• Home
  • Interviews
  • News & Views
  • Wine in India
  • Wine Society
  • Food and Wine
  • Winery Visits
  • Guest Column
  • Contact
    • Home
    • Interviews
    • News & Views
    • Wine in India
    • Spirits
    • Food & Wine
    • Winery Visits
    • Guest Column
    • Contact

    Kanya by Paul John is the Whisky Bible’s Asian Whisky of the Year 2018

    December 10, 2017
    Optimized John Distilleries 13 3
    …So I catch up for a congratulatory chat with @indianwhiskyguy, aka Michael D’Souza, the master distiller who made it and the other award-winning Paul John Single malt whiskies

     

    The man behind the malt whisky: Master distiller Michael D’Souza

    The Indian whisky brigade is on a high. Rapidly gaining admirers and fans for its elegant and expressive single malts over the last decade or so, it’s now quite ready to take on the world.

    So it seems quite well-timed when globetrotting whisky expert Jim Murray, he of the acerbic wit and golden palate, chose another single malt whisky from India as Asian Whisky of the year 2018, in his latest Whisky Bible released in October this year. The whisky in question was Kanya by Paul John, a new expression from John Distilleries, maker of Paul John single malts. This achievement was no easy job, considering Kanya came up against the best whiskies from Japan, Korea and other star whisky-producing countries.

    The man behind the growing portfolio of PJSM whiskies (eight expressions at the last count) is master distiller Michael D’Souza. The soft-spoken professional is virtually the antithesis of every high profile whisky ambassador in the world – no booming voice, rapid-fire marketing patter, glib turn of phrase or LOL humour. But sit for a few minutes with him, and you will discover a human encyclopaedia on whisky making.

    Michael is on Instagram as @Indianwhiskyguy, and posts on social media from every exotic destination in the world.  Lucky chap, I tell him. He laughs. “The hazards of my kind of travel is that I’m always working.” He clocked 150 days on the fly last year. No mean feat, that.

    Excerpts from our chat:

    Congratulations, Michael. For your latest creation, Kanya by Paul John being named Asian Whisky of the Year in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2018. 

    Thank you. This expression was created out of the oldest whisky we had – 8-years-old. But remember, one year in Indian whisky-making is equivalent to four years in Scotland (due to our climate and other factors). So Kanya is equivalent to a 35-year-old Scotch whisky in terms of maturity.

    It sounds quick and simple. But it’s not as easy as all that, am I right?

    No, it’s not easy. There’s the danger of major wood extraction coming through in the whisky, even to the point of becoming undrinkable. With Kanya, we did achieve something not done in India so far. Next, on the cards, a 10-year-old Paul John, distilled in 2009. I’m hoping one day to produce a 12-year-old.

    Of course, we are on a learning curve still. Unlike the Scots, we don’t know what will happen (to the whisky) after 25 years (of maturation).

    Indian whisky. Give me some perspective on the much-vaunted age statement in our Indian scenario.

    Kanya by Paul John, to be launched in India soon

    Each whisky is different, each has its own regional characteristics. In India, Amrut and Paul John, for instance, are 700 km apart, and though we follow traditional forms of whisky-making, our whiskies are different because of environmental conditions, types of wooden barrels, etc.

    I decided to start working with the environment. The (pot) still is designed to these specifications, and our barrels are of American white oak, which gives the whisky an elegant flavour profile. In the barrel, the whisky integrates with the wood, loses  some volume but keeps changing character.

    As a whisky maker, I believe in flavour over age – age isn’t the first criterion. We don’t need to over-mature our whiskies. In fact, looking at the Whisky Bible results this year, there weren’t many winning whiskies featured that were over 21 years.

    PJSM is giving a lot of importance to quality barrels…

    Yes. Once whisky goes into the barrel you don’t have control over it – only temperature and positioning.

     

    Goa. Why this location for your distillery? Though it seems to have worked well for PJSM!

    When I started making whisky, I had to think out of the box… remember, 20 distilleries had already started making single malts earlier in India but had failed. And they weren’t doing anything wrong as such… just one factor or the other was off, or not in place. Everything is interconnected when it comes to distilling whisky.

    So I built two warehouses at different altitudes – one underground and one over, both in Goa. This way, I had two different climatic conditions at hand. One with higher humidity, where the whisky would develop more robust flavours. The underground warehouse would give the whisky more elegant notes. So now I had two different expressions to help me blend…

    So tell me about Kanya.

    Just 5000 bottles have been made in all, and we will be releasing these in batches of 1500 bottles at a time. This whisky is different altogether. The name itself defines it – silky, smooth, honey characters – not many distilleries can get that honey character (Jim Murray loved it – commented on the Manuka honey at the finish, something few distilleries have ever achieved,  in his opinion.) The one distillery which got it right was Highland Park, but most can’t even when they try. Kanya is sweet, chocolatey, coffee-mocha and more minerally thanks to the Goa humidity and salt in the air from the sea.

     

     Part 2 of the interview with Michael D’Souza will be posted shortly on this website.

    Kanya by Paul John will be launched in India in January 2018 at Rs18,000 per bottle. The allocation is 1500 bottles for this launch.

    Share
    Goaindian whiskyJim MurrayMichael D'SouzaPaul John single maltwhisky
    Share

    News & Views  / Spirits and More

    You might also like

    ‘The Scots are whisky-making legends, I’m a fan’
    December 13, 2017
    Risotto, reservas… and a winemaker’s selection
    October 16, 2017
    Sipping time with a Whisky Man
    June 27, 2017
    • About Ruma

      Ruma Singh

      After over a decade as a journalist with one of India’s top newspaper groups in New Delhi and then Bangalore.. Read More

    • Ruma's articles from other media

      Reading News Paper

      A selection of articles by Ruma which have appeared in other publications.. Read More

    • Free Subscription



    • Follow Ruma Singh on Instagram


      Follow Ruma on Instagram

    • Facebook
    • Follow RumaSi on Twitter

      Ruma Singh Follow

      #Wine writer and columnist, #DipWSET. In love with good #food, great wine, memorable #travel. https://t.co/RnBcANXNYo

      RumaSi
      Retweet on Twitter Ruma Singh Retweeted
      janeansonwine jane anson @janeansonwine ·
      6 Feb

      Even back in 1970 Petrus had dispensed of the word Château on the label.

      Reply on Twitter 1887484305980428326 Retweet on Twitter 1887484305980428326 15 Like on Twitter 1887484305980428326 98 Twitter 1887484305980428326
      rumasi Ruma Singh @rumasi ·
      5 Feb

      A taste of the best of Burgundy in quirky luxury @sommelierindia @LeCepBeaune

      3

      Reply on Twitter 1887187977799147931 Retweet on Twitter 1887187977799147931 Like on Twitter 1887187977799147931 Twitter 1887187977799147931
      rumasi Ruma Singh @rumasi ·
      30 Jan

      It was a great first competition, very well organised by the Sommelier Association of India @asisomms

      CircleofWineWriters @CircleofWine

      Absolutely delighted to share this lovely photo of @CircleofWine members Reva Singh and @RumaSi onstage at the finals of the Best Sommelier of India competition held in Mumbai. It was conducted by the Sommeliers Association of India. Photo credit: @SubhashArora8

      Reply on Twitter 1884927742413623626 Retweet on Twitter 1884927742413623626 Like on Twitter 1884927742413623626 Twitter 1884927742413623626
      rumasi Ruma Singh @rumasi ·
      3 Jan

      What’s going on @IndiGo6E ? Flight 6584 MOPA to Blr there was no zone wise boarding (asked staff he said it was because of ‘bus boarding’ pls explain? Surely zone boarding for that too?) also no queues at gate - free for all. Getting more chaotic and indisciplined every day.

      Reply on Twitter 1875059960247357537 Retweet on Twitter 1875059960247357537 Like on Twitter 1875059960247357537 Twitter 1875059960247357537
      Load More
    • Italian Wine Podcast

      Harshal Shah and Ruma Singh DipWSET

    • Wine Expo 2023
    • Activate Blog



    • Free Subscription



    • Latest Posts

      • Beyond the Barrel: Journey Through Burgundy’s Hidden Gems
      • Emotional journeys & sensory mastery: BTS at the Best Sommelier of India 2025
      • Best Sommelier of India: Meet the Final Five
      • ‘Portuguese native grapes give the country the tools needed against climate change’
      • Women in Wine Portugal: “The wine business is alll about relationships”
      • A Master Sommelier’s story: Beaucastel & beyond
      • Riesling Love: The passion of Dr Lippold
      • Rosé: no longer just a happy summer sip
    • Popular Posts

      Popular Posts

      • A Good Year at Château La...
      • A Master Sommelier’s stor...
      • Best Sommelier of India:...
      • Rosé: A lighter shade of...

    Copyright © rumasingh.com | Media | Sitemap | Login