Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026: Indian Single Malt Meets Ruby Port

I recently joined Indri for dinner in London to taste its Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026. This year’s release is a single malt matured in Ruby Port casks from Portugal, bottled at a substantial 58.5% ABV.

It is the fourth whisky in the annual collection, through which master blender Surrinder Kumar explores cask influences beyond Indri’s regular range. Just 180 individually numbered bottles have been allocated to the UK, priced at £200 each. That puts it firmly into special occasion territory, with elaborate presentation to match.

The choice of Port casks caught my interest, although there is more to this whisky than the wine they once held. Its character also comes from Indian barley, copper pot distillation and the considerable seasonal changes in northern India.

A Whisky from Haryana

Indri takes its name from the village in Haryana where it is produced. The brand launched in 2022, with its flagship Trini expression bringing together whisky matured in bourbon, French wine and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

The Diwali releases give Kumar room to try something different. The inaugural 2023 edition combined peated spirit with PX sherry casks, while the 2025 release used Marsala casks. For 2026, he has turned to Ruby Port.

Indri uses Indian six row barley, with maturation taking place in Haryana’s subtropical climate. Its hot summers and cool winters make for quite different conditions from those found in India’s tropical south. Geography matters here: talking about an “Indian climate” tells us relatively little about the conditions inside an individual distillery’s warehouses.

Heat can speed up the extraction of colour and flavour from oak, but that is only one part of maturation. Other reactions help develop the whisky, and they do not all happen at the same rate. There is no reliable formula for converting a year in Haryana into a certain number of years in Scotland.For Kumar, the judgement comes down to the casks themselves: when the whisky is ready, how the flavours work together and how much of the original spirit remains apparent.

What Ruby Port Brings

Ruby Port is generally made to preserve deep colour and youthful fruit. Aged Tawny Port spends longer developing in wood, taking on more oxidative flavours, often with nuts and dried fruit becoming more prominent. That makes Ruby Port an appealing possibility for a fruity whisky, although the result will always depend on the individual casks and how they are used. In this release, dark fruit was certainly the first thing I noticed.

On the nose, I found black cherries, blackberries and damsons, followed by raisins and figs. There was fudge and vanilla too, adding sweetness around the fruit. The palate moved further towards dried fruit, with nuts and cinnamon spice. The fresh berries of the nose gave way to richer flavours, while the spice brought warmth. Fruit, nuts and spice were the recurring themes in my glass.

A Reason to Follow the Series

What interests me about the Diwali collection is the chance to taste how Indri’s spirit responds to a different cask choice each year. PX sherry, Marsala and Ruby Port each offer something distinct, giving drinkers a reason to follow the releases.

The series has also attracted plenty of awards. According to Indri, it has received 29 since its introduction, including Best in Show Double Gold at the Whiskies of the World Awards for the 2023 Peated PX Sherry Cask edition. The company says this year’s Ruby Port release has already won six awards.

The Diwali Presentation

Indian designer Krsnaa Mehta has again designed the presentation, drawing on royal imagery and traditional miniature painting. Jewel colours, flowers and intricate decoration surround a Marwari horse and its foal, intended to represent nobility, inheritance and continuity.

There is plenty to look at, and the design gives the release an unmistakable identity. For someone buying a Diwali gift or collecting the annual editions, the presentation will be part of the attraction.

My own interest lies in what Kumar chooses to bottle next. This year, the Ruby Port casks have brought a combination of dark berries, dried fruit, nuts and cinnamon that gives the 2026 edition a clear identity of its own.

Indri Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026 Ruby Port Cask is bottled at 58.5% ABV, with a UK allocation of 180 individually numbered bottles and an RRP of £200. Announced UK retailers include Master of Malt, The Whisky Shop and The Whisky Exchange.