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Indian Whisky Review: Paul John Brilliance

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Indian Whisky Review: Paul John Brilliance

Name: Indian Whisky Review: Paul John Brilliance
Item: Indian Whisky Review: Paul John Brilliance
Rating: 8
Author: Charles Steele

Paul John Brilliance is one of the flagship expressions from Paul John Distilleries in Goa, India. Indian whisky has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years,

by Charles Steele
June 10, 2025

Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.

Tasting Notes:

About:

Global whisky generation has exploded in the past 10-15 years. Put another way, access to global whisky has exploded in the past decade or two. Single malt was once synonymous with scotch, now it isn’t quite so. Enter a country I have never had the privilege of sampling before, home to nearly 1.5 billion people, India. Created in the lush coastal jungle of Goa, India, this Single Malt Whisky is aged in stark contrast to scotch. The climate in this region of India does not have extreme variance which means, according to their marketing materials, the whisky is ready quicker. The mash is an Indian 6-row barley, non-chill filtered, with no additives.

Appearance:

Pale Honey

Nose:

Extremely inviting, this opens with orange blossoms, bourbon vanilla, bakes apples, summer grass. Overall it is light and airy and won’t overpower your senses.

Palate:

On the nose we are greeted with cocoa, honey, and tea spices of currant, turmeric, and anise. It is herbal without crossing into medicinal. There is some charcoal about the mid-pallet before finding a soft orange peel toward the back end of the taste. There is a lovely malt sweetness throughout the sip.

Finish:

It has a watery mouthfeel and leaves very little to the teeth or tongue. The flavor is a blend of chocolate and charcoal. I would say it is has a short to medium length finish with a soft linger at the back of the throat. Like the last drop of honey at the bottom of a glass of herbal tea.

Comments:

I was pleasantly surprised by this whisky. Paul John online identifies Brilliance as their “Flagship” whisky and I certainly would agree. There is a lot to like.

It reminds me a lot of Lowland scotch. There is a lot of sweetness and it is very easy to sip on. I don’t think it needs an ice cube or water as the flavors are pretty light to begin with. 46% ABV is maybe a tad low for this reviewer but you (reader) know your palate.

While price is not a factor in my reviews, it is certainly a factor in everyone’s purchasing habits. In my home here in the U.S. it is competitively priced in the mid 60s. While it won’t blow the doors off a more mature whisky it can absolutely hold its own and is worthy of checking out.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

The Maturation of Paul John Brilliance

As stated above, Paul John Brilliance (and Indian whisky in general) is aged in starkly contrasting conditions to scotch whisky.

The hot and humid climate in India forces the whisky to expand and contract and a faster and more extreme rate. This encourages interaction between the whisky and all of the crevices in the oak cask. As a result, maturation is often said to be “accelerated” in India. This is evident both in terms of the flavor of the whisky after a few years, and in the increased Angel’s Share (8-10% per year, compared to the Scottish average of 2%). Essentially, Indian whisky can reach a certain level of complexity and depth of flavor in a much shorter time frame than scotch whisky.

Paul John Brilliance benefits from these maturation conditions, intensifying flavors of fruit, honey, spice, and oak in around 4-5 years.

Quality Standards

It’s important to remember that naming conventions may be similar between scotch and Indian whisky, but the laws around purity are not transferable from region to region. Where some consumers might be confused by the mention of “additive free” when they see a Single Malt, it isn’t an accident or due to inexperience. Distillers in India are picking up the mantle of legal classification and attempting to move the country’s food and safety administration (FSSAI) for legal protections. Similar to what happened in the U.S. A cause worthy of watching as Indian Single Malt gains ground in the global market.

Learn More About Indian Whisky

We have a whole host of articles about Indian whisky.

To learn more about Paul John specifically, click here. If you are new to Indian whisky, click here. And, for an explanation as to how Indian whisky has become a global powerhouse, click here.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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