Hindu leader outraged by Amrut whisky’s ‘highly inappropriate’ name

Nevada-based Rajan Zed said that amrut “emerged from Churning of the Ocean, which was highly important part of Hindu faith, and linking whisky to it was trivialisation of the oldest and third largest religion of the world with a rich philosophical thought​.” 

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said amrut was the name given to the nectar of immortality, which bestowed deathlessness. 

“Selling whisky named as Amrut was highly misleading and it hurt the feelings of the devotees. Amrit is also blessed water in Sikhism and some denominations of Buddhism​,” said Zed. 

Zed is a little late to complain, the brand having been launched over a decade ago. And it’s hard to say that the whisky is obscure—it exploded onto the world’s stage in 2005, the year after its debut, when celebrated whisky critic Jim Murray gave Amrut 82 points in his annual ratings, judging it to be one of the finest in the world.

In the past, Zed has in the past slammed the American makers of Gandhi-Bot beer for insulting the Mahatma. He has also called for a standard, similar to halal, for observant Hindus.