Paul John Christmas Edition 2018

I love this whisky. Aroma is warm and rich with sherry and smoke notes revolving around a malty core; Palate is less nutty than the aroma but just as complex and dynamic with the layers of dried fruits and spices; Finish is the perfect complement and fades out slow with sweet and smoky notes sitting evenly.

Better than Amrut Greedy Angels 8 year at a fraction of the cost even with international shipping. This is full of aromas and flavors from honey, mango, pineapple, passion fruit, apple, a little of the peanut butter I got in the classic, toffee, chocolate, raisins, figs, and whisps of delicate smoke. Very smooth and has a good finish.

John Paul is an Indian distillery and one that, until tonight, I had never tried. I’ve heard good things so let’s see what it’s all about. This is the 2018 Christmas Edition (I assume there are editions from previous years as well but I truly don’t know), which is sherry matured, lightly peated, bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered. I don’t know if Paul John adds colorant to their whiskies but this one is an amber honey. The nose starts with lots of oak and wood spice. This soon transitions into the most incredible fruitcake profile I’ve ever nosed. The fruitcakiest fruitcake that ever fruitcaked even. Intense dried fruits, raisins, prunes, apricots, peaches, and most of all, cherries. There’s also candied ginger and cinnamon. A nice earthy peat that adds complexity and a nice counterbalance to the fruity notes. It’s really amazing how much this smells like fruitcake...just smacks of Christmas. A light minty/herbal note. Sherry, but not overpoweringly sweet like some others. Semisweet chocolate sauce, toffee and maple with some tobacco. A little wood smoke and barrel char, but it’s far in the background. A great nose, no ifs ands or buts about it. The palate mimics the nose almost perfectly. Lots of wood spice (without being spicy) and dried fruits. The same dried fruits as the nose with the cherries and raisins really standing out. Dense spiced fruitcake, chocolate sauce and black pepper. Earthy peat but no real smoke to speak of. Unfortunately the peat does not integrate well with the fruity notes like it did on the nose. The peat and fruits seem to be at odds with each other. Otherwise a great palate as well. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is thick and oily. Mouth coating and luxurious. The finish is long with fruity sherry, fruitcake, chocolate and light peat. Wow, this is a damn fine whisky that just screams Christmas. Super fruity but not overly sweet. Spices but not too spicy. Very well balanced. My only complaint is the way the peat comes across on the palate. While not necessarily bad, it just doesn’t mesh with all the other flavors the way it should. If this Christmas Edition is anything like the rest of the Paul John lineup then I would very much like to try them. A solid 4.25 that could easily be a 4.5 depending on the mood. A big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers

One of bucket list to-do has always been to visit a Christmas market in Germany or Austria: walk through the market while having mulled wine. One day. Till then, this one here didn’t disappoint. Taste of mulled spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. A bit of water brings out a slight bitterness like orange rinds...I’d leave the water out. It’s young, obviously being Indian. The oldest Indian is merely 12...the angels don’t keep much around beyond 8. But despite its youth, it’s complex enough. For a mere $50, a no brainer buy if you want to try a really good Asian whiskey.