Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky and SMAC India (Single Malt Amateur Club) have unveiled their fourth exclusive single cask release, Cask #24194, named ‘The Doppelgänger’. Limited to 156 bottles, the whisky was bottled in September 2026 and launched at the Paul John Visitor Centre in Goa.
The expression combines Indian single malt with the influence of an American White Oak Sazerac Rye Cask, previously used to mature Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey. It is the first time a Sazerac Rye cask has featured at the center of the Paul John-SMAC collaboration. The whisky underwent close to nine years of tropical maturation.
According to the official notes from the brand, The Doppelgänger has a dark copper hue. The nose offers dried cherry, apricot, liquorice and hints of plum cake. The palate carries spiced chocolate, warm cinnamon roll, vanilla and fluffy caramel custard, leading to a finish of caramel toffee and lingering vanilla.
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SMAC members selected the cask blind, without knowing its age, cask type or identity.
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“Our association with SMAC has always been about more than creating an exclusive bottle,” said Paul P. John, chairman, Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky. “The Doppelgänger is particularly special because the community experienced the cask without knowing its identity and chose it purely on what they found in the glass. That trust makes this fourth release a meaningful milestone in our journey together.”
Hemanth A. Rao, founder, SMAC India, explained the origin of the name. “Many of us initially read those rich, dark-fruit and dessert notes as sherry-like, but there was no sherry cask involved. That is exactly why the name The Doppelgänger felt right,” Rao said. “It is a whisky that challenged our assumptions, and one the community chose entirely on taste.”
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READ THE STORYPriced at Rs. 8,200 ($93 / £69), The Doppelgänger was unveiled during Spirits by the Shore 2026, SMAC India’s annual whisky-led destination tour.
The release marks SMAC India’s 11th exclusive whisky edition. The allocation is being made available across Goa and Karnataka. The first Paul John single cask for SMAC, Cask #6028, was unveiled in 2020, followed by twin releases ALTER and EGO.
Produced by John Distilleries in Goa, Paul John has expanded to 44 countries since 2012 and gathered more than 390 awards globally.
