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Trust me, you guys will always know if the bottle was sent. Transparency is a pretty big thing for me. Cheers. 🥃

Free samples mean potentially more videos from you which benefits viewers of your channel about the products out there. Just keep it impartial, if a free sample isn’t good then so be it, don’t hold back G.

All aboard the hype train! Great review Geoff, from seeing the excitement floating around at the moment all the praise seems genuine and it is a bottle I have now added to the watchlist.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Looking forward to getting your take on it, buddy! 🥃

Cool that you got free bottle to review for us. I don't mind as long as you will do honest review. Sounds like a bottle I would be happy to try. Haven't seen it in my country. Thanks for video!

Indri whisky that won was special edition which usually comes for Diwali

If they ask you to review it they value your opinion, nothing wrong with that🥃👍

@misterjolly11

11 ай бұрын

I think Geoff is great but this has nothing to do with valuing his opinion. It's free promotion for the company. Unconscious bias from getting a free product potentially makes it impossible to give a true, honest review. That being said, I'm fine with it as long as you make clear the bottle was free.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Something to be said for both of the above comments. Note that I will ALWAYS make it clear if the bottle was sent. Also, a commenter earlier suggested I put an asterisk next to the score in future reviews like this, which I think is a great idea. 🥃

@011humphrey

11 ай бұрын

@@misterjolly11 i beg to differ, as you can't know what goes on in somebody's mind you only can assume bias, it's not a fact. Somebody who has a channel which reviews whisky and is honest in saying it was a gift from a company that is fact. Keep in mind it is still a personal opinion and should be regarded as chuch.

@misterjolly11

11 ай бұрын

That's why I said potentially in my comment. You can never know.

@011humphrey

11 ай бұрын

@@misterjolly11 and that's a truth about social media it's entertaining but you should always do your own research

This is the first of your reviews I've seen and I really appreciate your providing details of this whiskey in a way the average drinker can understand. No issues at all with the notion of reviewing a product that was provided for free, though the transparency is also appreciated.

I think it is always going to make the review more favourable

No probz. Really. I continue to watch every one of your reviews. Thanks Geoff!

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Appreciate the support. Thank you! 🙏 🥃

Great review Geoff, it gives some useful insight to the character of Indri Trini. I am left wondering what might be similar, a comparable whisky. Any thoughts?

This whisky still hasn't made it to Japan. It sounds pretty delicious. I think experienced tasters can fairly review whiskies that are sent from distilleries as long as the reviewer is up front about the whisky being sent to them. Chris Goodrum of the Good Dram Show does a good job in my opinion of reviewing donated samples.

On the question of promotional freebies. I believe scientists and doctors have been shown to be influenced by gifts. This is an unconscious and unintended bias. So disclosure is essential. That said, any new business needs exposure so I don’t blame them for putting things out there. A verbal caution and a star against the score* might be a way to ease your conscience.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Thanks Michael. I absolutely love this idea. I might just go ahead and use an asterisk for future reviews of this type (along with a full disclosure at the start of the video). Cheers. 🥃

I really like this whiskey. I would even go as far as to give it 86. I primarily use it as my warm-up/palate calibration whiskey.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Nice! Glad you're enjoying it. A good warm-up whisky. Agree. 🥃

Nice review. Might try this one if it appears on the Swedish market. A suggestion for a new review.....Arran Amarone Cask Finish. I just ordered a bottle, and I'm really looking forward to crack it open.

Recently this stuff is crowned the best whiskey in the world

My initiation into Indian whisky was Amrut Fusion on strong recommendation. Must say, that wasn't what I will reach out for, to put it mildly. Your review in many ways echo my experience with Amrut, which was priced at single malt scotch. I can categorically say that you're one up on Jim Murray who gave the Amrut a 91. Perhaps it was the food pairing. 😅

Hey, Geoff. Nice review. I don't mind reviews of gifted bottles or producer provided samples as long as the reviewer states it clearly to the public and the sample is not "dressed" for the review. Plus one would easily tell "product placement" review from objective one. Look at Chris Goodrum who reviews samples exclusively, but IMHO nobody can blame him of being dishonest or biased by the fact. Indri Trini is not available in Bulgaria, but as soon as it comes to our market (if ever...) and the price is reasonable I'll definitely give it a try. Cheers!

Nice for them to make a craft whisky and try to spread the word, it means they trust the product and the future. This one sounds too sweet for me but I'll definitely keep my eyes open to taste one at a bar. Great review as always Geoff!

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Hah yeah good one to try before you buy, I think. Cheers buddy! 🥃

Hi Geoff ! Member we trast you ) I like Indian whisky , i try P J and Amrut .... Good review , like . Prost !

Can't beat a freebie. I'd take it.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Hah cheers.

It is definitely a lot more expensive in my country, around $107. I’m glad I picked up a bottle of this during my holiday in Goa for less than $50. Finished half a bottle in no time. I will get the Indri Dru (Cask strength) if it’s priced right in where I live. They also have a new rum line up called Camikara where they lost 94% to angels share in 12 years 🤯. They are calling it liquid gold. Surely some interesting stuffs by Piccadilly.

Not saying that scotch are not good but then Indian whiskeys have their own league.. and on a lot of occasions depending on your taste and mood. It can very very well overtake scotch. For me, if you’re a whiskey lover, you got to try Indian whiskeys they are different. They are special

I dont mind you reviewing a bottle that was given to you, so long as its disclosed like you mentioned at the beginning.

About the early question: I think that as long as you say that you received it for free, and that you state your honest intention of giving an honest review - it's totally fine by me. Also cool that you ask for opinions on it (or "click bait" comments of course)

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Hah, well asking for comments is par for the course, true. But I legit did want to get your feedback on this one, as it's something I've kind of struggled with. But yes, rest assured you'll always know when a whisky was sent to me, and these types of reviews will be rare. Cheers. 🥃

Hi Geoff! Honestly I have no issues with someone reviewing a gifted whisky. I do believe you can still be objective in your review. But here is the catch. How sure can you be that the bottle/sample sent to you is actually representative of the stuff the distiller puts out to the market? A smart marketeer would select the best batch of the whisky and reserve those to send to influencers. Or even worse: send a ‘cask sample’ containing whisky of far better quality than what will eventually get bottled. Diageo have been rumoured to do this and I have a sneaky suspicion that for their Special Releases they still do it. So for that reason, if I were you I would gladly accept the gifted whiskies but be very hesitant to actually review them on KZread - unless you have been able to verify (perhaps by having a small taste of the same whisky at a friend, or a bar, or a specialist shop) that what you received is actually the same stuff that us mere mortals can buy. Just my humble opinion. Keep up the good work!

@vikrantsharma3103

9 ай бұрын

Yo it won the best whiskey in the world award now you’ll know the quality

@shalakjoshi

9 ай бұрын

Such humble. Much wrong.

Great review

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Thank you! 🙏

I also found the flavour profile to be very 'full on'. Maybe the way it ages in that hot climate contributes to the punchy palate. The flavours were pleasant enough but I didn't reach for the bottle as often as my liver usually likes. As for freebies, as long as you keep it real then why not!

Nothing wrong there; if the sample would have been a highly priced whisky, like over 250 us$, that would feel a little bit weird and as a fan I wouldn't like that. This is a whisky many can afford, nothing wrong. Thx Geoff

@harishs9003

9 ай бұрын

Royal enfield of whisky.

Hello Geoff, i did not try the Indri but it sounds very interesting and i will try getting a Sample of it. Greetings from Germany 😎🤘

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Worth checking out as long as the description sounds interesting to you. Cheers! 🥃

As long as you are transparent about it, then should be no problem 👌🏻

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

You'll know if the bottle was provided. That's a promise. Cheers. 🥃

GEoff, I found this at Total Wine and More in the Bay Area (NorCal) for $52.99, which is a very low price for an exotic whisky. As to accepting free bottles from distillers, I am having a difficult time finding reasons why you should not. The distiller needs reviews. Reviewers need to taste the product. The only exception to that would be if the distiller expressly requests a good review.

I think it’s good that you’re able to get free samples, as long as you’re able to have a non-bias judgment/review of the whiskies you receive. The fact that you even brought it up and are asking for our opinions shows really good integrity from your part. Keep at it! Just be careful if this becomes the norm, as subconsciously you might start to become more favorable on your reviews from the places you get this free gifts. Plus, you’re also giving these distilleries free promotions if you like them. It’s a win-win situation.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Thanks Joe. Yes it's not something I take lightly. It's an expensive channel, and samples do lighten the financial burden, but they also present a new set of challenges. The most important for me is trust. I fully intend to not only directly tell you guys when a sample has been sent, but in future vids I'll include an asterisk next to the score to make it doubly clear. Also reviews like this will be rare. Cheers. 🥃

@joebruin8739

11 ай бұрын

@@GwhiskyBtw… I appreciate how interactive you are with your subscribers. Keep up the good work!

Hi Geoff, I think it is fine to take samples/bottles from suppliers. You did mention upfront that it was a sent to you by the brand. And next to that you were straight forward in your comments. So for me this is not an issue at all. The review itself was nice, but did not trigger me to want tasting this. Cheers.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Thanks buddy. Yes I take this quite seriously and you guys will always know when a sample has been sent. Cheers. 🥃

It’s 60🦌🦌 here in the USA, and it’s also 750ml, so we get that extra 1.6ozs.

It’s always great to have another place to stick it bro 😅 I appreciate the fact that you declare that the bottle was given by the brand, that proves that you’re a honest reviewer. Thank you for all these great videos I keep watching with pleasure.

Indri is a great whiskey, just amazingly complex

Can you do a review on Rampur's double cask or select? Here in NJ it's expensive wondering if I should pay the 80 bucks

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Sadly that bottle isn't sold in my market. I've heard good things about Rampur. Hope to try it one day. Cheers! 🥃

Which Paul John or Amrut is it similar to? I really like the Paul John classic cask

@vimalrajkappil

11 ай бұрын

You should try Paul John Bold too..it's not something similar to Indri..but Paul John have Olorosso and PX cask expressions..but those are far better than this and price wise higher too

How do u detect so many flavors? I find it hard to believe 😅

The issue I have with whisky gifted from the distillery has nothing to do with your objectivity but how do you know if what you were sent is what’s available to the consumer. They could specially select casks and bottle and send you something that is a step above what is on the shelves. If you buy it off the shelf you know your viewers have access to the same product. If they have been heavily marketing this and sending out a lot of sample bottles they could have a special batch bottled just for online reviewers.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

That's possible. Reviews like this will be extremely rare, and I've decided for future reviews like this to include an asterisk to drive the point home for the viewers. 🥃

You should tilt the right side towards the right in your camera angle. It'll feel better. Don't any any problem if you don't. Today I'm just drunking indri, so was watching indri reviews and your video popped up.

My original comment was removed. A lot of my comments get removed recently. Anyway, good to see you doing the old Indri. I like it but it's borderline not whisky as we know it. It tastes nothing like traditional Scotch and that makes me ask the question what is whisky? It's why the SMWS defined its rules. Whisky of course has a range of flavours and it should not belong to Scotland. We are so hard wired into thinking about Scotch whisky that anything other than it floats in its orbit. However, Indri and so many other whiskies are making us having to adjust to a massive rethink. Interesting times. Great review as always. WT

I bought a bottle a couple months ago. Honestly I found it okayish.

I think its absolutely fair to take a sample bottle when you are transparent about it and try to stay as objective as possible. We all have bottles that are out of our reach for market/availability or financial reasons. It would be a shame for you not to try and then review something if its for what ever reason is out of your reach, just because it was sent to you. We all come here for reviews and honestly for me based on the specs, nose and tasting notes I can already decide if I would get/try that whisky or not because I know my palette. So I think the onus is not only on the reviewer but the viewers as well to know our taste - what we like, or understand where we are at on our whisky journey and based on that self understanding be able to disassociate from the personal opinion of the reviewer. ( Thats why I emphasized specs, nose palette etc before ). I saw all your reviews I believe and never once felt you are not honest about something and I also bought and enjoyed whiskys you didn't necessarily liked ( but acknowledged) . So to sum it up: honesty and ownership with as clear objectivity from the reviewer as possible. Then from the viewer's perspective ownership and self understanding is the most important. To me this was an honest review. Great job like always my friend, keep it up! Cheers 🥃🥃

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Thanks buddy. Yes, I think most viewers are like you, and they know what they're looking for and have a strong sense of what their own tastes are, and where those tastes do (or don't) intersect with mine. Still, I understand why others aren't a fan of their reviewers taking free samples, which also makes sense to me. Appreciate the support, as always. 🙏

@WhiskyWolf514

11 ай бұрын

@@Gwhisky Well this reply is a proof to any viewer about how you always try to look at , acknowledge and represent both sides while staying as objective as possible. So there. 😉 Cheers my friend 🥃🥃

I'm not against it per se. But I think most everyone is fooling themselves about maintaining impartiality in this type of situation.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

That's fair. Reviews with bottles sent by the brand will be rare, and I firmly believe in telling you guys about it. From there, you can choose the extent to which you trust the review. This is a VERY expensive channel to maintain, and while I may occasionally accept bottles, you guys will ALWAYS know about it. Cheers. 🥃

I feel like as long as you state that it’s a whisky that’s been sent to you by the brand I have no problem with it.

Is this more cask heavy/driven than the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique?

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

I'd say so, yes. The Kavalan vinho is also cask forward, but it offers some tropical notes from the distillate. More than what I get from this, imo. 🥃

Geoff, thanks for being transparent on this. Question though. Will you be doing more reviews like this one? I'll be honest I'm not a fan of reviews on Whisky given to the reviewer by the brand. I just don't think they are truly objective and I think its important for a channel like yours to stay independent.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

These will be incredibly rare, and you'll always be in the loop. That's a promise. 🥃

The same distillery that makes Indri has a similar whisky called Kamet. Wonder how different is. Description of casks is similar: Aged in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-wine (French oak) and ex-sherry casks (PX & Oloroso)! Is Indri Trini just a rebranding with better marketing?

@DileepB

11 ай бұрын

Kamet was made as a joint venture between Peak Spirts and Piccadliy, and now it looks like Indri is entirely a Piccadily product distributed by Impex instead of the smaller Rahi Imports in the US. There is no mention of Kamet on their website.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Interesting! I've never tried the Kamet, or even seen it here. I know far too little to comment on the matter. Thanks for looking into it! 🥃

After taking two whiskey Peg video became very smooth....😉😉

Sounds good 🥃

Geoff, please review Nantou Omar Cask Strength Single Malt Black Queen Wine Finish Whiskey next. It’s Taiwanese Government Owned so I think you can pick it up near you.

Curious what batch you are reviewing? Cheers 🥃

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

I'm traveling at the moment. I'll let you know when I'm back in Taiwan!

Free whisky, hell yes!

The bottle looks like it wants to be in the Japanese whisky shelf

After your informative review was able to snag a bottle for $49 US, can't wait to Crack it

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Cool! Hope you enjoy it. I've noticed a lot of people don't seem to agree on this one. 🥃

@jz7974

11 ай бұрын

@Gwhisky opened it last night and is definitely a good sipper. I don't have a professional refined palate like yourself but kinda tastes like Powers 3 swallow with a bit of brine and a pinch of smoke/peat to me, very enjoyable, thank you for the great review.

As long is there is obvious disclosure (like you did right at the beginning) free Whisky is fine. There are several reviews of this on YT with no disclosure which I don't like.

Hi Geoff, i'm fine with reviews of free corporate gifts as long as that's declared - which you do. However, I can't help feeling that it could be a slippery slope. As wouterblom says below, are you getting a standard bottle? Or are the whisky marketing departments sending carefully selected batches to respected reviewers? Ralfy says he refuses to accept or review free samples, which does give him a certain integrity. I dunno, it's a can of worms innit 🤷‍♂. But yours is a great channel and I believe your reviews are always honest, so keep up the good work.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Thanks, Philip. Yes, it's a tough issue to tackle, and I've been back and forth on it myself. The fact is I'm a much smaller channel than Ralfy, and keeping a channel like this going is incredibly expensive, so taking samples does lighten the burden somewhat. But, of course, there's the argument about how objective a review can be, as well as Wouter's point about the caliber of the samples being sent. It's understandable to have doubts. I've decided that moving forward, I'll not only declare that it's a provided sample at the start of the video, I'll also put an asterisk next to the score in order to ensure you guys know what you're watching, and you can choose how much stock you want to put into my opinion. This was an idea that someone offered in this very comments section, and I absolutely love it. Rest assured, reviews like this will be rare, and I intend to keep this channel as honest and transparent as I can, but I also have a budget to consider. Appreciate your understanding. You'll always know. 🥃

Its time to try it 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤😍

It won the award for best whiskey in world

Similar to Rampur

3:28 which brings me to ask, how tall are you? :D

most beautiful whiskey i tasted

🤩🤩🤩

I thought it was a youthful spirit with strong cask tastes. I have nothing else like it in my cupboard to compare it with. Its ok, I wouldn't put anyone off buying it if the price is reasonable.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Pretty much how I feel about it. Cheers. 🥃

Geoff, compensated reviews are fine as long as you tell us up front and you limit them to say, one a year. Lol.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

You'll ALWAYS know about it. That's a promise. 🥃

This whiskey best in the world ❤❤❤

I would take all the bottles offered - however, to overcome unconscious bias, you could blind yourself to it by getting someone to taste it, find a few similar whiskies and create a blinded line-up.

❤Brandy❤

loki?

Sanskrit? Its Hindi on the bottle :) - its like saying Latin is Engilish

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

I stand corrected.

@ameen3912

11 ай бұрын

@@Gwhisky sorry for the nitpicking - I agree with you about the notes you get in Indian whiskies - it reminds me of walking into an indian spice market. Enjoy the reviews as always !

Free whisky, free points. There's no free meal folks.

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Reviews like this will be rare, and you guys will ALWAYS be told about it. From there, you can choose how much you trust the review. This is an extremely expensive channel to maintain, but I won't compromise on transparency. 🥃

I'm okay with receiving a media sample or even a bottle for review as long as it's disclosed. Are reviewers really going risk hurting their own brand over a free bottle? This isn't like car reviewers who are flown to a big event, put up in a fancy hotel and invited to big industry parties. It's a small media sample or 1 bottle of whisky. Does the reviewer really care if he upsets the company and doesn't get another bottle next year? I doubt it. He would care though if he ruined his reputation by presenting shill reviews and the viewership plummets. A bottle just isn't worth enough for a reviewer to not present an honest review and risk ruining his channel.

Review whatever you want you scumbag (your term)! Announcing the bottle was a gift and explaining your review will be honest is the correct way when approached by a distillery. Have you tried Amrut Attma? Pretty, pretty good. My wife is from India so it is a special bottle for us. Cheers!

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Hah thanks buddy. No I don't think I've ever heard of that Amrut. Definitely not one I've seen in Taiwan. I'll keep an eye out for it. Cheers! 🥃

No worries, Geoff, I do not and will not talk about it. 🤐🤐🤐🤐 Promise Slàinte mhath

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Hah thanks buddy. 🥃

Don't. You will be better for this. Look at the big picture. Ralfy just saying.

I’m disappointed 👹👹B….y awful stuff , like drinking liquid wood 🤣 I know I know , It’s all personal taste , but Oooo ..It’s a No n from me Bring on the gentle and subtle 👍🤣🤣🥃

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Hah that's fair. Gentle and subtle are definitely not adjectives for this bottle. Hah. Cheers buddy. 🥃

Dude, love what you do and how you do it…sorry, but I think you are slightly less because of this.. buy your own dude

@Gwhisky

11 ай бұрын

Fair enough. It's an incredibly expensive channel to maintain, so I will accept occasional samples, but reviews like this will be rare, and I'll always tell you about it. Yours is a valid sentiment, though. This is something I've struggled with myself. Cheers. 🥃

@user-vx1pf1uz1y

11 ай бұрын

You Ralfy n Roy are my go to :-) your honesty is “just you” my friend… thank you

Very bad

My initiation into Indian whisky was Amrut Fusion on strong recommendation. Must say, that wasn't what I will reach out for, to put it mildly. Your review in many ways echo my experience with Amrut, which was priced at single malt scotch. I can categorically say that you're one up on Jim Murray who gave the Amrut a 91. Perhaps it was the food pairing. 😅