More than half of the Top 10 best-selling whisky brands in the world do not come from Scotland, Ireland or the US. They come from India. Although they sell hundreds of millions of liters per year, most of these spirits are of such impure make that they can only be sold domestically. Outside of India, they would not classify as whisky at all. Thankfully, there are exceptions. One Indian whisky brand that is held in very high regards by drammers all across the globe is Paul John. And rightfully so. While I can only base my judgement on their Bold expression (I have yet to try any other Paul Johns), there is little denying that these guys know their craft. Just like different dancers, musicians and singers complement one another in a world-class performance, a wealth of individual flavors comes together in this deep, potent – or should I say bold – whisky.
by Tobi
Eye: Full gold with a very light orange glimmer.
Nose: Behind a heavy curtain of medical smoke, the stars of the evening – oranges, cloves and peppermint leaves – are waiting for their cue.
Palate: Yellow fruits on the one side, different kinds of peat smoke on the other. Once the orchestra starts to play, a buoyant dance begins right there on our tongue. Banana takes soot by the hand, seabuckthorn spins phenol around and apricot cuts the rug with ash.
Finish: To round off a great performance, the Paul John Bold gives a lengthy encore full of peatiness, spiciness and sweetness.
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- The dram
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- The label
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- In the glass
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- Promo shot
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Region: India
Aged: NAS
Alc. volume: 46%
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
Price range: 45.00 Euro
More info: www.pauljohnwhisky.com (Distillery) ; www.bremerspirituosencontor.de (Importer)
BarleyMania | Whisky & Whiskey 
Nice review Tobi! I haven’t tried John Paul yet but I’ve got their ‘Brilliance’ expression on my shopping list for September. It will be interesting to see how it compares with the quality of Amrut.
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Cheers, David! I think I also need to try more Paul John’s before I can say anything about their signature style and the overall quality of their range. But their Bold expression was definitely one helluva good start…!
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Well written Tobi, it makes me that much more curious to try these expressions. I only picked up seabuckthorn once in a whisky it was in a Mackmyra expression.
I also wonder what the profile of Paul John is like compared to Amrut, also how the climate affects their whiskies.
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Thanks a lot! I hope I didn’t raise the bar too much by naming seabuckthorn as one of the main notes I made out in this whisky. In contrast to rather common tastes like apples or pears, such exotic notes often turn out to be very subjective. One person thinks of seabuckthorn when trying a dram, while another person thinks of something completely different… :D
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Not at all, personally I enjoy when someone finds something specific as that in their tasting notes. It happens you get that jolt when enjoying a whisky or any spirit and your taste memory jumps to a particular association. Not just honey but buckwheat honey for example.
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Nice review.. The Islay peat really sets this whisky up, not too dominating but just enough to give it a good kick.. 👍
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Yeah, I also found the interplay of peat and fruit perfectly balanced in this one…
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PJ Bold is one solid dram! Particularly Batch #4 from Sept 2016 – fantastic.
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