We recently sampled a quartet of Paul John  whiskies from Goa, India. Before cracking open the 4th whisky, we tried:

• Paul John Brilliance Single Malt 46%
• Paul John Edited Single Malt 46%
• Paul John Classic Select Cask 55.2%

The Paul John Peated Select Cask uses peat imported from Scotland, is non-chill filtered and aged in American white-oak ex-bourbon barrels.

Paul John Select Cask Peated (Whisky Lady)

The notes are from two sampling sessions. The 1st points are from when the bottle was initially opened, the balance from the 2nd tasting session.

Paul John Peated Select Cask 55.5%

Nose

• Peaty, leather, while strong peat on first whiff morphs into smoked bacon, burnt mushrooms, medicinal hospital smell, burnt charcoal and finally after more time a sweetness like a betel leaf or mint
• Hickory chips, peaty, smokey BBQ, roasted, toasted toffee, nutty whiff, lightly tropical. After letting it rest, even more fruit.

Taste

• BACON as in serious we aren’t messing around BACON, very good, sweet at first like brown sugar then ashy
• Heats the tongue then spreads across the palate, lots of crisp bacon, smells a lot peatier than it tastes, citrus of grapefruit, orange then slight bitterness of a chocolately orange
• Veeerrrry smooth with the peat becoming subtler with each sip, softly curling around like a comforting blanket

Finish

• Smoky finish
• Heavy, dense, a little peppery hot
• A bit harsh like a warm tingle of tiger balm
• “It’s a slow burn to the finish”

Water

• Really opens up with a light splash!
• However just a good with nothing added at all…

Overall comments 

• “An uncommon sweet peaty dram”
• “Interesting with some great elements but not quite as complex as I prefer”
• “It reminds me of a Texas BBQ!”
• “Remarkably smooth… the more you sip, the more you enjoy!”

Paul John Peated close-up (Whisky Lady)

While there is peat, it is a light not heavy hand – teasing rather than clobbering you over the head. It is definitely the kind of whisky the grows on you more and more.

Interestingly some who initially voted Paul John Classic as their favourite over the course of the evening found themselves drawn back to the Peated. It even made a convert out of one who tends to prefers non-peated whiskies.

Here is what Paul John has to say about Peated:

Experience the many notes and shades of Goa here…

The Paul John Select Cask Peated gently astonishes the seriously indulgent. The swirl lightly whisks up narratives from the undulating landscapes of the windswept oceanfronts of Goa.

The smoke slowly blows forward and acts as a cushion to the many layers of crisp sugars, muscovado and demerrara. A hint of spice radiates from the hickory and Dominican-style cocoa.

That’s the Goa experience in a tipple.

There is clearly a distinctive quality to all four Paul John whiskies. Each has a kind of tropical ‘sunshine’ with a range of sweet to bitter to spicy and, for Edited and Peated, smokey elements.

It is refreshing they are from India and while all are quite enjoyable single malts, the Select Cask Classic and Peated are the ones appreciated the most.

A welcome newer voice in the world of whiskies and growing pride from India.

Paul John Quartet – Compliments of Michael John (Whisky Lady)

What others are saying:

• Whisky Saga
• Malt Activist
• Whisky Chronicle

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