The Paul John Christmas Edition is the most anticipated annual release in Indian whisky, and this is the complete lineup, every edition from the first in 2018 to the 2025 release. Each year, master blender Michael D’Souza changes the whisky components and the casks, so no two editions are alike, which is exactly what makes the series so collectable. The early editions leaned on peat and sherry; the later ones turned into a playground of cask finishes, from Cognac and Caribbean rum to tawny port. This is our guide to all eight, with the casks, character and ABV of each, and which ones are worth chasing.
What is the Paul John Christmas Edition?
The Christmas Edition is John Distilleries’ annual festive single malt, made at its distillery on the coast in Goa and released every year since 2018. It has become a cult favourite among Indian whisky fans precisely because it never repeats itself: each year master blender Michael D’Souza rebuilds the recipe from scratch, choosing new whisky components and new casks.
The constants are few. Every edition is an Indian single malt made from six-row barley, bottled without chill-filtration or added colour, and released in strictly limited numbers at the end of the year. Almost everything else, the peat level, the cask finish, the age, changes from one Christmas to the next. That is the whole appeal, and it is why following the series is more interesting than following most distilleries’ core ranges.
The Paul John Christmas Edition lineup in full
Here is every edition from 2018 to 2025, with the casks, strength and character of each.
| Year | Casks | ABV | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry finish | 46% | Christmas cake, plum, floral honey, delicate smoke, dried fruit |
| 2019 | Ex-bourbon, PX sherry finish | 46% | Orange blossom honey, pralines, baked apple, raisin, light smoke |
| 2020 | Oloroso sherry | 46% | Savoury peat, bourbon fudge, sherried spice |
| 2021 | Port and Madeira | 46% | Salty, nutty, marmalade, coffee, dark chocolate |
| 2022 | Bourbon-led, with a Cognac influence | 46% | Decadent and sweet, honey, coconut, cinnamon |
| 2023 | Ex-bourbon, Colheita tawny port | 46% | Darker and drier, Black Forest gâteau, vanilla, mocha |
| 2024 | Virgin oak and Caribbean rum | 46% | Malted milk, candied peel, mango, rum-raisin, gingerbread |
| 2025 | Ex-bourbon, then Oloroso and PX, then cream sherry (8 years) | 48% | Rich and creamy, sweet, sophisticated, festive |
How the series has evolved
Read top to bottom, the lineup tells a clear story. The first three editions, 2018 to 2020, were built on a blend of peated and unpeated whisky finished in sherry, the 2018 in Oloroso and the 2019 in PX, with a thread of delicate smoke running through them. These were richer, more traditional festive drams.
From 2021, D’Souza opened the cask cupboard. The 2021 went to port and madeira, the 2022 leaned on a Cognac influence, the 2023 used a Colheita tawny port, and the 2024 reached all the way to Caribbean rum. Across these years the series moved away from peat and toward pure cask experimentation, and the variety is the reason collectors started buying every release.
The 2025 marked a milestone: the first edition to carry an age statement, an eight-year-old finished in cream sherry casks made from a blend of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso, and bottled at 48% rather than the usual 46%. For a distillery whose hot Goa climate makes long ageing genuinely difficult, putting eight years on the label was a quiet statement of confidence.
Tasting the 2021 to 2025 editions
We have tasted the five most recent editions, 2021 through 2025, side by side, and tasting that run in one sitting is the clearest way to feel how far the series stretches.
The 2021 was the savoury, spiced outlier, all marmalade, coffee and dark chocolate from the port and madeira. The 2022 swung back to sweetness with its Cognac lift. The 2023 was the darkest and driest of the set, like Black Forest gâteau in a glass. The 2024 was the most playful, with the Caribbean rum cask bringing rum-raisin, gingerbread and a burst of mango. And the 2025 was the most polished, the cream-sherry eight-year-old that closed the run with a rich, creamy depth the others did not have.
If there is a theme across the recent editions, it is confidence. This is a distillery that no longer needs to prove it can make good whisky, so it spends each Christmas showing what else it can do.
Which Paul John Christmas Edition should you buy?
For a first taste of the series, the most recent release is usually the easiest to find and, in the case of the 2025 eight-year-old, one of the best. For richness, the sherried editions, the 2018, 2020 and 2025, are the festive crowd-pleasers. For something more unusual, the 2024 Caribbean rum and the 2023 tawny port are the most distinctive.
Because every edition is different and strictly limited, the honest advice is to buy the year that matches a flavour you love, and to buy it when you see it. Older editions are increasingly collector items, and the series only grows in interest as it lengthens.
Price and availability
Christmas Editions typically cost from around £70 to £100 on release, though sought-after years and the older editions climb higher on the secondary market. The 2024 was limited to 7,000 bottles and the 2025 to 6,254, which gives a sense of how small these releases are.
Each edition is released late in the year and tends to sell through quickly. In the UK, the major whisky specialists carry the current release, Paul John is imported into Denmark through Mac Y, and the brand distributes across roughly 40 countries, with older editions found mainly on the secondary market.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Paul John Christmas Edition? The Paul John Christmas Edition is an annual festive Indian single malt from John Distilleries in Goa, released every year since 2018. Each edition is rebuilt from scratch by master blender Michael D’Souza with different whisky components and casks, so no two years are alike. It is non-chill-filtered and released in strictly limited numbers.
How many Paul John Christmas Editions are there? There are eight editions, one a year from 2018 to 2025. The casks range from Oloroso and PX sherry in the early years to port, madeira, Cognac, tawny port and Caribbean rum more recently. The 2025 edition was the first to carry an age statement, an eight-year-old finished in cream sherry casks.
Which Paul John Christmas Edition is the best? It depends on taste. The sherried editions, like the 2018, 2020 and the 2025 eight-year-old, are the richest, festive crowd-pleasers. The 2023 tawny port and 2024 Caribbean rum are the most distinctive. The 2025 is among the strongest overall and the easiest of the recent releases to find.
Is the Paul John Christmas Edition peated? The early editions, from 2018 to 2020, were a blend of peated and unpeated whisky with a thread of delicate smoke. From 2023 the series moved to unpeated whisky, focusing on cask finishes instead. So whether an edition is peated depends on the year, with the recent releases being unpeated.
How much does the Paul John Christmas Edition cost? On release, Christmas Editions typically cost from around £70 to £100 for a 70cl bottle, with the 2025 being an eight-year-old at 48% ABV. Older and rarer editions climb higher on the secondary market. Each release is strictly limited, with the 2024 capped at 7,000 bottles and the 2025 at 6,254.
Related guides: Paul John distillery profile | Indian single malt whisky guide | The best Indian single malts of 2026 | Indian single malt vs Scotch
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