Paul John Christmas Edition 2020

Aroma is a nice diverse rollout that’s more subtle than previous years – you need to take your time with it and let the candy, malty, wine and smoky notes pass to findthe apple notes below; Palate is interesting and unique in its totality and I can’t quite place it but it’s like Honey Nut Cheerios by a fire with some olde tyme candy dots and just a touch metallic; Finish is a muted velvety version of the palate.

Nose: Dark Mint Chocolate, Smoke, Cherries, Toffee, Raisins, Blood Oranges, Vanilla, Mangoes, Walnuts, Nutmeg, Christmas Cakes, Dates, Plums, Honey, Pineapples Palate: Smoke, Oranges, Caramel, Milk Chocolate, Raisins, Walnuts, Licorice, Almonds, Hazlenuts, Cloves, Honey, Grapefruits, Baking Spices, Cinnamon Finish: Dark Chocolate, Oranges, Figs, Toffee, Oak, Cherries, Prunes, Raisins, Makuna Honey Liked this more than 2018 Christmas edition, not sure which I liked more between 2019 Christmas edition and this.

Another Christmas cracker of a whisky from Paul John, a distillery that just gets better and better in my estimation. Your Yuletide in a glass begins with the aromas of warm crackling spices and a heady drop of stewed fruit. A mouthful of mango and orange keeps this annual special edition firmly within the house style of the Goan stills, though the flavor feels amped up from the regular releases despite the modest ABV. The finish is long and warm, with a hint of peat and blood orange. I typically prefer Paul John’s unpeated releases because they let the tropical flavors shine, but the mix of casks here works excellently. A close second to the 2018 release and a notch above 2019’s.