Paul John Classic Select Cask Whisky

I start 2018 on an Indian note –  with the Paul John Classic Select Cask Indian single malt whisky. I love exploring world whisky. Especially whisky that comes from non-traditional countries such as South Africa, France, India or Taiwan.

Drinking a whisky from a new country allows me to dream about travelling there. When I got invited to taste a few Paul John releases during a tasting at Churchills bar, I was understandably excited.

A night out, tasting whisky from a country I love to travel in – what can be better. I have been to India quite a few times. The colours and tastes of India are unique. It is a fascinating country to travel in, steeped in history and filled with amazing stories.

Tasting this whisky in Churchills far allowed me to escape back to India. I know Amrut from Bangalore well and have tasted many of their expressions, but where is Paul John distillery from?

More about Paul John Distillery

Paul John is a brand of Indian single malt whisky and single cask whisky, manufactured by John Distilleries in Goa. Mr Paul P. John founded the John distilleries back in 1992 when they began producing several spirits, including Indian molasses-based ‘whisky’.

One of their best-known products is Original Choice whisky, brandy, rum and gin. The head office is in Bangalore, but the John distillery is situated in Goa.

Goa, with its blend of Indian and Portuguese culture, has a rich colonial heritage, white sand beaches, warm weather, pleasantly charming people and wonderful food tradition.

In 2008, John Distilleries attempted a single malt whisky, and the rest is history.  Paul John Single Malt was launched in 2012 in the UK, and there was an overwhelmingly positive response to the golden liquid from this Indian distillery.

Paul John whisky is made with six-row barley, harvested in the summer months to obtain that perfect maturity. Then it is double distilled in traditionally designed copper pot stills. The master distiller is Michael D’Souza.

Due to Goa’s location in a tropical zone, the angel’s share is much higher than cold Scotland. Annually evaporation in India is around 10% – 12 %. The warmer temperature also means that the whisky is ageing faster, compared to colder countries.

The Paul John Classic Select Cask Indian whisky is an unpeated single malt that has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled without chill-filtration at cask strength.

The rest of the Paul John range include the Paul John Nirvana, Paul John Brilliance, Paul John Edited, Paul John Peated, and the Paul John Bold whisky.

Paul John Classic Select Cask Whisky Review

COUNTRY: India

ABV: 55.2%

COLOUR: Golden amber with light orange hints

NOSE: First up is whiffs of alcohol. You need to let the liquid breath for a bit. After a few minutes, there is a smell of creamy sweetness. The Paul John Classic nose has notes of freshly baked apple pie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, barley, faint hints of vanilla and candied fruits. Complex and rich. There is a wholesome yumminess on the nose that invites you to taste.

PALATE:  The yumminess from the nose translates onto the palate. It is a beautiful, full-bodied dram. Even at the 55.2% ABV, you don’t taste any alcohol, and I could easily finish the glass without water. The palate itself has the perfect balance between spice and sweetness.

Hints of toffee, oak, baked apples, barley with bits of vanilla floating about. Warming cinnamon and soft pepper are well balanced with honey sweetness. After adding a bit of water, the spices softened, and more honey came through.

FINISH: Warming, long, lingering, complex, rich, with hints of oak, fruit and cinnamon.

RATING: DIVINE

What a HUGE note to start the year on. Amrut set the bar very high in 2009 when they launched Fusion, and the world started noticing Indian whisky. But the Paul John effortlessly vaulted over that high bar with this Classic Select Cask release. Masterfully done!

The Paul John Classic Cask Select single malt whisky as well as the other expressions in the Paul John range is now available in SA.

This is a great dram to pair with food. I paired Paul John Classic Select Cask whisky with some Swiss Appenzeller cheese for World Whisky Day.

This whisky made it into my Whisky of the Year 2018.  See what happened when we blind-tasted all the Divine rated drams for 2018. I had the fantastic opportunity to taste the Paul John Mars Orbiter Peated release and wrote about it.

Also Read: Amrut Intermediate Sherry whisky