23/04/2023, 11:10 Drinking whisky under the Indian Sun

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Drinking whisky under the Indian Sun

Paul John Whisky is one of the most exciting new whisky brands

Published Oct 9, 2017

Written by

Bernard Gutman

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Put on your swimming costume, grab your sunglasses because we’re

going to the beach in India. Goa is on the western coast of India and
is famous for its beaches and all-night parties.

India is home to the John distillery, producers of Paul John whiskies, one of the most
exciting brands to hit the whisky market in the past few years.
 
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With the exception of the excellent Amrut brand of whisky, Indian whisky was
associated with headaches, illness and death. Every year, many Indians die as a result
of drinking poorly produced home-made spirits.

High in methanol, these toxic spirits are sold in plastic buckets while the more
unscrupulous distillers colour the spirit with vegetable dye, bottle the poisonous
liquid in empty bottles of well-known whisky brands, or bottles with fake labels.

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23/04/2023, 11:10 Drinking whisky under the Indian Sun

India produces excellent whisky, and poorly produced spirits, high in methanol.
It’s a serious issue and one that responsible liquor companies are keen to stamp out.
Another warning: don’t drink in the sun, on the beach. There’s a bad element on some
beaches in India and you may fall asleep, only to wake up as a slave in a Middle-
Eastern country, with no whisky to drink.
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23/04/2023, 11:10 Drinking whisky under the Indian Sun

Back to Paul John. India is a very hot country and the angel’s share of the whisky, the
spirit that evaporates into the atmosphere, is around 8%, compared to 2% in
Scotland.

It could be even higher but at the John distillery, the barrels mature underground,
where it’s easier to control the temperature. In a warm climate, whiskies mature a lot
quicker than spirits in cold climates.

The distillery started selling whisky fairly recently, in 2012, with a successful launch in
London and have been available in South Africa since earlier this year. Michael
D’Souza, the master distiller, started distilling in 1993, so there’s a fair amount of
history in the bottles. 

The barley used to make the whisky comes from the foot of the Himalayas, which is
pretty unique in the whisky world.

Try Signature for richness and Bold for some smoke and peat.

From underground in India, we head to Taiwan, where Ian Chang, Kavalan’s master
blender, will take us five storeys high in the maturation warehouse at King Car
Distillery, home to Kavalan whisky. Actually, I’d prefer to stay on the ground as the
temperature high up in the maturation warehouse reaches 45 degrees. 

You may pass out from the stifling heat and inhaling the angel’s share evaporating
from the barrels at up to 12%. That’s not the way you want to end a whisky tour.

After a brief absence from South African shelves, Kavalan is back in South Africa and
we look forward to seeing Chang again. He was a regular visitor to South Africa and
the Kavalan stand was a popular place at Whisky festivals. 

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Learn More

Chang absorbed much whisky knowledge from Dr Jim Swan, a renowned whisky
consultant to distilleries around the world, who is now enjoying his dram with the
angels.

Dr Swan’s particular area of expertise was optimising whisky production and

maturation for newer distilleries, extracting flavours and character earlier than usual
in the maturation process.

It made perfect sense for him to get involved with Kavalan, where flavour extraction
from the oak barrels needs to be carefully monitored to make sure the whisky is not
over-oaked.

Kavalan is one of the most popular distilleries in the world with more than 1million
visitors a year. The distillery was only planned soon after 2002, the first year the
Taiwanese government allowed private companies to own distilleries. The whiskies
are superb. Yes, you can add ice if you like and also try the whiskies with green tea.

You’ll enjoy some of the cask strength drams, at around 57% ABV, alcohol by volume.
Normal whisky is 43% ABV so be careful

Questions about drinks: email bernard@drinksmag.co.za or tweet @bernardgwhisky

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