Paul John Mars Orbiter

I'm a supporter of Paul John, especially their unpeated varieties, but I've found little in this special edition that isn't better represented in their standard releases. The nose offers oranges, anise, and a trace of ash. On the palate, the flavors lean towards a bitter Seville marmalade. I've been fortunate to sample this at least twice this past year, along with many others from the distillery, which consistently offers such vibrant tropical flavors that this one would struggle to rank in my top five. Producing whisky in Goa has been a remarkable achievement, but this particular offering falls slightly short of its peak.

This was poured at the Drammers Club. It's a 4.5-year-old blend from 3 bourbon barrels created to commemorate India's Mars orbit mission. This one is quite tangy and features notes of Peat, Chocolate, Toffee, Guava, Passion Fruit, Citrus, Pineapple, Treacle, Pepper, Butterscotch, Orange, and Caramel.

I find this whisky quite enjoyable. The aroma is warm and rich, with a note like syrupy grapes meets vanilla taffy that develops as it sits; the palate presents almost two distinct layers of smoke and sweet, dark grape flavors with everything else in between; the finish achieves a long, elegant duration, continuing the sweet and smoky character.