Mumbai: The firsts among equals in Indian single malts have not been dislodged by the Covid-19 pandemic, slowdown and changing tastes pampered by a flurry of brands from Indri and Godawan to Ranthambore and Longitude launched since 2020.The "original" single malt makers Amrut Distilleries and John Distilleries, saw their sales increase 36% to '1,543 cr and 24% to '7,849 cr, respectively, in 2023-24, significantly faster than in the previous few years, belying expectations that newer brands would hurt their revenue as consumers widen their repertoire with local malts at their home bars beyond scotch. In 2022-23, these companies had reported 23% and 14% growth, respectively. "While the demographics haven't changed, youngsters are taking up to single malts and Indians are aspiring for other malts beyond scotch, American or Japanese. With the buzz around the segment through word of mouth, it has also added newer recruits which has helped all the players including us," said Rakshit Jagdale, managing director, Amrut Distilleries.Amrut and Paul John were the first ones to launch Indian single malt in the 2000s. However, in the past three years, the market saw additional suppliers such as Piccadily Agro, which launched Indri and Kamet, international players including Pernod Ricard and Diageo which added Indian brands such as Longitude 77, Epitome Reserve and Godawan to portfolios, and domestic distillers like Radico Khaitan, which have Rampur and Ranthambore. Late last year, Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited launched blended malt scotch whisky brand Arthaus.For decades, the success of single malts has been closely tied to perceptions about age, quality and price-the older the better, and more expensive. Indian single malts don't carry age statements because of local climatic conditions.