There’s one week to go until Christmas, and Hanukkah is well underway, which means there’s still a bit of time to pick that perfect gift bottle. If you’re looking for something specifically designed with the former holiday in mind, Indian distillery Paul John just announced the details of the latest edition of its annual Christmas single malt, and this year’s whisky was given an unusual sherry cask finish.
Paul John is a distillery owned by Sazerac, the parent company of Buffalo Trace (among other distilleries and brands). It’s located in Goa, an Indian state known for its tropical climate, which means that aging is accelerated there compared to Scotland or even Kentucky. The barley used for the distillery’s single malts is grown in fields that buttress the Himalayas, and a mix of peated and unpeated malt is used to make the various expressions. The core lineup consists of a wide range of whiskies that are all initially aged in ex-bourbon barrels, with a few cask finishes in the mix as well, all of which are highly regarded among whisky (and whiskey) fans.
The Christmas Edition launched in 2018 as a blend of peated and unpeated whiskies, and each year the formula changes up in regards to the specific whisky components used and cask finishes, ranging from sherry to brandy to wine. This year’s release is an 8-year-old unpeated whisky (the oldest to date from the distillery) that spent five years in bourbon barrels and then another three in cream casks. That is a type of cask not typically used for whisky maturation, but it refers to a barrel that was seasoned with a blend of sweet and dry sherry—in this case, Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso. It was bottled without chill filtration at 48 percent ABV.
“Each Christmas Edition tells its own story,” said Paul John master blender Michael D’Souza in a statement. “2025 is one of indulgent harmony. The Spanish cream sherry casks, born of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso wine, have bestowed a richness that’s both sweet and sophisticated like Christmas.” And that seems to be the point: to capture some element of Christmas flavor, whatever that may mean to you. We did not get to try a sample of this year’s whisky, but the official tasting notes describe aromas of plum, cherry, and honey on the nose; followed by apple, stone fruits, caramel, roasted nuts, and butterscotch on the palate; and molasses, dried berries, and Christmas cake on the finish.
A little more 6,000 bottles of this year’s Paul John Christmas Edition are being released, and a portion of those are allocated to the U.S. (SRP $85). These are just showing up at specialty retailers around the country, or you can also order a bottle from websites like Master of Malt—but act fast, because it looks like it’s nearly sold out online.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker