Core Range: Paul John

The first in a new series of posts showing a distillery's core range of bottlings.

This time looking at Paul John of India.

Bottle	Nirvana
Characteristics	40% ABV NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	ex-bourbon
UK Price	£30
Tasting notes	Nose: An attractive honeycombed bourbon with luscious fruitcake, with a light whiff of enticing caramel pudding. Taste: A delightful soft honey with a slight salt-edged barley; an excellent mouthfeel with honeycomb sweetness. Finish: Immensely long, and richly flavoured with dissolving honey, barley, and succulent vanilla.

Bottle	Brilliance @MaltMusing's Review Here
Characteristics	46% ABV NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	ex-bourbon
UK Price	£40
Tasting notes	Nose: The  Demerara sugars give off a whiff of sweet fragrances, with a hint of cinnamon, dash of honey and faint spices. Palate: Sweet and spice and all things nice, make this Single Malt. The honey-like smoothness is offset by the crunchy-bar-like crispness. Somewhere, there is also a tinge of cocoa. Finish: Brilliance has a smooth and beautifully relaxed finish, with a hint of mild spices and deep intense vanilla.

Bottle	Edited @MaltMusing's Review Here
Characteristics	46% ABV NAS NCF/NC Lightly Peated
Maturation	ex-bourbon
UK Price	£40
Tasting notes	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.

Bottle	Bold
Characteristics	46% ABV NAS NCF/NC Heavily Peated
Maturation	ex-bourbon
UK Price	£40
Tasting notes	Nose: After the slightest whiff of smoke, a dizzying array of Manuka honey, prickly spice and bourboneque red liquorice takes over. Palate: This melt-in-the-mouth malt has the most profound flavours crashing in like waves. At first, the delivery feels sublimely silky and studded with oak-like honey. And just when you think you’ve savoured it all, you are surprised by a hefty second wave of spice. This is followed by a cloudy, smoky feel that coats the roof of the mouth and leaves a tidal wave of dry molasses, peaty soot and a degree of copper in its wake. Finish: Bold has a light finish with a tinge of copper slowly making its presence known. You can also sense a gorgeous smoked mocha shaped by delicate and intricate spices.

Bottle	Classic Select Cask
Characteristics	55.2% ABV NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	ex-bourbon
UK Price	£60
Tasting notes	Nose: Fruity, malty aromas are intertwined with honey. A hint of bourbon teases your senses. Palate: With the very first sip, flavours of malted barley greet you. A heady mix of bourbon and manuka honey-liquorice makes for an attractive spine. And while you relish this experience, the unexpected flavour of toasted honeycomb takes you by surprise Finish: This Single Malt has an absolutely elegant finish, with juicy Demerara tones ensuring a soft, friendly finish.

Bottle	Peated Select Cask
Characteristics	55.5% ABV NAS NCF/NC Heavily Peated
Maturation	ex-bourbon
UK Price	£60
Tasting notes	Nose: The smoky, sweet and earthy fragrances have mellow resonances of spice. Palate: As the crisp Muscovado and Demerara sugars create layered nuances, the smokiness of the Single Malt sets in, creating a perfect balance. A hint of spice radiates from the hickory and Dominican-style cocoa. Finish: The delicate finish of this Single Malt has notes of Dominican cocoa laced with the tart edge of marmalade.

Bottle	Oloroso Select Cask @MaltMusing's Review Here
Characteristics	48% ABV NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	ex-bourbon then oloroso finish
UK Price	£75
Tasting notes	Nose: Peach, apricot and light notes of molasses's and blood orange. Taste: Soft and sweet, with nutty chocolate and Melton Hunt cake. Finish: Long, intense and sweet with delicious heavy spices imbibed from the Oloroso casks, a dash of coffee mocha and sumptuous dark chocolate.

Bottle	PX Select Cask @MaltMusing's Review Here
Characteristics	48% ABV NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	ex-bourbon then PX finish
UK Price	£80
Tasting notes	Nose Fig and apricot with a rare hint of banana. Taste: Sweet barley with creamy butterscotch, dry fruits and Christmas cake, Finish: Long and exquisite, with chocolate fudge, orange peel and exotic wine drenched nuts.

Bottle	Christmas Editions @MaltMusing's Review Here
Characteristics	46% ABV NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	various
UK Price	£55
Editions	2018: Oloroso Cask Finish 2019: PX Cask Finish 2020: Unpeated ex-oloroso & virgin oak casks + peated ex-bourbon 2021: Ex-Bourbon, Port and Madeira casks

Bottle	Zodiac Series
Characteristics	Various ABVs NAS NCF/NC
Maturation	various
UK Price	£190-£220
Releases	Kanya (55%) Mithuna (58%)

Other Core Range posts