Review #359 - Paul John Nirvana
John Distillery's entry level single malt - this is a 40% whisky which is meant to appeal to a wide audience of spirit enjoyers. There's no age statement or details on the casks that are used for maturation, but we're expecting some mellow flavors, possibly stemming from ex-bourbon barrels.
While there's likely to be some chill filtering used due to the lower bottling strength, the bottle does state that it's natural color.
Paul John Nirvana
India - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 28 (2024)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 40% ABV
Details: No color added
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: The complexion is relatively light - soft fruits, especially lemon citrus. With time, some pistachio nuts develop.
Palate: More warming that you might expect for a 40% whisky, but the mouthfeel is softer; there's some drying oak, as well as a bit of grassy hay, and then fruit develops: lemon again, especially sweet lemons. At times, metallic notes like copper appear.
Finish: Medium length, reflecting the palate relatively well; it's still a bit warm, with light lemon and hay lingering.
Final Note: This is fine - for a 40% strength whisky, the density of the flavors isn't too bad, though it's far from strong. Value is actually decent - despite this being a mellow, somewhat basic whisky, the price is also quite reasonable, especially for a whisky shipped from overseas. Could be worth a try, though there are plenty of Indian single malts that pack a lot more flavor.
Our Average Rating: 5.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.41
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
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