One of the things I love about whisky is the way it can take on the quality of a time capsule. Each bottle, even each dram, has its own lifespan, unfolding alongside your own life and marking itself into your experience. Some whiskies become part of your everyday. You replace them as soon as they are finished, so in a sense they never really leave.
Others mark a specific moment in time, a stage in your journey, and stay there, almost forgotten. That is until you revisit them and open the time capsule, releasing everything you stored inside.
Paul John whisky was an important part of my early whisky journey. It showed me that world whisky is not a category to be sniffed at and opened my mind to just how different one dram can be from the next. Then it slipped off my radar and I have not revisited in a while.
Aroma: On the first waft, this whisky delivers a punch of tropical fruit. It sits somewhere between sweet, browning bananas and sharp pineapple. Then it turns spicier, with a ginger heat, alongside a creamy, almost biscuity note.
Taste: It starts quite closed, then opens into a silky sweetness with lashings of golden syrup and dolly mixtures. There are also notes of tinned pineapple in thick, sugary juice.
This phase lingers longer than expected, before ginger biscuits emerge, bringing a warm, crumbly spice that builds at the back of the tongue and gently spreads across the palate.
The finish carries a touch of oak, balanced by tropical sweetness and that lingering ginger warmth.
Real Dram Factor: This whisky feels like sitting on a beach, soaking up crystal-clear, easygoing vibes. It is both tropical and deeply relaxing – 7.1
You will like this if: your ideal holiday involves a hammock or a rubber ring.
ABV: 55.2%
Price: £59.99 through the club subscription or £65-75 from online retailers.
Source: Summerton Club Bottle
Buy Online: Master of Malt
More Information: Paul John Whiskies