Review by: The Muskox
This dram was part of a world whisky tasting that I was graciously invited to co-host on behalf of a local whisky group!
Paul John is perhaps best known as “the other Indian distillery”. Located on the west coast of India in Goa, a few hundred clicks northwest of Bangalore, the climate at Paul John is somewhat milder (though still stinkin’ hot) than at Amrut and significantly wetter in the monsoon season.
This particular bottling is Mithuna, which according to Paul John’s incredibly hard-to-navigate website, “named after the Indian counterpart of the 3rd Zodiac sign Gemini”. Neat!
Distillery: Paul John.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: India.
ABV: 58%. Cask strength.
Age: No age statement.
Cask type: Initially matured in virgin American oak casks, then finished in ex-bourbon barrels.
Price: N/A, tasting sample.
Color: Very dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Nutty and spicy, with lots of that virgin oak influence showing through. It reminds me of some of the virgin-oak-matured American single malts I’ve tried. Strong cooked sugar, browned butter, and poppyseed bagels. Spicy cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as some cocoa powder. There’s a hint of fruit – some blueberries maybe, along with candied orange and vanilla-poached pear. There’s a particular musty nuttiness, that for me is a dead ringer for uncooked aged basmati rice.
Thick texture. Arrives with thick malt, toffee, and baking spices, then candied lemon and orange. Big dusty spicy oak and toasted nuts on the development, with hay and yet more cooked sugar. Strong chocolate, cinnamon, and black tea. A hint of earthiness and blueberry.
Medium-long. Loads of roasted malt and chocolate. Chocolate orange, chocolate-covered almonds, and buttered popcorn. Smoky oak and cane sugar cola. Lingering coffee and butter.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Quercus pop tart”
Conclusion: An interesting and tasty dram, but out of place in a tasting filled with rather refined whiskies. This is a thick big virgin-oaky bruiser, more reminiscent of virgin-oak-matured hot-climate American single malts than of Amrut. There’s plenty to like here if the virgin oak doesn’t bug you – Great complexity on the nose, excellent mouthfeel and structure on the palate, a good long finish, and big flavours throughout. I’m intrigued and looking forward to trying some more Paul John, maybe in a refill cask next time.
Final Score: 83.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 