Paul John Bold

By Barry Bradford on October 12, 2015 • ( 1 Comment )

Paul John Bold (46%, OB, 2015)

Category: Indian single malt scotch whisky
Origin: Paul John distillery
Bottling: Paul John, OB
ABV: 46%
Cost: £39.95

Image courtesy of Master of Malt

What they say

https://pauljohnwhisky.com/en/singlemalt/bold

Bold is a journey that leads you down the unexplored, unchartered terrains of Goa. It offers you a slice of its best-kept secrets, unravelling the mysteries, bit by little bit. This expression of ours invites you to leave the trail, tread the path less taken and plunge headlong into the delicious depths of Goa.

Official tasting notes:

Colour: Liquid Gold
Nose: After the slightest whiff of smoke, a dizzying array of Manuka honey, prickly spice and bourboneque red liquorice takes over.
Palate: This melt-in-the-mouth malt has the most profound flavours crashing in like waves. At first, the delivery feels sublimely silky and studded with oak-like honey. And just when you think you’ve savoured it all, you are surprised by a hefty second wave of spice. This is followed by a cloudy, smoky feel that coats the roof of the mouth and leaves a tidal wave of dry molasses, peaty soot and a degree of copper in its wake.
Finish: Bold has a light finish with a tinge of copper slowly making its presence known. You can also sense a gorgeous smoked mocha shaped by delicate and intricate spices.

What I say

Tasted during the #PaulJohnWhisky tweet tasting hosted by Steve @TheWhiskyWire

My tasting notes:

Appearance: Rich and refractive golden orange (12/20), small, slow droplets leave ultra-fine legs
Nose: Richly sweet and sugary, slightly fruity with Cointreau oranges or orange liqueur, lemon and lime sweetened citrus, slightly spiced too, something rich and almost bourbon like, massive vanilla essence and condensed milk, cardamom, touch of tobacco leaf and cigar boxes, sandalwood, fragrant and floral blooms, slightly exotic flowers/florists, ripe banana
Taste: Sweet and sour, lemon and lime cheesecake, much lighter in body than anticipated from the nose, rich peaty more ashen but slightly earthy too, bonfire embers, liquorice and aniseed balls, ginger, cinnamon, pimiento peppers, creamy vanilla and chocolate latte coffee with plenty of brown sugar
Finish: Medium-long, earthy peat, sweet honey and grapefruit pith, some spices and coffee notes linger

Overall

A very nice expression from Paul John Indian single malt whisky. For us this peated Bold expression didn’t seem to be as peat-centric as Edited, in fact the peat seemed subtle and really took a back seat in the nose which was full of sugary and exotic fruits. The peat came to the fore on the palate where it was almost perfectly balanced with a honey sweetness. We found this one to be very approachable and friendly (not harsh and challenging) and Bold in its confident presentation.