Welcome to India’s newest offering in the Single Malt category!

This is the 2nd from our January 2015 Mumbai whisky sampling session after the Bailie Nicole Jarvie (BNJ).

Paul John Single Malt Edited NAS 46% 

Single malt from Goa – 1st bottling

• Colour – Dark gold with the immediate impression that the colour was added not natural
• Nose – Rubber, tincture of iodine, detached industrial smell, not fruit or flower, slight caramel
• Taste – Sharp spice, musty yet also dry, perhaps a bit of salt
• Finish – Um… well… there were no comments so clearly it didn’t leave much of an impact
• Add water – While naturally the spice went up a tinge, there was a new element that reminded of bitter tumeric, a sourness added to the mix, then overripe banana

As we were having such fun with our discussions, the malt had time to ‘breath.’ Each time we returned to it, new notes emerged:

• First the iodine transformed into dry coconut with a hint of vanilla and added a leathery dimension on the palate
• Come back again and a clear caramel custard welcomed the nose and the sourness on the palate mellowed into sweet

The unveiling:

Talk about a surprise! This new single malt from India definitely shows promise. It could benefit from more aging and peat… however as a first bottling, it is a good beginning. While clearly a work in progress, it will be interesting to see where Paul John goes next.

More info:

• John Distilleries are from Bangalore best known for their “Original Choice” whisky and “Big Banyan” wine
• Produce their single malt Paul John in Goa
• A new entrant to single malt, the distillery uses copper pot stills and began manufacturing whisky in 2008
• We tried one of their two single malt whiskies (Edited and Brilliance) released in May 2013 in Goa (not Maharashtra yet!) – and understand it the ‘1^st bottling’- lucky us!

Best quote of the evening:

Promising… but should have practiced susegad a bit longer!

Other whiskies in our January tasting session:

• Bailie Nicole Jarvie (BNJ)
• GlenDronach 21 Year Parliament

Since this introduction, we’ve had many more brushes with Paul John whiskies!

• Winnipeg’s Cabinet Paul John Peated experience
• Distillery Tour (Guest Post by Paula McGlynn)
• Whisky Ladies go Goan! Paul John Brilliance, Edited, Bold, Classic & Peated
• Original club’s Paul John flight

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