John (Paul John) is one of the few single malt distilleries in India along with Jagdale Industries (Amrut) broke the glass ceiling literally by competing against its Scottish snobbish opponents and winning accolades ! Who John you ask? Let me jog your memory. Remember Original Choice whiskey (and of course their strange ads?). Did you know Original Choice was one of the highest selling whiskeys in India? These were before the days when single malt became mainstream and only the cattle class was available to the middle order.
About Paul John
John Distilleries is based out of Goa. They make the popular Paul John single malt whiskey in different variants such as Bold, Brilliant & Edited. The Bold is my personal favourite for its slight peatiness. They have also launched some higher segment variant like Kanya which is retailing for Rs. 16000 – Rs. 20000. It has amazing notes of honey, peach… err we are digressing I think. Lets do the tasting in another post. This post is all about the Nirvana. Retailing for Rs. 2000 in Bangalore (lower in Goa) this is one of the best competitions I have seen in a while. Single malt , which is an epitome for luxury, oppulence and complete snobbishness has now been made accessible to the middle classes with this price and why not. A thing of beauty should be enjoyed by all right?
Launch of Nirvana
The launch was organized by SMAC India- Single Malt Amateur Club (SMAC)and was a fun event with a blind test to guess the Nirvana from three different whiskeys.
SMAC has been doing commendable effort of exposing their members to great single malts. Though I would call it a sacrilege, there were some amazing cocktails being made with Nirvana and they were lovely with Xoox keeping the food going at the same speed the single malts were getting breathed in, literally !! Well the name Nirvana is apt 🙂 Here’s a live version of the event
Nirvana Tasting Notes
Nose
This is an unpeated whiskey with an ABV of 40%. This means its almost fruity on the palate with hints of bourbon, fruitcake and caramel.
Taste
Brilliant mouthfeel with a honeycomb like sweetness. Delightful and easy drinking
Finish
Long with hints of honey and vanilla lingering to just about leave a teasing farewell. Imagine a bollywood scene of a dupatta caressing your face as the girl of your dream disappears 🙂
Balance
Well a lovely balance of all flavors including barley and oak which leaves you singing ye dil mange more.
Colour
Deep Copper
If you are interested in knowing more about Single Malts or being part of the many events join the club
For more information visit Paul John Website
