Paul John Christmas Edition 2022

I have had the honor and pleasure of discussing this Christmas Edition of Paul John live on Instagram with none other than Heemanshu Asher, their Global Brand Ambassador. Nice, right? For this Christmas Edition they used three types of barrels: Ex Bourbon Unpeated, Brandy and Oloroso Peated.

The nose is deliciously aromatic on apple cake with cinnamon complemented by poached pears, vanilla, chocolate liqueur and plums, wrapped in a soft smoky jacket. Paul John's DNA is unmistakable with that typical Oriental spiciness. This is very aromatic and inviting.

Nice and oily. On the palate it is immediately nice and spicy with a touch of delicate sweet and sour peat before a battery of fruit is released on my taste buds. I think of apples, pears, apricots and peach. A stew actually. Vanilla returns in the background, while figs and raisins emerge from the wings. origin chocolate also makes its appearance. Sweet chestnuts! There's a lot going on here.

In the finish, the peat lingers nicely but leaves the fruity notes and some chestnuts in the spotlights instead of demanding attention. That's a fine piece of craftsmanship.

A very layered and successful, actually quite complex single malt from our friends from India. Paul John confirms my (pre)judgment that they produce the best Indian single malt. This bottle is for sale for about 60 to 65 EUR. No brainer. I would like to thank Rens and Sophie and actually the entire crew of The Nectar for this opportunity, as well as Heemanshu Asher to discover this delicious malt live with me.