Archive · 27 Aug 2026
India’s First Single-Cask Scotch Curator Launches Amid Tariff Relief
Isthmus 44 is a new company in Gurugram that selects special Scotch whisky casks for Indian collectors.
Its first whisky is called Chapter I. It comes from The GlenAllachie Distillery and was aged for nine years.
Only 343 numbered bottles were made, so the supply is limited.
Each bottle costs ₹12,000.
The whisky was bottled in Scotland under industry rules and does not have added colour.
A new India-UK trade agreement has made importing Scotch less expensive by lowering the tariff.
People who buy a bottle can join The Circle and receive information about future releases.
Gurugram-based Isthmus 44 launched its first single-cask Scotch release on August 25, 2026.
Chapter I is a nine-year-old single malt from The GlenAllachie Distillery in Speyside.
The release contains 343 numbered bottles, priced at ₹12,000 MRP and bottled at 46.2 per cent ABV.
The India-UK Free Trade Agreement reduced Scotch whisky’s tariff from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, with further reductions planned.
Isthmus 44 will use selective distribution and offer bottle holders membership in its Circle register for future release access.
- Who
- Isthmus 44, founded by Sachin Uppal, launched the release for Indian collectors.
- What
- The company launched Chapter I, a limited single-cask Scotch whisky release.
- When
- The release was introduced on August 25, 2026; the article was published on August 27, 2026.
- Where
- The launch took place at Oak & Cru, The Quorum, in Gurugram, India; the whisky was bottled in Scotland.
- Why
- The launch aims to present individually selected single-cask Scotch releases to Indian buyers, amid lower import tariffs under the India-UK Free Trade Agreement.
- Company
- Isthmus 44, a Gurugram-based curatorial house for single-cask Scotch whisky.
- First release
- Chapter I, a nine-year-old single malt from The GlenAllachie Distillery.
- Production
- 343 numbered bottles.
- Price
- ₹12,000 maximum retail price per bottle.
- Strength
- 46.2 per cent ABV.
- Maturation
- Ex-Oloroso sherry hogshead, with no chill filtration or added colour.
- Tariff change
- The India-UK Free Trade Agreement reduced the Scotch whisky tariff from 150 per cent to 75 per cent, with further reductions scheduled.