ROULETTE PREMIUM BLENDED WHISKY BY JOHN DISTILLERIES

By Rajesh Ghadge

Images by Paul John

Established in the year 1996, under the guidance of Mr Paul P John, John Distilleries grew to be a leading spirit company in less than a decade, not just in India but across the globe John Distilleries Pvt Ltd is an Indian company that produces distilled beverages, and the company ' s flagship brand is Original Choice whisky. It also manufactures brandy, whisky, wines, and the award-winning single malt whisky called Paul John The founders have sold 51% of the company to Sazerac Company.

After the success of brand Paul John Single Malt Whiskey, Makers of Original Choice, one of the largest selling whisky brands in the world, and of the internationally acclaimed Paul John Indian Single Malts, John Distilleries now ventures into yet another brand of premium whiskey the “Roulette Premium Whisky”, a new blended whisky in the Indian alco-bev premium IMFL segment.

The new Roulette whisky is a blended whisky of high quality, Bottled at 42 8% ABV, Indian grain matured in ex-bourbon casks, and a balanced blend of peated and unpeated malt spirit to enhance the drinking experience of consumers seeking premium and memorable experiences

With rich fruity aromas, deep flavours of vibrant fruit, hints of smoke and a lingering creamy finish, Roulette whisky is now available in Goa in 750ml ,180ml & 60 ml, and is also be available across Telangana, Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka as well

‘We wanted to introduce a whisky that was a true game-changer, to the popular premium blended whisky segment in India. Roulette whisky is completely different from other whiskies in its segment, and offers flavours that are unheard unseen and untasted in this category,’ says Paul P John, Chairman, John Distilleries.

John Distilleries was founded by Paul P. John, who belongs to the beautiful place called Kerala He is the son of a plantation and liquor baron in Karnataka. He also has interests in hospitality. The company ' s first distillery was set up in Bangalore, Karnataka. The company launched Original Choice whisky in 1996. The brand was an instant success, taking John Distilleries to the top of the segment of the Indian whisky market. The company decided to take the brand national, and signed Malayalam film actor Mohanlal as surrogate brand ambassador.

John Distilleries sold four million cases in 2005 Original Choice was the largest selling IMFL brand in Karnataka that year, selling nearly two lakh cases a month with John Distilleries' overall IMFL sales by volume in the state amounting to around 1.2 million cases. Original Choice sold about 4 5 million cases in 2006, and 6 41-million cases in 2007

John Distilleries launched the Big Banyan wines in 2007. Big Banyan Wines is named after the Big Banyan Tree near Bangalore, where the corporate headquarters of John Distilleries is located The chief wine maker is oenologist Lucio Matricardi, who is a consultant at wineries in Italy. Big Banyan initially launched five varietals. John Distilleries officially launched two new variants under its Big Banyan brand on 7 July 2010 at The Paul, Bangalore, a business hotel owned by Paul John The new variants were Rosa Rossa, a rose wine, and Bellissima Late Harvest Muscat, a dessert wine. Bellissima is the Italian word for beautiful. Bellissima is the first dessert wine in India to be made from the Muscat grape. With a dedicated team of nearly 2000 employees working across 10 manufacturing units spread over 7 states across India, John Distilleries has a strong portfolio of brands in various liquor categories including whiskies, brandy, and wines.The flagship brand of the company is Original Choice, one of the top selling brands in India’s popular whisky segment and one of the top 10 selling whiskies in the world with sales exceeding 11 million cases a year.

Other brands owned by the company include Mont Castle and Roulette brandy, Big Banyan, Ampersand and L’angoor wines, and the globally renowned, award winning Paul John Single Malts.