Rampur Indian Single Malt Turns 43°C and 2°C Into Its Signature
Rampur Indian Single Malt has found its next big idea in the weather. The Radico Khaitan brand has unveiled "43° | 2° Born in Nature's Frequency," a positioning built on the swing between 43°C summers and 2°C winters at its Himalayan foothills distillery. Put the two numbers side by side and you get 432, now the brand's numerical signature. It is a campaign, not a new bottle, and it arrives as Rampur turns ten.
Why This Matters for Whisky Fans
The idea is simple and surprisingly tasty to think about. Heat makes the oak cask expand, cold makes it contract, and that breathing, repeated year after year, shapes the whisky inside. Rampur is making that natural process the centerpiece of its identity as it enters its second decade.
There is real science behind the pitch, too. The distillery was chosen to represent Asia in The 8 Continent Series, a six-month international study into how geography and climate affect the maturation, chemistry and flavor of single malt. It is led by Brazilian food scientist Aline Bortoletto and her team at INOVBEV. Rampur is the only Indian whisky in the study, and researchers will use chemical analysis, sensory evaluation and statistical modeling to dig into the role of climate.
Radico Khaitan's chief marketing officer, Kunal Madan, says the platform ties together climate, craft and character. He also points to the cultural meaning of 432, which people associate with harmony, balance and the rhythm of nature.
The rollout runs through bars, restaurants and retail, using in-outlet branding, point-of-sale material and consumer experiences. Digital storytelling features actor Mihir Ahuja, known for Netflix's Operation Safed Sagar.
Inside the Bottle
Rampur is an Indian single malt, meaning whisky made from malted barley at a single distillery. What sets it apart is where it ages. In a mild climate like Scotland's, whisky matures slowly. In a place that swings from 2°C to 43°C, the wood works the spirit harder, a bit like the big seasonal shifts Kentucky bourbon makers talk about.
The brand has built a following on that sense of place since it launched in 2016. Nine Rampur expressions appeared in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2026, averaging 91.9 points. Rampur also became the first Indian single malt presented across four major UK airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
The business side is moving too. Radico Khaitan's Prestige & Above segment grew 35.8 percent in volume in the first quarter of its 2027 fiscal year, reaching 5.28 million cases. That is 74 percent of the company's IMFL value sales (IMFL is Indian Made Foreign Liquor, the industry's term for Western-style spirits made in India).
The Story Behind Rampur
Rampur's story begins with a man who did not drink. In 1972, G. N. Khaitan bought a loss-making distillery in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, from Vishnu Hari Dalmia for ₹1.6 million (about $17,600). According to his son Lalit Khaitan, he was a teetotaler all his life, and Lalit himself had never tasted alcohol until his father bought the place.
The distillery had been founded in 1943 as Rampur Distillery & Chemical Company, and for decades it made neutral alcohol sold in bulk to other liquor companies. The company only began producing its own brands in 1999. It later took the name Radico Khaitan and grew into the fourth largest Indian liquor company.
Seventeen years after those first brands came Rampur Indian Single Malt, named for the town where the family business started. Today Radico brands are sold in more than 85 countries.
Price, Proof and Availability
Official Name: Rampur Indian Single Malt
Category: Indian single malt whisky
What Is New: the "43° | 2° Born in Nature's Frequency" brand positioning, not a new expression or bottling
Announced: November 11, 2026
Price (SRP): none announced
US Availability: not confirmed. The sources do not say where the campaign is rolling out beyond on-trade and retail touchpoints, so check with your local retailer for Rampur.
Did You Know?
One of the eight single malts in The 8 Continent Series was matured in Antarctica.
Rampur's 43 and 2 are the temperatures, but the brand also treats the combined 432 as a symbol of harmony and balance.
Tonights Poison Take
Brand campaigns usually fade fast, but this one hangs on something real: a distillery with a sizable temperature swing and a place in an international climate study. It gives curious drinkers an easy reason to pour Rampur and think about how place shapes a whisky. For anyone who has not yet tried Indian single malt, the next ten years of Rampur look like a good time to start.
Bar Talk: Rampur's new signature number, 432, comes from the 43°C summers and 2°C winters its whisky matures through.
Know a whisky fan who thinks climate only matters in Scotland? Send them this one.
More on Tonights Poison
About the author: Jas Sawhney (Tonights Poison) has spent 18 years in the beverage alcohol industry and shares new releases, tastings and spirits news as @tonightspoison on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Please enjoy responsibly.
Comments