Rating: 16/23 I've heard good things about this release. I've been wanting to try a Paul John release since I've been generally pretty happy with other Southeast Asian whiskies (i.e. Amrut and Kavalan), but most of the Paul Johns aren't rated that highly.Also, this gave me an excuse to open a new bottle on Christmas. N: Kind of light. But there is some stuff going on. I get lots of vanilla. But then there's an interesting tartness. It isn't so much citric as it is kind of waxy and grainy. What's weird is that the grain is more like rye than malted barley. Some malty sweetness builds in another layer, leading into a smokiness that is suddenly everywhere. It's a dry smoke with faint peat herbaceousness. It certainly isn't barbecue smoke. It also isn't terribly strong. Faint meatiness is here from the young distillate as well, unfortunately. P: The flavor is still light. It has malt, vanilla, fruits (tangerine, lemon pith, tart cherry), mild spice, some toastiness, and a layer of peat smoke haphazardly smeared across it. It's like it's trying to be Amrut Fusion, but it isn't as full, balanced, or complex. The raw distillate isn't entirely covered up, so there's a little alcohol meatiness coming through (it's faint and not too bad though) and just a general watery character. It also borders on harsh at times. OK, I am starting to realize that there is a substantial layer of dry peat to this, which does make it less watery. Still, it's not exactly full of flavor. F: Not a very strong profile. The smoke is there with the malt and fruitiness. A faint chocolate flavor. A touch of spice here and there. That tart flavor that is the most unique thing about this is gone. - Conclusion - This is certainly a good whisky, but it tastes young, even for Southeast Asia. The alcohol is biting without having the fullness, viscosity, and richness it needs to make that acceptable. The flavor is actually fairly light and lacking in particular personality. It does have a fair amount going on, but it's sort of like the generic forms of several styles were mixed together. This is no Cadenhead's Tullibardine 25 (19/23). It is better than Buffalo Trace (I think a 13/23 or something thereabouts). This is pretty competitive with Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23). There's just enough of a sort of cleanness to the flavor here that I'm pushing it into the 16 bucket. With all of the excitement and scandal about whiskey bottles being emptied and refilled with inferior product, my experience with this does make me wonder briefly (not actually, but) whether my bottle is a fake. It is by no means bad, mind you, but I feel like the hype is high for this one and I really don't get anything close to the decadence I read about in other tastings.