Paul John Peated Select Cask (55.5%): The third sample from Paul John's line-up is the Peated Select Cask. For this expression they used only their peated malt. As you will remember from earlier reviews Paul John is using six row barley grown in India but they are importing their peat from Scotland.
Price: $98
86/100
Color: Medium amber, honey...
Nose: Yep, definitely peat... More like a new make though: Burnt rubber, plastic lunch containers and the vintage bomber jacket you dug out from a pile of other leathery goods in the flea market. Over-roasted pine-nuts... Wild mushrooms, pork broth and iodine tincture. Even a few drops of water cleared the plasticky off notes very beautifully, much better now. Roasted sunflower seeds (again), roasted cashews and damp earth... Dried sour cherries, cumin and ripe baby bananas.
Palate: That's more like it... Bacon fat, burnt pineapple rings and dried spicy mango slices. Adding water works as good as it did on the nose. Balsamic vinegar, maple charcoal and dark and bitter chocolate bars. More bacon, smoked red meat, beef jerky and sizzling sweet sausages on barbecue.
Finish: Long with roasted red peppers, barbecue ash, bitter walnut pieces and other roasted nuts. Quite salty...
Overall: A very different peat experience... It started like a young, synthetic and harsh peat experiment but ended up with a sweet, mellow and ashy barbecue party. It sure benefits a lot from airing and a few drops of water and I have to say that it was one of the rare peaty whiskies I enjoyed more on the palate than on the nose. Another well crafted and unique whisky from Paul John... Well, I have to admit that this particular expression is kinda pricy but very worth to try. Official sample supplied by Madhu Kanna and Ajay Bhoja...
86/100
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