India, April 13 -- Barrel to bottle, the art of crafting a malt requires meticulous attention to detail - only a few distilleries around the globe have mastered this well enough to catch the eye of experts. Over the past few years, Indian brands have achieved this feat - bagging awards by the dozen and featuring in recommendations by the best in the whiskey business. However, to really understand which makes for quality additions to a bar, we turned to the country's most popular bartenders, managers, and mixologists. Here's what they had to say.

A quick peek at the aisles of an alcohol store in India will reveal a host of international options - blended scotches from the Highlands (wildly popular pick), American ryes and bourbons, and e...