Paul John 2015
Style: Single Cask
Cask: #6414
Year of distillation: 2015
Bottled: 2021
Age: 6
Region: India
Cask Type: Barrel
No. of bottles: 160
ABV: 58.9%
Release: Spring 2022
Rob Whitehead
“This has an ebullient nose of bacon and chocolate brownies, backed-up by notes of an old-fashioned carpenters workshop. The palate is a riot of texture and a deliciously chewy ode to wood. It is on the palate that the peat begins to grow and flourish into a smoky molasses finish. A beautiful example of warm-climate maturation from this first-rate distillery in Goa.”
Tasting Notes
An example of Paul John’s heavily peated make matured full term in India. The nose offers a whack of peat smoke and vanilla, but with time in the glass an alluring fruitiness appears offering underripe mango and a little banana. This theme continues on the palate as powerful peat smoke dominates the tastebuds, before a much more complex picture appears showing marmalade, baking spice and some buttery shortbread. A dram that demands attention from even the most ardent Islay devotee.
Distillery
Situated on the tropical shores of Goa, on the west coast of lndia, Paul John is part of small but growing group of quality focused Indian whisky distillers. Using exclusively 6-row barley grown in the foothills of the Himalaya mountains and Scottish peat, Paul John takes inspiration from the great Scots’ tradition but adds the vibrant Indian character.
Jonny says: “With a previous company I worked closely with the team at Paul John and I was always struck by their passion and drive to promote Indian Whisky. It would be easy to dismiss Indian single malt as just another hot climate maturation whisky, relying solely on quick maturation, but that would be to overlook the complexities and character of Paul John, not to mention the vibrant Indian influence that feels inherent in this dram.”