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Oaksmith whisky brings the three different spirit traditions together in one bottle. It's a combination of aged Scotch malt whisky from Scotland, Kentucky straight bourbon from the US, and Indian grain neutral spirit. There's also a Japanese link in that Suntory's Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo is the one who developed the blend.
All of this raises the question of where Oaksmith actually comes from and what it is. Is it an Indian whiskey? A Scotch? An American bourbon? The ingredients are sourced from all over the world, but Oaksmith was conceived as an Indian whiskey. It's the ingredients that really get to the heart of the matter in terms of defining what Oaksmith is and how it differs from a standard blended whiskey.
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Oaksmith is an Indian blended whiskey brand owned by Suntory Global Spirits (formerly Beam Suntory). The brand was launched in December 2019, with Oaksmith and Oaksmith Gold initially launched in Maharashtra before being rolled out to other parts of India. The goal was to create a whiskey that would appeal to Indian consumers by combining Indian and American bourbon.
The brand was the brainchild of Shinji Fukuyo, Head Blender at Suntory, who has also been responsible for the Japanese whiskeys Hibiki and Yamazaki. He took a trip around India to get a real feel for the regional food cultures and flavor profiles, and the blend was created with Indian consumers in mind. It's an Indian brand in all but name, with the ingredients and blending skill of an international house.
Oaksmith is a combination of three different spirits: aged Scotch malt whiskey, aged Kentucky straight bourbon, and Indian grain neutral spirit. Each of the three components comes from a different spirits-making tradition.
The Scotch malt whiskey is, of course, Scottish, made from malted barley and aged in oak casks. It can be fruity, sweet, woody, or smoky depending on how it's made and aged. The Oaksmith descriptions make clear the contribution of aged Scotch malts to the blend's character.
The American component is Kentucky straight bourbon, made primarily from corn and aged in new charred oak. It will, of course, have the typical bourbon flavors of vanilla, caramel, and oak. Suntory's original launch announcement stated that the American bourbon used in Oaksmith was aged for at least four years.
The third element is Indian grain neutral spirit, a highly distilled grain spirit with a very neutral flavor. That's what sets Oaksmith apart from a blend that is 100% matured whiskey. They confirm the three components but don't give any breakdown of the proportions.
Oaksmith is available in three expressions in Mumbai, with prices varying by variant:
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Although Oaksmith contains ingredients from Scotland, the US and India, the Japanese link is down to the man who created the blend. Shinji Fukuyo, Suntory's Chief Blender, is the one who developed Oaksmith having of course been through the experience of blending Japanese whisky.
Fukuyo's approach was to take the flavors that Indian consumers were used to and then layer on the different spirit components. The brand also takes great inspiration from Japanese craftsmanship in its packaging (the six-sided bottle, the label, etc.). Oaksmith states that their blends contain no artificial flavors. However, it would be wrong to equate Japanese craftsmanship with Japanese whiskey crafting. Japanese whiskey is not listed as an ingredient in Oaksmith's official ingredient descriptions.
Yes, it's an Indian whiskey brand that Suntory Global Spirits created specifically for the Indian market. It's an international blend in terms of its ingredients, but that doesn't make the finished product Scotch whiskey, bourbon, or Japanese whiskey.
Scotch whiskey has to meet the requirements of the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (regarding production and maturation in Scotland). Oaksmith contains Scotch malt whiskey, but the final blend also contains American bourbon and Indian grain neutral spirit. Likewise, adding Kentucky straight bourbon doesn't make the whole product Kentucky straight bourbon. The Japanese link is purely through Shinji Fukuyo's blending skills, rather than through any Japanese whiskey used in the product.
Oaksmith whiskey is therefore an Indian blended whiskey that uses imported whiskey and Indian grain neutral spirit. The specific locations of Indian production and bottling are not disclosed in the official product information we reviewed, though it is marketed as an Indian-made whiskey.
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The brand also has two established whiskeys in Oaksmith Gold and Oaksmith International. Both are a mixture of aged Scotch malt whiskey, aged Kentucky straight bourbon, and Indian grain neutral spirit. They are both 42.8% ABV and are available in 180ml, 375ml, and 750ml bottle sizes.
Oaksmith Gold is the premium expression and has a much richer flavor profile. The official tasting notes describe it as having fruity and light aromas with a touch of peat smoke. On the palate, it's mild in character but full-bodied, with oak woodiness and a clean, smooth finish. Oaksmith International has a softer aroma with grain sweetness, followed by mild flavors, peat, oak woodiness, and a finish of spice and peat. The differences are in the flavor profiles and the positioning. They're both based on the same international blend concept
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All the information in this article has come from the Oaksmith Whisky and Suntory Global Spirits official websites and press releases, as well as the UK Government's Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009. That's where the info on Oaksmith's provenance, the ingredients (Scotch and bourbon), the Japanese blending process and the various expressions comes from. The Mumbai prices referenced are from Livcheers and will of course vary from location to location and depending on availability.
A unique blend of aged Scotch malt whisky, Kentucky straight bourbon and Indian grain neutral spirits, born from the blending skills of Suntoru’s Chief Blender, Shinji-Fukuyo, giving it the Japanese connection. Oaksmith remains an Indian blended whisky, which was made from combining ingredients from different whisky making practices, brought together by Japanese craftsmanship.
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