JAMMU: Handcrafted in the lap of the Himalayas, the recently launched GianChand Single Malt whisky by DeVANS, one of the oldest producers of malt spirits in India, is a tribute to its founder Dewan Gian Chand, a journalist who entered the liquor industry in 1942, according to a top company official.
Renowned whisky critic and author of Whisky Bible Jim Murray, who reviewed GianChand SMW, said: “This is one of the most fascinating whiskies I have come across. Unlike any other Indian malt I have encountered before”.
“GianChand, Indian Single Malt is a tribute to a remarkable personality our founder Dewan Gian Chand. It is the culmination of our expertise in perfecting the art of making malt spirits for more than 55 years.
“Six decades ago, he pioneered and perfected the craft of creating the finest brews and malts in India. It took us nearly 60 years to create a singular whisky that is marvellous enough to grace his (Dewan Gian Chand’s) name. His legacy lives on in every batch of this bottled flawlessness,” DeVANS Chairman and Managing Director Prem Dewan said.
Dewan took over the reins of the company from his father (Dewan Gian Chand) in 1982.
Describing the journey of his father, Dewan said GianChand Single Malt whisky is an ode to our founder, a self-made entrepreneur who started his career as a journalist and envisioned DeVANS as a company with high standards of quality, values and ethics.
Gian Chand started his journey as a journalist with Ranbir newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir during the pre-Independence era.
Terming GianChand Single Malt as a major milestone for the company, which has just completed 60 years of existence, Dewan said the distillation and maturation processes have been fine-tuned in the unit during the past six decades to ensure ideal conditions for manufacturing and development of the malt spirit during the maturation process.
The flavours in the spirit have been optimised due to unique systems developed by the company and the ideal Jammu weather has also played its part in the process, he added.
He further said that GianChand is far more delicate and refined than any other Indian single malt, with soft barley and spice, taking different but vital paths as the complexity increases.
GianChand Single Malt whisky has currently been launched in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Delhi, and is slated to be made available across at least 10 states in the near future.
Devans Modern Breweries Ltd, founded by Dewan Gian Chand, is a manufacturer of a wide bouquet of beer brands like Six Fields, Kotsberg and the iconic Godfather.
