Switching gears from bourbon to Indian Whisky reviews we’re looking at something brand new to the market: Paul John PX Single Malt Whisky. This, and its sibling the Oloroso, are part of the Select Cask line which also includes the Paul John Classic and the Paul John Peated whiskies. Both of which are quite delicious. But we’re talking about PX… so let’s talk about PX.
The whiskey in this release spent the first 5+ years of its life in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and then spent the last 2+ years of its life in 60-year-old PX barrels. That’s some deeply Pedro Ximenez soaked oak there. PX is a strong spirit when it comes to flavor and 2 years for such a light spirit could be brutal… or it could be perfect. Let’s find out.
Paul John PX Select Cask Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Hailing from the tropical shores of Goa, this exotic Indian single malt, in rich shades of dark copper, has complex aromas of fig and apricot with a rare hint of banana. On the palate are tremendous flavours of sweet barley with creamy butterscotch, dry fruits and a profuse Christmas cake. The finish is long and exquisite, with delectable chocolate fudge, delicate orange peel and hints of exotic wine drenched nuts. Much of the intrinsic characteristics of the Paul John PX owes allegiance to the famed intensely sweet and dark Spanish dessert sherry, having been gloriously finished in handpicked Pedro Ximenez casks.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: India
Distiller: Paul John
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: First-fill ex-Bourbon (~5 years) & ex-Oloroso (~2 years)
Age: NAS (~7 years)
ABV: 48%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $125*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Purplish ruby
NOSE
Sticky sweet olde candy, leather, dried dark fruit, s’mores, grape juice and malt.
PALATE
Sun-dried raisins, bitter dark cocoa, leather, sweet plums, pastries, oak and a touch acidic.
FINISH
Long -> Charred sweetness, dark fruit and malt.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, med-full body and a warm dry feel.
Paul John PX Select Cask Review: Overall and Score
Aroma is not as dynamic as many of the Paul John’s I’ve had but it’s equally interesting with the variety of sweet profiles laying on top of the malt; Palate is deeply sweet, approaching cloying, with a sticky sweet, dark, character all around; Finish picks up a nice charred note that pulls the sticky sweetness back a bit and ends up being my favorite part of this whisky. A bit on the sweet side, but not bad.
A somewhat interesting malt that shows the dry “olde candy shoppe” nature of PX and pulls in a touch of nutty spice. I’m not a mega-fan of PX in general but I think they did an ok job with it here in the Paul John PX Select Cask. Like Port, PX is a tricky beast, it can easily take over the whisky and overwhelm the spirit and this walks up to that line but doesn’t quite cross.
SCORE: 3/5
*Disclosure: The sample for this Indian Whisky review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Paul John PX Select Cask Review $125
Overall
3- Nose (3)
- Palate (3)
- Finish (3)
- BBF (3)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Paul John PX Select Cask Review Summary
This is a decent whisky and if you’re a fan of that densely sweet PX profile you’ll love this. If that’s not you, then you might want to try the Oloroso instead.
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