Manufacturer John Distilleries Introduced 4 October 2012 | Country of origin India Colour Amber Mahogany | |
 | ||
Type Indian single malt whisky and single cask whisky Alcohol by volume 46% (single malt)
57% (single cask) | ||
Paul John is a brand of Indian single malt whisky and single cask whisky, manufactured by John Distilleries, and launched on 4 October 2012 in London, England. Paul John is made from Indian malted barley and, for some variants, imported Scottish peat, distilled in traditional copper pot stills and then matured in Charred American Oak Casks.
Contents
Paul John Single Malt Whisky was first launched in the year 2012 in the United Kingdom . Following the overwhelming response & appreciation from Whisky Connoisseurs and Whisky Lovers in the UK, Paul John Single Malt was introduced all across European including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Poland & Belgium and Scandinavian countries where Single Malt whiskies are consumed with a passion. Among the non- European markets, Paul John Single Malt Whisky is available in USA, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and India. In India, Paul John Single Malt Whisky was successfully launched initially in Goa in the year 2013 followed by the launch in Bangalore in the year 2015. And now it is available in Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh and Hyderabad (Telangana) markets as well.
John Distilleries have aggressive plans to extend the footprint of Paul John Single Malt Whisky in other European markets such as Greece and a few eastern European countries.
History
John Distilleries is based in Bangalore, but its single malt distillery is located in Goa. The distillery has one set of Indian-made copper pot stills (wash and spirit) that can produce 3000 litres daily. Maturation takes place in a climate-controlled underground cellar that has around 10,000 Bourbon barrels. The company had been making blended whisky since its foundation in 1992, but decided to manufacture single malt whisky in 2008 in an attempt to enter the premium end of the market. Master distiller Michael John (no relation to founder Paul John) chose to use Indian ingredients in the first bottling, to give the whisky characteristics of its country of origin. The wash he created had an abv of 5%, lower than the standard 8% for most whisky. This creates a sweeter flavour in the final product. The whisky is put in the casks at 55% abv, but the alcoholic strength increases as it ages due to the heat, giving the final product an abv of 57%. Goa features a tropical monsoon climate, and being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, has a hot and humid climate for most of the year. The month of May is the hottest, seeing day temperatures of over 35°C (95°F) coupled with high humidity. The monsoon rains arrive by early June and last till late September. Goa has a short winter season between mid-December and February. These months are marked by nights of around 21 °C (68 °F) and days of around 28 °C (84 °F) with moderate amounts of humidity. The hot weather makes whisky mature faster in India than it does in Europe or the United States. The fraction lost to evaporation during aging, known as the angels' share, is also higher in India, at 10–12% per year, than in Scotland, where the annual evaporative loss is about 2%. This leaves a hogshead with only 150 bottles left in it, after three years, compared to around 350 in a Scotland. Michael John describes it this way, "Whisky matured at these temperatures simply cannot be aged for the kind of time expected with Scotch, even trying to mature our whisky for just 10 years would leave barely a bottle of liquid in the barrel. Fortunately, the heat actually speeds up the maturation process considerably. As a result, whisky that has been matured for just 4-5 years – as is the case with Paul John Edited and Brilliance – is equivalent to a Scotch that has been aged for around 15 years".
The first bottling of Paul John whisky, branded "Paul John Single Cask 161 Whisky", was officially launched on 4 October 2012 at the Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, England, by Mr. Sanjay Paul - CEO, ALCOBEV Communications UK. It was a non-peated whisky single cask whisky, made from Indian malted barley distilled twice in traditional copper pot stills, aged for an unspecified period in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks freshly emptied in Kentucky. It was bottled at cask strength: 57% abv and 150 bottles were made from the cask. It sold exclusively through the Whisky Exchange priced at £60 for a 700 ml (70 cl) bottle. Whisky connoisseur Jim Murray gave it 94.5 points and the "Liquid Gold" award in his Whisky Bible. The brand's second release, also in 2012, was "Paul John Single Cask 163 Whisky" having 57% abv and priced at £60. Following the single cask release, Paul John released two single whiskies in May 2013. They were branded Paul John Single Malt Whisky Brilliance and Paul John Single Malt Whisky Edited. The company plans to focus on single malts, while also releasing occasional single casks and are also planning special releases.
Variants
Paul John Single Malt Whisky has 4 variants, viz. Brilliance, Edited, Select Cask Classic and Select Cask Peated.