For those of you who don't know Paul John distillery is based in Goa on the west coast of India.
Founded in 1992 Paul John use 6 row barley sourced from foothills of Himalayas. A high fiber and protein content, gives a distinct tannic character to the spirit, the wash is more oily leading to a fruity whisky with floral notes. Due to the high temperature and humidity of Goa the whisky matures much more quickly than in Scotland.
| Dram | Christmas Edition 2018 | Edited | |
| Characteristics | 46% ABV, NCF, blend of unpeated, Oloroso finish and peated single malts matured in ex Bourbon & Oloroso hogsheads. | 46% ABV, NCF, blend of peated and unpeated single malts matured in ex-bourbon casks. | |
| Distillery info | Nose : Fabulous creamy sherry background with the blend of well-matured fruit cake, greengage and apple. Clean, luxuriously old fashioned Paul John with lots of honey, citrus and hazelnut. light smoke drifts around until it finds some spice. Palate : Ultra fruity lushness with a combination of delicate spice, nut and sweetness. Finish : Typical Spanish dry oloroso with a vaguely sweeter edge infused by notes of dry dates, figs and honey. | Nose : Honey and cocoa are laced with a hint of smokiness and a shot of espresso. A deeper whiff reveals fruity fragrances. Palate : The grassy flavours of barley show up first, but gently make way for subtle peat notes. They slowly dissolve and pave the way for a rush of mint and mocha. Finish : The finish is long and drawn out. You can sense a hint of spice and chocolate mint as it ends on gentle peat notes. | |
| Appearance |  | ||
| A lovely bright gold colour in the glass, swirls stick and fall as slow thin legs - initial nose: spicy strawberry jam! | Slightly paler than the Christmas edition, again swirls cling the the glass, this time falling as slow thick legs. Initial nose smoky hobnobs. | ||
| Nose | Brian | There's definitely some peat smoke in there and loads of strawberry jam. There's dried fruit and Christmas spices. I think the peat balances the dunnage warehouse notes I was expecting - it's not quite Christmas in a glass - it's got an Indian smoky twist! | Agree with the lemon cheesecake - it's got that biscuit bottom and a fancy citrus top. I think the smoke is more subtle than the Christmas edition. Brown sugar and honey give a sweet edge but there's also some milk chocolate there too. |
| Scott | On the nose I get an initial nose of honey, sticky strawberry jam, brass polish with a subtle hint of peat and sherry. There's also some sherbet dib dabs in there too! | Very malty, not hugely peated, more costal for me, honey, lemon boiled sweets with biscuits. A smoked lemon cheesecake! Agree, the smoke is less evident on this one. | |
| Palate | Brian | Creamy arrival - hints of nuts and tropical fruit. The strawberry jam and spices from the nose follow on behind all wrapped in a blanket of smoke - yummy! Getting some Terry's Chocolate Orange hints too - opening up nicely - still very Christmassy! | Quite a thick oily arrival, chocolate and spice on the palate and a thin veil of smoke. The brown sugar and honey from the nose are there. I was expecting a peat monster from some of the other reviews I've read but this is much gentler allowing the other notes to come through. |
| Scott | Very gentle arrival, pretty dry and much more of a peated element than the nose suggested. Fruity yes, but something tea like too. Interesting. Now you mention it yep, choc orange 👍 | Oily, yep. Nice syrupy mouthfeel which is a winner in my book. Finishes with some dark chocolate bitterness, ginger nuts and a good helping of peat smoke. Lovely dram | |
| Finish | Brian | A long spicy finish, loads of ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon - the smoke again covers it all with a blanket. Didn't get the drying effect I was expecting from the icing sugar note on the nose but overall a yummy dram! 🥃👍 | Spicy finish with a little of the citrus notes from the nose. This is where the smoke really comes in - but for me it's disappointing late. 😪 |
| Scott | Definitely some mulled wine elements to this. Very spicy finish. Cloves, pepper and drying sherry notes. Yum. Might just be me, but I'm getting a hint of @Laphroaig on the finish of this. | Strange that the smoke doesn't really get going till the finish. Liked both but think I preferred the Christmas one 🎄 | |
I don't think the Edited lived up to the reputation I'd heard about it but the Christmas Edition was really nice, more than making up for it! Many thanks to @dram_gazette for the sample swap and @ScotchB78 for sharing these @PaulJohnWhisky drams with me!
 |
| @ScotchB78's photo of Edited (L) and Christmas (R) showing lovely legs |
No comments:
Post a Comment