Paul John Mithuna

An outstanding dram, possibly the finest Indian Whisky I've sampled. It boasts abundant honey, banana bread, brown sugar, nuts, and many sherry cask-influenced flavors, despite exclusively aging for 5 years in Virgin Oak and an additional year in first-fill bourbon casks, with no sherry casks used. It could easily be mistaken for a Balvenie Tun 1858 Batch 1 or Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 5 in a blind tasting. Aroma: Honey, Dark Chocolate, Oranges, Guava, Pineapples, Raisins, Sultanas, Peaches, Raspberries, Licorice, Cloves, Cherries, Caramel, Banana Bread, Brown Sugar Palate: Honey, Cloves, Cardamom, Strawberries, Dark Chocolate, Raisins, Prunes, Figs, Dates, Bananas, Papayas, Mangoes, Maple Syrup, Sultanas, Walnuts, Banana Bread, Cinnamon, Nutmeg Finish: Raisins, Toffee, Dark Chocolate, Chili Peppers, Cloves, Figs, Prunes, Morello Cherries, Hazlenuts, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Mangoes, Pineapples, Red Apples

Mithuna is the typical Paul John tropical fruit medley amplified significantly. The nose presents Seville oranges with a side of peaches in syrup and honey. Freshly sanded oak adds a spicy top note. Served neat, this offers some of the most potent citrus fruit I've experienced in a whisky, bursting with mangoes and oranges upon the first taste. It's also creamy and peppery. Diluting to 50% maintains the fruit but enhances the spice, which dominates the finish. Another excellent release from the distillery, though pricey.

NOSE Herbal oak, s’mores, fruity candy, Nilla wafers, waxy cherry, and some cocoa. This aroma is distinctly different from all other Paul John expressions I've tried; it's unique… and delightful. PALATE Caramel, chocolate-covered cherries, vanilla cream, herbal spice, graham cracker, cocoa, oak, dried fruit, and a light hazelnut. A heavy and dark profile, like a slow-moving tidal wave of herbal sweetness and spice. FINISH Long -> Herbal spice, oak, malt syrup, and roasted nuts.

Fresh gourmet apple pie and apple fritters, warm apple cider, warm caramel, potpourri, cloves, and green apple slices. Delicious.

Very potent, but pleasant with water. 91.

It doesn't justify the cost.