Paul John: ‘I hope new brands do not dilute the high regard whisky lovers have for Indian single malts’

We start with Paul John, who set up Goa-based John Distilleries in 1992. His eponymous single malt brand has won several awards over the last decade, and in late 2020, whisky guru Jim Murray named Paul John Mithuna as the world’s third-finest in his influential Whisky Bible 2021. In April this year, John was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the World Whisky Awards 2022. Excerpts from the interview:

There is a lot of interest in Indian single malt today. Even MNCs such as Diageo have now gotten into the game. How do you view this uptick in sales of Indian single malt whisky?

We are still at a nascent stage of single malt drinking culture in India. But it’s growing rapidly, thanks to technology, more awareness, and accessibility.

People in India do have money, so money does not seem to be a major issue now, unlike before. Of course, Indian consumers are still price-conscious but a substantial percentage is prepared to spend money on fine whiskies.

We are also now beginning to see that youngsters are moving into drinking single malts unlike earlier when it was always one’s father or grandfather who would drink it.

At the same time, a lot of people still tend to drink whisky with soda. Single malt, however, is completely different. The way to imbibe it has to change, and if I can get people to drink single malt the way it should be drunk—when consumers are actually able to taste the flavours and appreciate the richness—I’ll consider my job done. After that, it’s just a matter of them tasting different single malts and figuring out which one is best.

Of course, these are companies that have a strong background and they will definitely be able to penetrate the market far better than even we are doing. But we are known for our quality and distinctive appeal, and this is what will help us stand out.

Both Amrut and Paul John have kept the Indian single malt flag flying high internationally, and I hope that the rest of the brands that are coming into the market do not dilute the appeal and high regard whisky lovers have for single malts made in India.

I’m glad that the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has now stepped in and established some rules about what constitutes Indian single malts and how these have to be made. I’m hoping all states will accept these regulations.

Did you have a benchmark when you first thought of making single malt whisky in India?

Initially, I’d benchmarked it against Glenmorangie, which I was impressed with, and used to enjoy, back then. I’m a non-peat guy; I like my whiskies to be fruity. So, I wanted to make something that was non-smoky, more fruity, and, as we went along, I decided against chill filtration, as I believed that not chill-filtering the whisky would actually enhance its characteristics.

Paul John Pedro Ximenez

Paul John is one of the few Indian alcobev companies to attract foreign investment. How has having Sazerac on your side helped?

The liquor business is very capital-intensive, especially in the initial stages. That’s why I decided to get in a private equity fund and that’s how Gaja Capital came in. They helped me change the culture of the organisation and introduced several processes. We had a very good run with them. By the time Sazerac came into the picture, we had realised that it would be more beneficial if we got a strategic investor. I had done all I could, and we were aspiring to go international. So, that was a whole new ball game, and Sazerac has helped us gain access to a wider distribution network, tap into their technical know-how, and we have a lot more casks to choose from.

You launched your own wines (Big Banyan) a few years ago; and Paul John XO brandy in 2019. You also have a gin coming up. What else can we expect from John Distilleries?

I’m clear that Paul John will be increasingly looking at being a player in the high end or super premium space. I don’t see our gin being a volume driver, it will be a niche, premium product made to the same exacting standards we follow for our whiskies. We have used a lot of Indian spices and I’m quite excited about it. We have also been experimenting with pure cane juice—distilled spirit that is being matured in casks, as we speak. So, in about a year from now, we might have something interesting for rum lovers.

You actually started a biscuit company before venturing into the liquor business. Tell us a little more about that.

Yes, that was the first business I ventured into. I was about 20 or 21 at the time, just out of college. I lost all the money I invested in about two years and, in fact, had to go into hiding (laughs). But Crisp Biscuit Company taught me what the real world was all about. One tends to be idealistic and naive when in college—if your friends borrow money, you know they will return it. But in the real world, it doesn’t work that way. My first ever venture, despite being a failure, taught me a lot about manufacturing processes, labour laws, people…no Harvard MBA education would have given me those kinds of insights. I suppose I would attribute my success to the learnings I gained in those two years.