Hall of Fame

An entrepreneur by choice, Paul P. John was born on 30 September 1965 in Kerala, South India, and spent much of his youth in Bangalore, where he now resides. Even while at college, Paul had been no stranger to the liquor industry, assisting his father whenever he could with the family’s chain of liquor retail stores. Paul’s initial foray into the world of business had been with a biscuit factory – unfortunately, it didn’t go well and, eventually, he ventured officially into the alcohol beverage industry in 1995.

Within a short span of just over a decade, his reach spread from his headquarters in Bangalore, Karnataka, and expanded into all neighbouring states and across the seas as well. Today, his company, John Distilleries, has been declared the fourth-largest liquor company in the country, with massive production at over eight locations across seven states in India. His flagship brand, Original Choice, dominates popularity charts as a preferred choice in the whisky, brandy and rum categories, and is one of the top 10 best-selling whiskies in the world, with sales exceeding 12 million cases a year. It has undoubtedly become an iconic brand.

Paul’s zeal to surpass the ordinary led him to create a strong portfolio of brands in various liquor categories and segments, such as whiskies, wines, and brandy, and his personal passion for single malts led to the creation of the multi-award-winning Paul John Indian Single Malts.

Paul appreciated the premium quality of single malts and wanted to create an Indian single malt that would enthral even the truest whisky connoisseur, thus the Paul John Single Malts were launched in the UK in 2012 and were soon acclaimed as equal to or even better than single malts produced elsewhere. Recognition from the global single malt palate encouraged him to take his single malts across the world. Today, Paul John Single Malts are present in more than 43 countries and have won more than 285 global awards in just over nine years.