Huli Single Origin Jaggery Rum and Amrut - Bella Single Jaggery Rum Review
- Nikkhil Shirodkar
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
We’ve spent the last few reviews travelling across rum regions - Haiti, Grenada, South Africa, Martinique and Jamaica, each with its own idea of what rum should taste like in the glass. Funk, agricole grassiness, pot-still, column still, cask mix, the spectrum is wide. Now the journey circles back to a place which is deeply personal and familiar - India. A country that has grown sugarcane since time immemorial, and yet is only now beginning to define what Indian rum can be by focusing on raw material and distilling intent.
India’s relationship with sugarcane and its history is covered in great detail in my Camikara rum review. Long before the Caribbean pioneered molasses-based distillation, we've been cultivating cane, expressing its juice, and concentrating it into an unrefined sugar, dense not only with sucrose but also minerals and organic compounds. Jaggery or "Gud/Gur" has been part of Indian culinary and agricultural culture for centuries. What is less widely documented, but strongly suggested in regional histories, is that jaggery did not always end up in sweets. In many communities, it also found its way into fermentation. Whether this fermentation regularly led to distillation is harder to confirm as written records are fragmented. But it is clear that the idea of transforming cane into alcohol is not new here. What is new is the modern return to jaggery as a legitimate base for craft rum.
For decades, India’s identity in rum was shaped almost exclusively by industrial molasses, a by-product of the refined sugar economy. Rum became something mass-produced, sweetened, flavoured, coloured and disconnected from agricultural origin. For years, Indian excise frameworks in key states recognised molasses-based spirit as the default raw material for rum, while sugarcane juice or jaggery either had no licensing pathway or were actively disallowed. Rather unfortunate given the fact that we grow over a hundred different varieties of sugarcane. Jaggery in distillation pushes the category away from the industrial template that defined Indian rum toward a philosophy rooted in raw material, locality and flavour. In other words, from the bogus “Indian-style rum” to Indian rum with terroir.
Amrut Bella and Huli sit within this revival. Both begin with single origin jaggery and between them lies a full spectrum of possibility for what jaggery-based rum can be. This review looks at Bella and Huli through that lens, not to decide which one is better, but to understand how each distillery interprets jaggery, fermentation, and maturation in its own voice and in doing so, if it is able to reflect the terroir of its origin.
Traditional jaggery making. Image courtesy @Thenewsminute
Gud, Gur or Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional, non‑centrifugal sugar (NCS) made by concentrating sugarcane juice or palm sap without separating out the molasses, so it remains a moist, mineral‑rich, unrefined sweetener with a flavour between caramel, brown sugar, and light molasses. Production starts with crushing cane (or collecting palm sap), clarifying the juice, then boiling it in open pans to around 120–122 °C to evaporate water and promote some caramelisation and Maillard reactions before the thick syrup is poured into moulds or trays to set into blocks, cakes, or granules. India is the largest producer of jaggery in the world. Related NCS are made across the tropics in Colombia, Mexico and much of Latin America and is called panela or rapadura in Brazil. It is also commonly produced across SE-Asia and Japan.
Jaggery as a Rum Ingredient
During its production by boiling sugarcane juice, caramelisation generates flavour precursors including furans (nutty, fudge), maltol (caramel sweetness) and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) for toffee, toasty and subtle bitter notes. These compounds, formed via sugar dehydration, fragmentation, and recombination at 90-118°C, plus Maillard reactions with amino acids, provide jaggery's earthy, toffee-like profile. We've all smelt the aroma and taste of jaggery in our homes. It has a distinct sweet profile that can only unmistakably come from jaggery.
Good‑quality jaggery typically contains about 65–85% sucrose, up to roughly 10–20% invert sugars, and 3–10% moisture. It retains a small but significant fraction of minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium, as well as molasses, polyphenols and Maillard browning products, which together give it a deeper brown colour and more complex, caramel‑molasses aroma than refined sugar.
A commonly held belief among consumers is that brightly coloured jaggery is the best quality, but this is misleading. Jaggery quality is influenced by factors such as cane variety, fertiliser use, irrigation water quality and processing method, and colour alone is not a reliable indicator of raw material integrity. Many producers use chemical clarificants such as hydros, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and other substances to obtain an attractive colour or to force solidification from inferior juice. These additives may temporarily improve appearance, but they do not reflect superior cane quality or processing, and can compromise both flavour and nutritional integrity.
Compared to fresh sugarcane juice and molasses, jaggery offers a middle ground. Less fresh/grassy than cane juice but sweeter than molasses due to partial caramelisation without full sugar extraction. Rum from jaggery can yield a toffee, slightly earthy, caramel-forward spirit.
Image courtesy@ Journal of Environmental Biology
Huli Single Origin Jaggery Rum
Huli, Kannada for Tiger, is positioned as India’s first commercially launched jaggery based craft rum and was conceived by founders Aruna Urs and Chandra S. The journey began around 2014, when the duo, who were initially exploring arrack and cane sap distillation, came across a traditional jaggery spirit being made illicitly in a village in Karnataka and saw the potential for a premium legally produced version built on the same raw material. As regulations evolved and licensing for jaggery based spirits became possible (in part due to Amrut's efforts), they set out to create a craft rum rooted in Indian cane culture rather than the massy molasses based production.
“We did not inherit a turnkey distillery. Everything had to be built from nothing. The licences alone cost more than most people imagine, and every stage of the process has to be exact because jaggery is not a forgiving raw material. We could have taken the cheaper molasses route, added sugar and flavour, and called it rum like everyone else. Instead we chose the hard way because we wanted to make something honest. Every batch is a financial risk, but it is worth it if Huli can prove that a rum from India can stand on its own merit.” Aruna Urs - Founder Huli.
Against all odds, regulatory and covid, they went on to establish what they call India’s first micro distillery in Nanjangud Taluk in Mysuru, where Huli is now made. The rum is built around single origin jaggery from Belagavi, made from an undisclosed cane variety grown along the Kapila River. The cane is sent to a jaggery maker who then delivers powdered jaggery to the distillery. This is dissolved in water to form the wash, pitching lab cultured yeast and fermenting for roughly 36 to 48 hours. Distillation takes place in a pot & column hybrid still over a 5 to 6 hour run and is collected at 88% ABV, followed by a state mandated 36 hour holding period before the spirit is transferred to ageing tanks for 6 to 12 months. The rum is bottled at 42.8 % ABV with caramel colouring added. A bit odd given its craft, ingredient focussed positioning.
What caught my eye was the mention of finished with American white oak wood on the label. A curious phrasing, hinting to the use of oak chips. So I checked with Aruna and he confirmed that the rum is a blend of tank and barrel aged rums and that's why they've not mentioned cask aged. They've also not used the word matured as FSSAI rules mandate a minimum 1year ageing to qualify as matured.
The first commercial batch of around 2,000 bottles was released in Bengaluru and Mysuru in August 2024. The brand’s intention is to challenge the long standing association of rum in India as a poor man's drink and replace it with an identity built on raw materials, provenance and craftsmanship. Huli treats jaggery as the foundation for a legitimate Indian rum with history and character. Lets see if the juice lives up to its promise.
Before I proceed, I would like to disclose that I've had many conversations with Aruna and he has always been forthcoming about sharing information. He actively posts on social media and has even shared the gas chromatography (GC) lab report for batch 11. The overall transparency has been very commendable.
Huli Single Origin Jaggery Rum
Base: Jaggery
Distillation: Pot + Column Still
ABV: 42.8%
Maturation: Oak chips + barrel aged blend
Batch: 02 - 2024
Colour: Caramel (E150A)
Nose: Very solventy, like a new permanent marker followed by sharp peach essence, bananas, hard boiled sweets, vanilla and sugar water with a hint of ginger and cloves. Even after letting it rest considerably it is still solventy, almost grain like and now veers towards mild detergent and ethanol with a some rose water, elaichi, and over-brewed tea. I'm a bit befuddled by the lack of jaggery character whatsoever. It feels too confected.
Palate: Solventy just like the nose, you can almost taste the sharp acetaldehyde, bitter pith, sugar water and prickly spirit. That artificial peach follows and rough tannic bitterness grips the back of the palate. Mouthfeel is thin and sharp - very new make like. Maturation character is scant at best and even at 42.8% there is a rawness to the spirit. Sadly the integration could have been much better.
Finish: Short, fumy, confected, bitter-sweet ethanol.
Amrut Bella Single Jaggery Rum
Amrut Bella is a 100% jaggery-distilled single rum, launched in 2024 by Amrut Distilleries. The name "Bella" means jaggery in Kannada. Crafted from jaggery sourced from Karnataka's Sahyadri range and Mandya region, it's pot-still distilled and is tropically aged according to the official website for about seven years in ex-bourbon barrels although the bottle does not have an age statement on it, which is weird. There is no info on caramel colour or chill filtration.
Base: Jaggery
Distillation: Pot Still
ABV: 46%
Maturation: Ex-bourbon
Batch: 06 - 2024
Colour: Bright Gold
Nose: Opens a touch solventy but quickly settles on to sweet coconut, vanilla, white chocolate, aam papad, apricot, baking spices and a bit of ashy incense. As it sits, I get toffee, caramel, bread pudding and the sweetness is now a touch herbal. Creamy oak, and a whiff of pineapple and lime adds weight and a zesty freshness. Interesting nose.
Palate: High toned prickly spirit with a sweet and dusty spice arrival. Soon the oak dominates with astringent tannins, pepper, varnish, a touch of caramel, herbal honey, and bitter liquorice. Mouthfeel is light on texture despite the 46% ABV. With rest, it develops a grain like cereal character, more oak presence, wet sawdust, aniseed and honey water. Not what I was expecting after the interesting nose. This too could come off as an entry level scotch or an Irish whiskey.
Finish: Medium length, dry astringent oak and herbal honey.
Overall observations:
I have been sampling Huli and Bella for many weeks, at different times, different glassware, different rests and at different fill levels in an effort to negate as many variables that could affect my judgement. Structurally, for Huli, the production choices have favoured lightness over raw-material expression, resulting in a spirit that struggles to assert its rum identity. There is no sense of caramel, toffee like warmth, cooked sugar, or the earthy sweetness typically associated with jaggery. Neither does it showcase fermentation depth despite the use of a proprietary yeast which seems to be developed for cleanliness and efficiency rather than flavour complexity. Ageing with oak chips often results in a less integrated or a "forced" profile which can feel sharp and astringent. Served blind this could easily pass off as an entry-level grain whisky instead of rum, let alone one made from jaggery.
The economics of running an independent micro-distillery is brutal given our exploitative regulatory framework and market dynamics. Hence, as a commercial strategy for a new micro-brand, Huli is targeting urban consumers, possibly crossover whisky drinkers which probably explains the production choices. But in doing so, I feel it has inevitably muted the very jaggery "Indianness" and terroir they're promoting. It seems counter-intuitive to have taken the time and effort to select a specific cane variety, to process jaggery, develop custom yeast, only to have its collective character stripped off in the final product. Ultimately this comes across as a generic spirit which could have been produced from any commercial raw material rather than a rum rooted in single origin jaggery. The intention undoubtedly is honest, but the story somehow oversells, while the liquid plays it safe. For me, that is a big disconnect. I don't know if it is a batch issue and if the current lot has ironed out the early wrinkles. But I remain optimistic and will continue to follow developments closely.
Bella fares a bit better structurally than Huli, but it too falls into a similar trap of choosing lightness over expression, a kind of a whisky-lite version if you will. Where the jaggery character should have been loud and clear, there's just a whisper. Also none of the alleged seven year tropical ageing as touted on the website is apparent on the nose or the palate. And here's my beef with Amrut. Unlike Huli, it is no stranger to rum. Two Indies is already a very decent rum for its price. They have all the experience, resources and knowhow at their disposal and yet they've somehow decided to play it safe. That makes Bella more frustrating and disappointing.
Now I'm aware that jaggery will distill a lot cleaner/lighter than fresh cane juice or blackstrap molasses. I'm also aware that our market is not ready for high-ester, hogo rums. Having said that, not all rums are or need to be, just like not all whiskies are peated (thank god!) But I've had rums distilled from panela (liquid jaggery) and some experimental jaggery runs and can vouch that it is possible to retain the jaggery character and build some interesting profiles aided by fermentation depth, careful distillation and quality maturation. Ultimately it all boils down to intent. Already there are plenty of bogus Indian rums in the market targeted for "cocktail-friendly" mixing and these two, despite the provenance, sadly join that crowd.
I sincerely hope that my observations are taken constructively because I have no agenda other than the success of the Indian rum terroir. As Huli evolves (it's still very young), future variants might experiment with longer ferments, use of dunder, lesser rectification, broader cuts, actual tropical maturation, bottled at higher strength, with natural colour and no filtration to highlight that "single-origin" terroir more boldly. I will always remain keenly excited about what Huli does. What Aruna has embarked upon requires tremendous fortitude and for that alone I have the highest respect for him. They've just released their white rum and also have a rice based whisky in the wings. As for Amrut, they can certainly do better than this. If anything, this is a reminder that rum deserves the same approach that has already earned them respect in whisky. There is no reason an Indian rum (or whisky) should feel cautious or generic. Ultimately the Indian rum terroir will only be taken seriously when its producers decide to treat raw materials not just as ingredients, but as a voice worth amplifying.
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