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February 20, 2026 |
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Ben Nevis, a short catch-up session
with a wee trio |
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…even though we’ve already sampled thirty-four Ben Nevis whiskies this month. That’s just how we are, we love Ben Nevis… |
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Ben Nevis 6 yo 2018/2025 (50%, Spirits Beast, ex-peated refill sherry, cask #149, 360 bottles) 
Here we are in Italy, always a pleasure. Colour: full gold. Nose: the DNA of BN is entirely present, with that wild edge, ham with mustard, black earth, old walnuts, a touch of ginger, leather and tobacco, and a peatiness that is ultimately quite present yet rather discreet alongside this powerful, oily BN. With water: fresh putty and a brand-new pair of Nike trainers emerge. Mouth (neat): the peat makes itself felt much more on the palate, yet as the two aromatic territories are closely related, there is zero dissonance or contradiction. A very fine lemony and maritime sharpness. With water: excellent, even peatier and more thoroughbred, remaining pure Ben Nevis indeed. Finish: long, with the very fine customary bitters. Comments: it comes out punching for a six-year-old, yet it feels like twelve. The peat works like caviar on smoked salmon (what?) A slight Ledaig side.
SGP:464 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 2013/2024 (53.1%, The Maltman, refill sherry butt, cask #3344, 407 bottles)
Here we are in Taiwan. Colour: pale gold. Nose: much softer, much more on beeswax and lanolin, but also brake pad and paraffin. It evolves very quickly in your glass and moves increasingly towards green walnut, which will surprise no one. Three drops of olive oil. With water: a brand-new pullover from House of Bruar. In no way from one of those cheap DNVBs one sees on Facebook, all drop shipping, and that entire circus. Mouth (neat): magnificent Ben Nevis marrying the sherry to the very molecule, with once again touches of peat (from the distillate?) and a lemon tango with grapefruit that is just perfect. It then becomes increasingly salty and we see a few mussels and oysters arriving. With water: archetypal, just avoid drowning it, that can flatten it slightly. But we are not falling into the trap, are we… Very pretty salted citrus fruits and a few drops of mezcal. Finish: long, with the walnuts returning and that slight mustardy note. Comments: we are once again very high indeed. How good this is, one could taste nothing but Ben Nevis, every day, on this miserable little website.
SGP:562 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 26 yo 1997/2023 (50.9%, Whisky Lockhart, sherry butt, cask #116, 78 bottles) 
Here we are in Hong Kong to conclude. Colour: straw. Nose: more elegance, vegetal oils in abundance, fresh hay, fruit peelings (melon, apple) and the arrival of medicinal notes, especially eucalyptus and rather gentle camphor. Increasingly a side of soft olive oil, more Italian or Provençal than from the Iberian Peninsula. Anyway, that is merely my view… With water: virgin wool returns. That famous new pullover… Mouth (neat): more vigorous on the palate, with pine needles and white pepper, a touch of horseradish, then lemon marmalade of the sort that wakes you instantly. Very fine salinity as well. With water: the nuts of the distillate and the nuts of the sherry mingle in a wild tango, refereed by crushed pepper. Finish: long, more bitter, as it should be. Touches of aubergine, a more saline aftertaste. Comments: the only slightly irksome thing with these vintages is that their reputation is such that rather than seeking the qualities, one looks for flaws. In this case, there are none that I can detect. Very fine Hong Kong bottle.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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February 19, 2026 |
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The World Sessions,
A new little trip from Tasmania to the Netherlands |
To tell the truth, it’s generally at festivals or trade fairs that we come across many of these so-called “world whiskies”, which, in the Scottish fashion, are defined as whiskies that are neither Scottish, nor Irish, nor Japanese, nor American. Nor French either, since we’re French (go figure). These days, that amounts to quite a lot of different countries – and hundreds of whiskies to taste… Right then, let’s just pick one at random… |
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| Dried elephant dung, as they use it at Ondjaba, Namibia. We’re not so far removed from Islay peat, are we… (WF) |
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Collington Mill ‘El Sol’ (46%, OB, Tasmania, ex-sherry barrel, +/-2025) 
Here we are in Oatlands. It is rather amusing that they call this a ‘cool climate single malt whisky’ since hot climate ones seem much scarcer to me. The sherry casks in which this batch was matured apparently encompassed more or less every style of sherry according to their website. Colour: red amber. Nose: a nose of raisin loaf, fruitcake, dried figs and damp topsoil, all complemented by a touch of amaro, ginger, rye bread and aniseed. It is a pretty nose, most pleasantly earthy. Mouth: the casks are doing a fair portion of the work, yet I rather enjoy this very unusual aniseed and earthy side, with a coffee plus pastis combination that could seem really too much yet works rather well here. Finish: long, on peppered caramel, or caramelised pepper, then bitter orange liqueur. Or Campari and orange, if you prefer. Comments: genuinely a lovely surprise, even if it is probably very young.
SGP:661 - 83 points. |
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Carpathian Single Malt ‘Peated’ (46%, OB, Romania, bourbon, cask #2975, 321 bottles, 2024) 
First Romanian whisky for me! Colour: full gold. Nose: a nose reminiscent of ale matured in a peated whisky cask; in any case we have encountered this sort of thing on Islay before. Very light soapiness, mastic, shoe polish, farmhouse bread and eucalyptus. It is amusing, though not exactly easy. Mouth: a thousand times better on the palate than on the nose, already fruitier (citrus), then with lovely white and pink peppercorns. It is the fate of many very young whiskies; one could almost skip straight to the palate. Finish: long, with a pleasing sourdough note, smoked lemon, and Swedish crispbread with pumpkin seeds. A touch of chilli afterwards (rougail). Comments: a curious little beast, the nose genuinely gave us pause, yet the palate, including its honesty if one may put it that way, very nearly won us over.
SGP:673 - 80 points. |
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Ondjaba ‘Classic’ (46%, OB, Namibia, triple-grain, +/-2025)
We have already tasted one of those improbable whiskies smoked with elephant dung (indeed) and believe it or not we rather liked it (WF 83). Besides, the people are utterly charming, the elephants too of course, so let us taste this recent version with no prejudice whatsoever. One does enjoy that mention on the back label, ‘Alcohol reduces driving ability’. Seriously! Well then, the bottle also comes with gold from the World Spirit Competition in San Francisco, but nothing too alarming, let us not hold it against them if you please. Colour: full gold. Nose: frankly, I quite like it, the elephant dung having been reduced to its dry vegetal components, there is no, well… you see what I mean. Sake, geranium potting soil, pot-pourri, umeshu, green cigars as found in Indonesia, even a Gudang Garam cigarette… lit. Splendid. Mouth: it is chiefly on the palate that it impresses, with a very unusual spicy and earthy side, yet really rather pretty. One thinks of nutmeg and coriander seed, and of a whole array of African spices that we would not even begin to name, let alone describe. It is truly very good, very unusual, yet eminently ‘whisky’. Finish: good length, with a slightly aniseed freshness. Comments: our compliments to the elephants, I do hope they will remember (very clever, S.).
SGP:563 - 84 points. |
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Säntis ‘Edition Kamor’ (48%, OB, Switzerland, +/-2025) 
I have already written many times how much I enjoy the wildly improbable fun of Säntis, with their maturations in former beer casks. And of course, Appenzell… As it happens, I do have a secret lasagne recipe in which I use Appenzell cheese, but this is neither the time nor the place to go into that, is it. Colour: deep gold. Nose: somewhere between burnt plastic and roasted chestnuts, then kirsch, pumpernickel and the exhaust fumes of an old Mercedes-Benz. It may sound utterly unlikely, but believe me, it works… rather like an old Mercedes-Benz. Tip top. Mouth: on the palate it is even more unusual at first, then little by little it edges back towards proper malty orthodoxy, thanks to bitter oranges and small sharp cherries. I find it excellent. Finish: long and ultimately more classical, chiefly on oranges, earth and white pepper. Comments: but what on earth does ‘Kamor’ mean?
SGP:562 - 86 points.
Update: Kamor is a rather small mountain in Appenzell, reaching exactly 1,751 metres in height. That’s quite a lot, but still rather modest for the Switzerland we love so much. Thanks, James! |
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Kinglake 2019/2022 ‘In the Blood’ (61%, OB, Australia, batch #1TB2, 76 bottles)
We had already tasted another ‘In the Blood’, though at a much gentler strength. All these things are excellent yet frankly improbable. Life is too short to be bored, in any case… Colour: reddish amber. Nose: strawberry jam spread thickly over a large slice of rye bread, then glacé cherries and gingerbread, in the Dijon manner. Nonnettes. With water: everything relaxes, the cereals emerge in a Fruit Loops fashion, the strawberries express themselves as artisanal yoghurt, while a very fruity beer takes then control. Mouth (neat): the strawberry and cherry jam side is even more pronounced, all the more so as it is bolstered by pink peppercorn. The trouble is it works. And life really is too short. With water: extreme fruitiness, almost litchi, but no matter, it works, and life is too short. Finish: pink pepper, strawberry liqueur and Aperol take charge. In short, everything is red or pink here. Comments: to be entirely honest, we would not forgive this from a large and arrogant Scottish distillery swollen with ‘lifestyle’ branding, but here one surrenders with trust and curiosity. And I swear we rather love it; life is too short.
SGP:761 - 86 points. |
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Starward 2017/2024 ‘Botrytis Cask’ (48%, OB, Australia) 
Botrytis cask, the best of the year, mention it to your horse and it will kick you. It appears to be semillon, thus very probably a Bordeaux wine cask, think Sauternes, but also Cérons, Cadillac or a few others. Or even Bergerac, or indeed the Hunter Valley in Australia. Quite. By the way, botrytis is what one calls noble rot. Colour: red amber. Nose: it is pretty, it is simple, it is packed with vine peach liqueur and sweet muscat. That is more or less the whole story, yet it is pleasant enough. Mouth: good news, we avoid the Schweppes Agrum’ side, yet it remains rather monolithic, somewhat ‘manufactured’, very far from other Starward expressions that we have greatly enjoyed. Finish: fairly long and rather on Aperol Spritz. Comments: not entirely our cup of tea, but if you are an Aperol Spritz enthusiast, do try this baby. You could always add prosecco, San Pellegrino and a slice of blood orange.
SGP:661 - 76 points. |
We’ll stop there for this time, and we won’t take any chances, okay? |
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Millstone 9 yo 2016/2025 (54.2%, Dràm Mor, Netherlands, PX butt, cask #B0309, 688 bottles)
A reminder that we hold Millstone/Zuidam in rather high esteem. And Dràm Mor too, of course. Colour: golden amber. Nose: somewhere between a rugby changing room, a maturing cellar of cooked-curd cheeses (Gouda of course, Comté, Gruyère), and fresh gingerbread. With water: it softens a little, moving towards candied ginger and fresh turmeric, but also raisins. After all, there is Pedro involved. Mouth (neat): it gathers itself around orange marmalade and raisins of every persuasion, with fruit loaves in the background, wavering between apricot, hazelnut and fig. All that is missing is a slice of truffled Alsatian goose foie gras. With water: black pepper takes back control and rebalances the whole, yet we never quite leave that fruitcake territory. I had forgotten to mention the apricot, by the way. Ah no, you are quite right. Finish: fairly long, marked by raisins. Comments: a splendid little beast, even if some Millstone can be far more extreme. Then again, the world news is extreme enough as it is, is it not.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
All right then, just one last one… |
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Millstone 27 yo 1998/2025 ‘Special #38’ (48.58%, OB, Netherlands, oloroso, 467 bottles)
Special 38, that rather sounds like the name of a handgun, does it not. So let us proceed filled with peace and understanding… Oh and we do so admire here the coquettish precision of the strength stated to the hundredth of a degree. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: here is irrefutable proof that they were already producing great distillates in the last century. Geraniums, gingerbread, caraway and poppy seeds, black and grey pepper, clove, juniper, dried morels, treacle honey. Will that do? Mouth: we have rarely come so close to proper old-fashioned gingerbread. Magnificent cumin, old walnuts, fir honey, hoisin sauce and pepper liqueur. Also plenty of coniferous saps, which then lead the whole towards becoming perhaps a little drying in the end. That is typical of these distillates and these hyperactive casks when they reach great age, I would say, modestly. Finish: probably the less obvious part, as it dries somewhat and becomes a little too bitter for my taste. Nothing will rescue it thereafter, not even orange zest… bitter. Comments: rather like a Madonna concert, it does not necessarily end brilliantly. But that too is a matter of age…
SGP:372 - 82 points. |
Come on then, adapting is surviving, isn’t it? And persevering as well… |
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Millstone 20 yo 2005/2025 (48.8%, OB, Netherlands, virgin American oak, cask #693, 135 bottles, 2025)
Colour: dark red amber. Nose: bourbon from Holland, and not just any. Magnificent ‘Saturday morning at Ikea’, though without the toxic meatballs, more lavender biscuits, varnish and glue, vanilla, bergamots, fresh oil paint (come on, Van Gogh since we are in Holland), fig leaves… I was almost about to mention tulips, but that would have been pushing it. In short, on the nose it is a rather grand bourbon. Mouth: magnificent on the palate. Glues, varnishes and banana extract, all in total abandon. I am not entirely sure this is legal, yet here we adore this almost chemical side. Vanillin and geranium syrup attempt to round it all off, yet it ends up on strawberry and cherry. Well then. Finish: very long, spicy, still ‘chemical’, yet ultimately very beautiful. Rye bread in full majesty. Comments: hateful and brilliant at the same time, this is contemporary whisky art. One does not judge in the end, one can only witness it. … Since great spirits converse with the gods… Do you disagree?
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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February 18, 2026 |
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More secrets and blended malts
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In short, we don’t know very much about what we’re going to taste, but our spirits remain undaunted. And we’re going to try sampling a few very old versions… |
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Secret Speyside 24 yo 1997/2022 (50.3%, Thompson Bros., refill barrels, 540 bottles)
It is whispered here and there that this might be a Glenlivet, yet having no firm certainty, we shall refrain from adding it to a ‘Glenlivet’ session. Colour: light gold. Nose: more apples than on an apple tree and more pears than on a pear tree, alongside a delicate touch of beeswax and green pepper, then light honey and a little vanilla cream. With water: it does not budge. Mouth (neat): this is very much ‘Speyside without sherry’, firmly rooted in orchard fruits, especially apples, plums, pears… There is a most charming bitterness that preserves the faintly sharp edge of the whole. Hints of pistachio. With water: slightly more body, peanut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, yet always upon a more herbaceous base that prevents it from becoming, let us say, flabby. Very good indeed. Finish: of medium length and above all very, very well balanced. Few rough edges in truth, yet that in itself is a kind of edge. I know what I’m trying to say… A light fudge lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing tells us that this is not Glenlivet, yet it could just as well be many other distilleries of Speyside.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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St Bridget’s Kirk ‘Solera Batch #5’ (48.5%, Hannah Whisky Merchants, blended malt, fino-oloroso finish, 2025)
A very lovely series, here the fino proves rather intriguing. We do adore fino, even Tio Pepe. Colour: gold. Nose: remarkable how one feels suddenly transported into the triangle, if one may put it thus, almost to Sanlúcar. Magnificent walnuts and tobacco, together with, once again, peanut butter and pistachio paste. Truly a most handsome nose. Mouth: the walnut rules the roost, and it is a rule we could scarcely dispute, even as pepper and even chilli come quietly insinuating themselves. Also a touch of quinine. Absolutely excellent for a modest NAS. Finish: long and delightfully peppery, with tobacco and, of course, walnuts returning to haunt you for quite some time. Honey comes along to soften the whole. Comments: I do adore this magnificently dry combination.
SGP:461 - 87 points |
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Living Souls 3 yo (46.15%, Thompson Bros. x Living Souls, blended Scotch, 2025)
No idea what this might be, perhaps there is some Dornoch within? Colour: full gold. Nose: oh very lovely indeed, with wood to the fore yet remarkably well balanced, caramelised, almost candied, with plenty of apricot tart smothered in honey and cinnamon, then a waft of hay smoke. A nose almost joyful, in any case also delightfully nostalgic, speaking straight to your soul. Quite right, Living Souls! Mouth: the spices from the cask take centre stage, especially the quartet of ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg, yet honey and dried apricots wrap it all up to perfection. It is only 3 years of age, though one is not entirely convinced that every component was quite so youthful. Finish: long, more saline now, smoky, coastal, with peat stepping firmly into the limelight. Lovely fatness, a pleasing fermentary side, and a rather charming, ever so slightly dirty edge. Comments: another 87, I fear.
SGP:555 - 87 points. |
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Secret Highland 35 yo 1985/2020 (47.4%, Mancarella for Scotch 88 Ukrainian Whisky Community, cask #13, hogshead, 88 bottles)
A mysterious malt, yet we do know that a small number of Glenmorangie casks from those years have circulated amongst the brokers. Colour: full gold. Nose: this does evoke the coastal Highlands north of Inverness on the east coast, indeed, though it could therefore be something else, as the beeswax is rather pronounced, yet not quite sufficiently so to be Clynelish in truth, nor even Pulteney. Glenmo does seem entirely plausible. A very handsome side of yellow flowers and acacia honey, soft vanilla, brioches, banana cake, Earl Grey… In short, a nose for a lady, and that fits Glenmorangie rather well. Mouth: perhaps a shade more nervous than the distillery just mentioned might suggest, and the cask has certainly done its duty throughout these 35 years, adding plenty of herbal infusions and a faint breadcrumb note. Yet the arrival of oranges, including their candied zests, swiftly restores the balance and renders this old malt almost fresh and lively. Finish: of medium length, rather on milk chocolate filled with orange jam, with a touch of ginger, then marzipan. Comments: an excellent old malt that has certainly not spoken its final word. And that final word would, in any case, be Slava Ukraini!
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
Right then, a little step back in time… |
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Glen Avon 15 yo (57%, Gordon & MacPhail for Sestante, +/-1985)
In certain retirement homes there are elderly Scots with long white beards who still debate the origin of these Glen Avon, whether it is Macallan, whether it is Glenfarclas, whether at times it may have been several distilleries, and then what of Avonside… Colour: full amber. Nose: it begins slightly smoky, in a barbecue fashion, even with touches of steak a little over-grilled, a faint Mortlach-style sulphur (no problems in this context, quite the contrary) followed by tonnes upon tonnes of dark nougat and turrón, beyond a certain beef stock character. With water: the sulphur becomes even more pronounced, I would have said Mortlach without hesitation – and I would probably have been wrong. Mouth (neat): superbly old-school, brimming with tobacco, mint, dried mushrooms, slightly burnt caramel, chestnut and heather honeys, dark chocolate, soy sauce, dried beef (Grisons, bresaola, jerky…) … Alas, I regret to inform you that no one makes this style of malt any longer nowadays. With water: dried fruits come charging in, figs leading the way. Finish: long and very jammy, culminating in vanilla and kirsch-laced chestnut purée. A killer. Comments: to be enjoyed whilst listening to Duke Ellington.
SGP:562 - 91 points. |
At this point, there’s no more joking, it’s time to bring out the heavy artillery… |
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Secret Speyside 45 yo 1979/2025 (50.3%, The Whisky Blues, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #12312, 91 bottles)
If you will allow, let us forget the guessing games, all the more so as at this age (that of the whisky, not our own) matters inevitably grow uncertain. Colour: full gold. Nose: it has reached the stage of herbal infusions and honeys, also pollen and beeswax, though in a restrained manner. Old apples, a light touch of cinnamon, discreet furniture polish. With water (just a drop): fine old cider, oil paint. Mouth (neat): all delicacy and subtlety, chiefly upon herbal infusions and teas. Orange biscuits, pink pepper, cinnamon… An old malt entering its murmuring phase, yet one that still has plenty to say. With water: a return of tension, thanks to our friends the oranges, which have already rescued millions of different malts in tasting sessions. Finish: of medium length, more on herbal infusions and mint tea. In short, the finale of a very old malt. Comments: it may have suffered a little after the thunderous Glen Avon, yet it nevertheless emerged with considerable panache.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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House of Hazelwood 47 yo (43.7%, OB, Charles Gordon Collection, blended malt, 137 bottles, 2024)
Prestige bottles, to be kept in the drinks cabinet of your 1980s Bentley. Colour: gold, truly pale given its age. Nose: marvellous on the nose, incredibly fresh, with ripe pineapple, freshly squeezed orange, mango and papaya. It is perfect just so, no need to dig further, despite the magnificent wafts of wild carrots that arrive thereafter. Mouth: I was slightly apprehensive but in truth it is utterly beautiful, with a faint and very elegant varnish, sublime bitters, citrus fruits in exuberant profusion, and fresh praline, the whole displaying not a single trace of fatigue or dryness. Very fine honeys as well. Finish: long, with coconut milk emerging straight from the old wood, gentle tobacco, well-contained bitter almonds and pistachio cream with cherry. Or pistachio-cherry pannacotta, you do know that? Comments: incredible fruitiness at this age. Forget the second-hand Bentley, for the same budget choose three bottles of this Hazelwood, if any are still available.
SGP:651 - 92 points. |
We’ll finish with an even older malt. There’s always an older one… |
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Secret Speyside 49 yo 1975/2025 (43.8%, The Whisky Blues, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #8165, 86 bottles)
Once again, what a label! Generally, these vintages are or were Glenfarclas, yet that remains mere theory. Let us move on to practice… Oh, and we do adore the screw cap, it has become the height of absolute chic. Colour: gold. Nose: sublime fragility, poised between old apples, beeswax, white bread, cider, mead, sake, even fine ladies’ soap… It is most beautiful on the nose, though such a very subtle profile can cause a little concern as regards the palate. Mouth: here we are almost walking the razor’s edge, but slightly on the right side. You see what I mean… Waxed apples, paraffin, herbal infusions, chamomile, verbena, cherry stalks, then the empresses of very old malts left in their natural state: overripe apples. Finish: not especially long yet with astonishing freshness, driven by small citrus fruits, notably bergamot. Magnificent notes of gentle mint tea and orange peel in the aftertaste. Comments: it has resisted the splendid Hazelwood perfectly, and for that alone it deserves an Olympic gold medal in ice dance (with a pronounced wink to all our American friends, whom we love and adore).
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
Sorry, no 50-year-old today, but it’ll come, stay tuned… |
(Cheers to Absolutely Nuts Spirits) |
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February 17, 2026 |
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A few Dornoch for our peaceful enjoyment |
I think that’s something of an understatement. It’s been quite a while since we last tasted any Dornoch, and they’ve rather piled up on the shelves at WF HQ. It was high time we did something about it… |
(Dornoch Castle and Distillery) |
Naturally, we wondered in what order we ought to taste them and, in a thoroughly Trumpian flourish, decided to employ a highly scientific method: at random! In any case, they’re all still more or less young… |
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Dornoch 4 yo 2019/2024 (52.2%, OB, PX octave, cask #187, 89 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: rather on walnut cake and honey cake, alongside amber ale and even a touch of mead, then moving towards a curious combination of crushed slate and ginger biscuit. With water: it becomes rounder, more civilised, though the slate persists, now joined by hints of amaro and triple sec. The ginger has not entirely departed either. Mouth (neat): an amusing medley of bitter orange, mentholated tobacco and Japanese seaweed of the wakame persuasion. The PX sends in a few raisins, though with most welcome restraint. With water: citrus fruits with honey, turmeric and ginger, then increasingly leather and tobacco. Finish: fairly long, softer, more coating, more honeyed. Alas, the aftertaste turns spicier once again. Comments: the small cask makes itself known, yet the whole remains balanced. And very good indeed, of course.
SGP:651 - 84 points. |
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Dornoch 5 yo 2017/2023 (54.5%, OB for Whiskyfun’s 21st Anniversary, 1st fill bourbon octave, cask #49, 63 bottles)
That is right, our cask. We have never published a tasting note, and indeed we shall not even add a score, for that would be inelegant, would it not? Colour: pale gold. Nose: tension and freshness, green apple and grapefruit, farmhouse cider, white pepper, meadow honey. It is, of course, entirely to my taste; the contrary would be rather absurd, would it not. With water: fresh baguette (yes), banana and wildflowers, plus touches of poppy seeds and sunflower seeds. Mouth (neat): the purity of ex-bourbon, here with a fair amount of white pepper over a slightly oily side, vanilla and lemon, with touches of angelica. We remain close to the raw materials, which is always what we cherish most. With water: truly lovely, pure, in the style of the unpeated Nordics, I would say. After all, Dornoch is fairly Nordic, is it not? Finish: long, slightly dry, on barley and bread. Comments: I confess we are very pleased with this cask. Naturally, we are not selling a single bottle; some went to charitable causes and the rest, well, I scarcely recall. Obviously, we are keeping our own modest stock for future generations (should they still be drinking).
SGP: 451- -- points. |
Sorry, we’ll have to pick up the pace… (and not “the pieces”, as that marvellous Scottish band the Average White Band would have said) |
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Dornoch 4 yo 2019/2024 (58.6%, OB, for Germany, ex-bourbon, cask #180, 103 bottles)
It was Van Gogh on the label, wasn’t it? Colour: gold. Nose: close to cask WF-21 owing to the bourbon, yet rounder, perhaps easier, and also more marked by exotic fruits, mango, even more banana, and even a touch of fermented cane juice… With water: oh yes, this is very good, magnificently honeyed and spicy. Kougelhopf dough. Mouth (neat): really very good, taut yet rich and oily at the same time, on grapefruit zest and wax. With water: perfect, especially at this age. Splendid notes of oranges in all their forms. Finish: long and oily, it wraps around the mouth for quite some time. Comments: life is unfair, it is better than WF-21. In our opinion…
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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Dornoch 6 yo 2018/2024 (52.5%, OB, ex-bourbon, cask #59, 77 bottles)
We are rather fortunate, that makes three ex-bourbons in a row drawn at random. Chance does things well. Colour: gold. Nose: blast, this is beautiful, one might almost think of Balvenie from the great years. Bananas, quinces, vanilla, honeys, mirabelles. With water: much the same, merely in a slightly different order. Mouth (neat): a bourbon side. High-class bourbon, of course. A clear line, honey, oranges, quince paste, in short everything is perfect here, I fear. With water: very, very exasperating. Finish: the same. Comments: I shall dare to assert that in certain respects, it reminds me of Daftmill. Please, put away your pistols and revolvers, we are merely saying what we think.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Dornoch 5 yo 2018/2023 (57.4%, OB, refill bourbon, cask #124, 167 bottles)
I do not quite know what the label is alluding to; the colours rather bring DHL to mind, although we loathe DHL (while adoring their drivers who are in no way to blame, wink wink). Colour: gold. Nose: we are very close to the previous one. Come, let us save time… Ah yes, magnificent notes of crème brûlée. With water: earth, barley, fudge, quinces. Enough said. Mouth (neat): but how good this is! Lemon, caramel and nougat, who would have guessed that all this would marry so well… With water: more herbaceous notes, almost verging on bitterness, come to temper our enthusiasm somewhat. Finish: long, very taut, on quinine and bitter orange. A splendid oiliness surrounds it all. Comments: I confess that at one point, we were brushing against the 90 mark.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Dornoch 7 yo 2018/2025 (56.5%, OB, 1st fill bourbon octave, cask #111, 83 bottles)
More ex-bourbon, what a joy! Imagine that we should stumble back upon wine, it would be dreadful for this session… Colour: full gold. Nose: quinces and liquorice. It is as though you were to say Jagger and Richards, or Page and Plant, or Lennon and McCartney, or Trump and Vance (spot the mistake). With water: petrol and acetone, really? Mouth (neat): I promise you, I swear to you, I certify that there is Jamaican rum in there. With water: it relaxes, it becomes more ‘malt’, yet something must have occurred in the life of this charming little cask. Finish: long and, this time, rather pointing towards Islay peat. Comments: we wish to have the final word of the story. Our lawyer is still on the golf course (of course), but as soon as he is back (next Wednesday), we shall send a letter. For now, a precautionary score.
SGP:563 - 85 points. |
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Dornoch 5 yo 2019/2024 (56.2%, OB, for Hideo Yamaoka, 1st fill rye octave, cask #170, 82 bottles)
Frankly, we know the Thompson Bros. rather well and I swear they are absolutely not as unattractive as on this label, which must have been created in the very earliest days of ChatGPT. On the contrary, they are rather charming chaps… Colour: gold. Nose: the grand return of smoked nougat, should such a thing exist, alongside proper rye bread. Let us admit that this nose is more attractive than the label. With water: an assortment of 123,748 different breads, as one might encounter at breakfast in five-star hotels in Vienna, Salzburg or Munich. You will tell me they also serve champagne there, for breakfasts yet more perfect. They might equally serve this little Dornoch. Mouth (neat): excellent, compact and coherent, and close to a great Islay from the 1970s, I promise you. With water: simply superb. Earth, roots, citrus fruits, waxes, smoke and so forth. Finish: Comments: no, we do not provide hotel addresses. But well played, Hideo (apart from the label, if I humbly may) …
SGP:552 - 90 points. |
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Dornoch 5 yo 2017/2023 (59.2%, OB, for Caora, 1st fill bourbon octave, cask #8, 94 bottles)
A Dornoch for Switzerland, quite close to WF Towers. I admit we are rather late here, once again. Colour: gold. Nose: the beauty and purity of ex-bourbon, once more. Unless you happen to loathe vanilla, but I know no human being, male, female, both or none, who genuinely detests a fine vanilla. Also grey pepper, bread dough and banana cake, Caribbean-style. With water: it retreats towards putty and even fresh rubber, which is in fact rather pretty and amusing. Mouth (neat): fairly oily, fairly fermentary, fairly peppery and globally spicy. Truth be told, it is rather forceful at cask strength. With water: things improve, sweet breads and waxes combine with the spices, which nevertheless remain quite pronounced. Finish: long, rather spicy. It is not because the honourable bottlers are Swiss that I shall refrain from mentioning the Basel Läckerlis. Comments: a slight rollercoaster side, yet in the end everything finds its balance around the spices.
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
Come on then, just one last one… |
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Dornoch (63.4%, James Eadie, Project 1927, spirit drink, 2025)
An incredible project built around the very heart of Scottish distillate, bringing together a few highly deserving young distilleries from the Lowlands and the Highlands of Scotland, Dornoch among them, under the guidance of James Eadie. We have not tasted them all, far from it, but the Daftmill had been superb, and so now one cannot help but anticipate, as they say… Colour: white as a wedding dress. Nose: earth, geraniums and fig leaves, lemon and citron peel, fresh croissants at five in the morning… With water: a mixture of tar and rubber emerges. All of that fits perfectly with the fig leaf, in fact… Mouth (neat): it will surprise no one that there is plenty of pear, yet green olive is rather more unexpected in a newmake. I mean in whisky. With water: very, very amusing touches of lavender, ham, capers, even school glue. Finish: not so long of course, but full-bodied, oily, and above all very fermentary. Pear and yeasts. Comments: a great newmake, it is so complex!
SGP:562 - between 85 and 90 points. |
In the end, the debate that seems fundamental to us when it comes to quality Scottish malt (leaving aside the industrial cavalry) is this: is wood malt’s best friend, or its worst enemy? Okay, good night, see you perhaps at a ‘masterclass’ on these matters (I still loathe that word; because alas, I am neither Casals nor Horowitz, nor of course Dave Broom or Charlie MacLean, without even mentioning the distillers themselves), one of these days, somewhere in Europe or Asia… But sadly not in America. |
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February 16, 2026 |
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A little trio of official Tomintoul
No fuss here, remember that Tomintoul is ‘the gentle dram’. In fact, the first time I went wild camping not far from Tomintoul, out in the heather – and more years ago than you could possibly count – I mainly made the acquaintance of the midges. But why am I telling you this? Come on then, a little aperitif to help forget that rather stinging memory…
(A very good Rosé des Riceys by the house Boizel in Epernay) |
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Tomintoul ‘Tawny Port Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, +/-2022) 
We have already tasted quite a few Tomintouls without an age statement and finished in all manner of assorted wines. Amarone, for example, or merlot, or pinot noir, or tempranillo… We have always had a good laugh, so let us hope it will be the same today. Colour: raspberry jelly. Nose: just as the colour suggested, it is crammed with red fruits and rather evokes a still Champagne rosé, something akin to a rosé des Riceys with its little touches of leather and tobacco and a hint of faded rose. And raspberry, naturally. Frankly, this little ready-made cocktail is rather pleasant on the nose… Mouth: certainly maltier and it is here that one realises the superiority of fortified wines over table wines when it comes to finishing. Notes of cherry-stalk infusion, a little earthy tobacco, and even fresh button mushrooms and pepper. Finish: fairly short and drier, on unsweetened black tea. Comments: perhaps my favourite of the lot. It is in fact much less driven by red fruits than I had expected.
SGP:450 - 79 points. |
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Tomintoul ‘White Port Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, +/-2022)
You are quite right, I perhaps ought to have started with this one, but over here we say, “red on white, everything goes to blight, white on red, nothing moves ahead”. Naturally, in globish, the good rhyme is lost. Colour: white wine. Seriously. Nose: very aromatic indeed, on banana and pear, and even pineapple. Has some well-meaning soul slipped in a drop of amyl acetate? And a spoonful of white chocolate cream while they were at it… Yet here again, it is rather good. Orange wafers. Mouth: I prefer this baby to its red companion, it feels closer on the palate to a light but ‘proper’ malt, with the wafers returning alongside fruit skins, especially peach. A faint touch of Fanta Lemon. Finish: rather short, on yellow fruit smoothies, with green tea in the aftertaste, gently drying the whole. Comments: frankly, I quite like it. And it confirms our famous proverb mentioned above.
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
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Tomintoul 14 yo 2011/2025 (63.5%, OB for SG60, bourbon barrel, cask #3482, 247 bottles)
An official bottling to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Singapore, done under the guidance of several prestigious bars, including the Quaich Bar and The Auld Alliance. All should therefore go splendidly, even if one does wonder, given that new make is generally run into cask at 63.5%, how not even a tenth of a degree has been lost over 14 years. Nor gained, for that matter, as that can happen too. Colour: straw. Nose: it is a little hot, even slightly fierce, yet we detect dandelion, hay, fresh malt and overripe apple. All this bodes pretty well, let us see… With water: yellow cherry, gooseberry, acacia honey, zucchini flowers… and always that dandelion, along with other yellow flowers. It is floral! Mouth (neat): strictly between us, I might not have kept the mention ‘The Gentle Dram’ upon this label, for it is very lively, sharp, rather lemony and packed with small green fruits. Apples included, naturally. Water should tame all this… With water: homemade apple juice, orange blossom water, light peppermint… It has not exactly become meek as a lamb, but there is now a very pretty multifloral honey. Finish: long, fairly brisk, more lemony. The apple returns with a vengeance. Comments: obviously very good and, above all, very ‘natural’.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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February 15, 2026 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
Nine superb Armagnacs to lift our spirits |
And I promise you it won’t just be the effect of the alcohol. In any case, it’s always a great pleasure to taste Armagnacs after Cognacs, even if the slightly more ‘modern’ styles currently in vogue in both regions – a little closer to malt whiskies, in fact – seem to have brought them somewhat closer together in recent years, at least to my mind. In short, fewer notes of raisins, flowers and stewed apricots in the Cognacs, and less pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and prunes in the Armagnacs.
There is also the growing use of batch distillation in Armagnac, or so it seems to me… although I’ve just read that it still accounts for less than 5% of production. In any case, between a Cognac Folle Blanche and an Armagnac Folle Blanche, both distilled in batches, there is no longer all that much difference. Well then, it’s time to taste a few Armagnacs, with quite a number of young ones this time. |
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This adorable little Alsatian girl stands guard
at Château Saint-Aubin. At least they didn’t put up a giant bretzel. (Saint-Aubin) |
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Château Saint-Aubin 4 yo (âge 4) (43%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, 2025)
An estate of 55 hectares, 36 of which are devoted to Armagnac, owned by an Alsatian family, just imagine! There we are, five extra points (wink). The house is located in Réans, in the Eauze area, right in the heart of the Gers. In any case, this Saint-Aubin has absolutely nothing to do with the famous Burgundies. This 4-year-old is a blend of ugni blanc and colombard. Colour: deep gold. Nose: notes of eucalyptus, mint, pine sap and camphor bustle at the gate to begin with, before allowing plenty of cracked pepper and liquorice wood to come through, while the fruitiness, though clearly present, remains slightly in the background. I find the overall effect rather splendid, truth be told. Mouth: this time it is the fruits that take the leading roles, especially mandarins and oranges, which quickly combine with notes of that Italian drink with the provocatively red colour that begins with the letter C. Then we have touches of fresh oak and ginger-flavoured toffee. It is very modern, and I find it very good indeed. Finish: long, with fairly spicy oak in command, followed by bitter orange that comes along to bring everyone into agreement. Comments: hopla geiss! (that’s meant to be Alsatian).
SGP:461 - 86 points. |
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Château de Millet 5 yo ‘VSOP’ (42%, OB, Bas Armagnac, +/-2025)
Armagnac remains a rather free territory, you see sometimes they write Bas-Armagnac, sometimes Bas-armagnac, and sometimes Bas Armagnac without a hyphen, as here. In any case we are once again in Eauze and here we have pure baco. Colour: full gold. Nose: here we find a completely different style, much more on black nougat, fudge, caramel, praline, but also wood varnish and liquorice. The touches of Williams pear that arrive thereafter render it rather irresistible, one could happily dive straight in. Mouth: once again less marked by the wood, thus with more reddish (roux) casks I imagine, bringing it closer to candied fruits, cassata, panettone and even the proverbial prunes. It is therefore less modern but frankly, I adore it. Finish: long, more liquorice-led as is often the case, with a very slight mentholated touch thereafter. Aniseed emerges in the aftertaste, for a very end of palate that is fresh as a daisy. Comments: a very young armagnac of great beauty but do be careful, it slips down rather easily.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
In short, a truly striking contrast in style, one to recommend to beginners who think these brandies are all much the same… Let’s carry on… |
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Cloud & Clet ‘XO’ (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, +/-2025)
A 10-year-old pure baco and a fairly recent brand it would seem, proclaiming “the renewal of Armagnac”, as indeed they all tend to do whenever a new generation takes up the torch. And that is all very well. Here we are on a 100-hectare estate in Mauléon-d’Armagnac, the only thing that strikes us as slightly odd, for a ‘modern’ armagnac, being the bottling strength of 40% vol., especially for an XO. Colour: full gold. Nose: this one is much rounder, much fruitier, much more jammy, much more aromatic, yet without any heaviness. One might almost think of gewurztraminer marc aged in oak and topped up with orange liqueur, although that impression soon evaporates to make way for stewed peaches and sultanas. If the palate is not overly syrupy, we once again have a superb young Bas-Armagnac. Mouth: well no, I mean yes, we most certainly still have a very fine armagnac, fresh and joyful, brimming with fruit, peaches, apples, pears, mirabelles, apricots, and many more besides. Light honey. Finish: not even short, and tending somewhat, I assure you, towards young Macallan from the 1970s. Indeed, indeed. Comments: I must confess the design of the bottle had worried me slightly, but the armagnac inside swiftly made up for that first impression.
SGP:641 - 87 points. |
Do note, this is a Haut-Armagnac, which is not all that common… |
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Château Arton 2015/2026 ‘La Flamme’ (47.6%, OB, Haut-Armagnac)
Here we have a blend of ugni blanc and colombard, thus a rather Cognac-like composition if I am not mistaken, bottled this year at cask strength. I rather like the statement on the back label: “This is NOT brandy”. We shall endeavour to remember that, guilty as charged. In any case, we are here in Lectoure, with the Montal-Montesquiou family. The estate is in biodynamic conversion, though that of course does not yet apply to this 2015. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one is far more pâtissier than the others to begin with, on almond cake, buttery croissants, custard… Notes of white wine then arrive (chardonnay matured in oak), but also raisins, with a few touches of PX from Jerez. Stewed quince then comes along to gather it all together. A dessert armagnac? Mouth: it starts straight away on apple, whether stewed or distilled, with a slightly green and taut tannicity that then leads towards lemon zest. I had feared, once again, an excess of roundness, but not at all, I was wrong yet again. I also confess to finding notes of single malt with a northern Highlands side and there, I assure you, I am quite right. Indeed. Finish: long, with very ripe and caramelised apple returning with some force, accompanied by its companion pear. Comments: it is excellent.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
A fairly tight cluster for now, but that’s only to be expected: the BNIA had, in a way, preselected these four very fine young Armagnacs for me. They’re good at the BNIA (Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac) – very good indeed… Right then, if we’re tasting the very young VS that follows after the others, it’s because of its considerably higher bottling strength… |
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Domaine d’Espérance ‘VS’ (52.5%, OB, Bas Armagnac, 2024)
This is the estate of the delightful Countess Claire de Montesquiou, a descendant, so I am told, of the genuine d’Artagnan, Musketeer of the King. The back label is in fact a veritable novel, from which we learn that this small VS is a blend of five casks, one folle blanche 2022 #250, two baco 2022 #291 & 154, and two baco 2020, #332 & 336. And if that interests you, the latter two were 500 litre casks, whereas the others were 200 litre ones. The still is fitted with 8 plates, so that should purify things rather well. It is also at natural cask strength, and for the sake of completeness, I have absolutely adored the Espérances I have previously tasted, though they were all much older than this modest VS. Modest? Let us see about that… Colour: full gold. Nose: purified? Well no, we are propelled straight into Sutherland, somewhere between Brora and Wick, more or less, with a pronounced fatness, more beeswax than in a hive, and a compote of apple, pear and quince softened with heather honey. And a very slight sea breeze. With water: the water works wonders, bringing out both more fruits and some earth. Mouth (neat): a formidable sharpness, allied to that oily side we cherish so much. A swordsman as fine as its musketeer ancestor, with orchard fruits as pointed as his famous blade. But let us keep things simple: greengage, apple, gooseberry and small green pear. With water: and here come the roots, liquorice, gentian, celeriac, even raw turnip. And the wines. Finish: long and taut, now very much on the vegetables. And the earth… Comments: if I dared, I would use one of those terrifying barbarisms of which we at WF HQ have the secret: it is a true maltagnac. I know, it is dreadful, I willingly offer my apologies.
SGP:461 - 88 points. |
We need a Ténarèze, don’t we? … And now we’ll move on to some older Armagnacs… |
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Château Le Courréjot 2005/2024 (55%, Hootch, Ténarèze, cask #64, 98 bottles)
Pure ugni blanc from Condom-en-Armagnac and from a single cask. Cask strength, naturally. Colour: gold. Nose: tonnes of marzipan steeped in eau-de-vie, that is what strikes first. Then come the natural, rustic notes, fresh hay, sautéed mushrooms, forest honey, followed by an improbable yet magnificent combination of dill and fir needles. The whole is beautifully balanced and far more complex than it first appears. With water: it does not move an inch, you may simply add a small touch of fresh putty. Mouth (neat): this is simply too good! An explosion of orange blossom honey and fir bud liqueur, with almost a hint of old Sauternes about it. With water: it remains as immovable as a Norman wardrobe, as we say, this time with just a little liquorice joining the festivities. Finish: and it carries on; it is a rock. Orange honey continues to take the leading role for quite some time. An aniseed touch in the aftertaste, as so often, which neatly loops back to the dill on the nose. Comments: a Ténarèze as stubborn as a native of the Gers. I allow myself to say so as I have family in the Gers. Magnificent beast.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
Hmm, how to respond? Perhaps with this… |
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Domaine d’Espérance 2006/2025 ’Folle Blanche’ (50.5%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, cask #51)
Colour: golden amber. Nose: whereas the VS was nervous and modern, here we are faced with an armagnac in the old style, marked by Darjeeling, a cabinetmaker’s workshop, dark chocolate, dried ceps or morels?), and even a few mentholated and terpenic wafts. I would add that it is very beautiful, almost Grand Siècle in style. With water (just a wee drop): touches of crushed slate and mosses, though this is merely decorative, the whole scarcely changes. Mouth (neat): but how close it is to the previous Ténarèze! The same vigorous honeys, orange blossom water, menthol and liquorice, light varnish notes… With water: sour cherry bursts forth, along with its companion kirsch, yet without the slightest vulgarity naturally. Finish: long, with that tension so appreciable in the finest French, err, brandies. Apologies. A very slight chouchen side, though then it would be the finest chouchen in Brittany, thus in the world. Perhaps a hint of olive oil in the far aftertaste. Comments: as we sometimes say, we would require a double magnum of each to manage to decide between the previous one and this one. We agree, that would not be reasonable.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Domaine de Danis 39 yo 1985/2025 (47.1%, Armagnac.de, Ténarèze, cask #40, 2026)
Folle blanche, as always at Danis, distilled in a travelling still (alambic ambulant). I should add that many producers in Armagnac still do just that. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: at this age the wood plays a greater role and it shows, with a whole assortment of fruitwoods, cherrywood for instance, or rather wild cherry. Quite naturally there then arise kirsch-like notes, marzipan, followed by eucalyptus wood on a very hot summer’s day (only joking) and dried fruits, especially figs. A very fine example of a nose that ‘converges’, according to the theory that old spirits, whatever their raw materials may have been, tend increasingly to resemble one another with age. Mouth: the fruits put up some resistance, though in a more candied, almost ultra-ripe guise. Figs again, also dates and, above all, Corinth raisins. And Cointreau. And a little fir liqueur… Finish: much the same, with the oak gathering strength once more, on black tea and bitter chocolate. Comments: we are approaching a tipping point here, and it is as moving as an ageing Hollywood actress who still has plenty to say. Well, you see what I mean… Superb in any case.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
It may be time to bring this gallop to an end; in any case, we’ll soon have plenty more Armagnacs to come… |
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Bas-Armagnac 1963/2025 (45.8%, The Antelope, cask #DB1021, 73 bottles)
A somewhat mysterious bottling, does ‘DB’ stand for Domaine de Baraillon? Pure speculation, do not dwell on it, in any case it has been a long time since we last saw any Baraillon pass our way, I do hope they are well as we adored their armagnacs in the highest degree. Colour: deep red amber. Nose: superb and even compact, with compotes rather than jams, peaches in syrup, dried figs, chestnut honey, plus those light old-fashioned metallic touches, the sort one finds in grandmother’s ancient copper cauldron. Gentle wafts of moss and mushrooms as well. A touch of liquorice plays the part of the sheepdog here, ensuring the whole flock remains neatly together. A very, very beautiful nose. Mouth: we cross a threshold here, it is sublime with mint, olives, liquorice, tobacco… Above all, the small herbs insinuate themselves, verbena, wormwood, genepy, all under the watchful eye of the liquorice, just as on the nose. It is simply extraordinary. Finish: only now do touches of old oak step forward proudly, yet never causing the slightest disturbance. Thin mints, strongly infused mint tea, dark chocolate… Only the aftertaste shows a faint tannic edge, which is more than normal. Comments: this is deeply impressive and even if I do not know whether this baby spent those 62 or 63 years in cask or finished its life in demijohn, it is truly an ode to the passing of time. Remember, the number one ingredient, the most sacred of all, remains time. Incredible Bas-Armagnac. And so, what is it exactly?
SGP:661 - 92 points. |
We’ll stop there, and although all these Armagnacs were ‘selected’ in one way or another, and we took great care to avoid the run-of-the-mill, we are nonetheless very impressed by the overall standard.
See you soon – stay tuned. |
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February 14, 2026 |
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A non-alcoholic whisky that doesn’t pretend to be whisky
(To celebrate Valentine’s Day
with a bit of a laugh)
I’ve just come back from Wine Paris, where one of the major talking points was alcohol-free spirits. I must admit I’ve often toyed with the idea of doing a tasting of alcohol-free ‘no’ whiskies, but none of the ones I’ve tried so far have really justified it. Some were perfectly pleasant to drink, but they simply bore no resemblance to whisky — and I’m not talking about the missing alcoholic kick. Besides, I wasn’t especially keen to alienate half the whisky world and risk immediate digital crucifixion. |
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A penicillin (with a thought for Stéphane G. Missing you Stéphane.) |
Quite amusingly, though, I stumbled across the one we’re about to try, and it very pointedly makes no claim whatsoever to be an alcohol-free whisky. It isn’t a de-alcoholised whisky produced by one method or another (something I’ve yet to see work convincingly, at least so far). I’ve sampled a fair few of those, including several at Wine Paris itself. That said, I may well have made the cardinal error of tasting proper whisky shortly beforehand, when I probably ought to have started with the alcohol-free options instead. In any case, we’ll revisit the subject properly another day. For now, we’re simply going to taste the one that caught our attention and which, as I mentioned, doesn’t pretend to be whisky, nor even alcohol-free whisky, nor indeed something meant to be drunk neat… |
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Giffard ‘Woody Malt N°02’ (0%, OB, +/-2026)
The honourable makers mention in their charming brochure, I quote, a ‘Lively attack of malt and sherry evolving towards gentle fruity notes before an elegant finale on peat and oak wood.’ That is quite a lot of promises for a product that is offered solely as a mocktail ingredient and in no way as a ‘whisky’. One must admire Giffard’s honesty here, a house that strikes me as extremely well regarded among all the mixologists known to my friends. Colour: deep gold, slightly cloudy. Nose: this is genuinely most amusing, somewhere between fresh paint, soot, toasted sesame, old Gouda and liquorice. A touch of dust. I rather like this charmingly improbable nose, and I am not joking. To think it is absolutely not meant to be sipped neat! Mouth: it is not whisky, yet we are not so very far away, and I find it… good. Liquorice takes centre stage, followed by light touches of violet and lavender, some smoke though discreet, and a faint orange fudge note. There is sweetness, but I imagine it is required to avoid ending up as a mere herbal infusion. Finish: short of course, but not abrupt, once again thanks to that gentle sweetness. The orange caramel side lingers, together with a small note of sweet carrot… Comments: I ought not to score this, granted, yet I wish to record that it is, in my view, a very good product, superior to many whiskies ‘with alcohol’. And after all, it is Valentine’s Day!
SGP:331 - 80 points. |
Bonus: here’s the recommendation from Giffard themselves if you’d like to turn it into a cocktail, and I do mean recommendation, as they actively advise against drinking it neat:
Penicillin (a modern classic cocktail typically combining Scotch, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup and a float of peaty whisky):
4cl Giffard Woody Malt - 2,5cl Giffard Gingembre sans alcool - 1,5cl Sirop Miel Giffard - 3cl Lemon juice.
A votre santé ! |
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February 13, 2026 |
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Two Isle of Raasay, or cherries vs pumpernickel
I agree, two Raasays aren’t too many. It’s one of the young distilleries we’re rather fond of! |
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Isle of Raasay 2021/2025 (48%, OB, France exclusive, matured in red Bourgogne)
For us, maturations in red wine casks are always slightly worrying (I know, I do go on) but one never quite knows. We assume it was pinot noir, yet do note that there is also gamay in Bourgogne, not solely in Beaujolais. Indeed, fifty years ago there was a great deal of gamay, even in the Côte d’Or. Anyway, let us move along, this is not bourgognefun here… Colour: gold with apricotty hues. Nose: our good fortune here is that the distillate was still brimming with barley, yeast, earth and all those fermentary things that we rather cherish, as a consequence of which the blackcurrants and cherries behave themselves properly and we are spared any true cocktail effect. Phew. Mouth: the red fruits are more emphatic here, the whole veering slightly towards a kirschy side, yet we also find a few impressions of Belgian ‘Kriek’ beer, which I personally enjoy, and which incidentally causes all my Belgian friends to tease me gently. In short… Lyon’s praline tart. It remains a truly good whisky, yet we are clearly within premix territory. Finish: long, more kirschy, more peppery. Comments: but why are all the Scots now using red wine casks? Merely a question of cost?
SGP:651 - 80 points. |
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Isle of Raasay (60.9%, OB for Kirsch Import, Awakening Series, for Whisky Live Germany, PX sherry quarter cask, cask #21/1231)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: Germany 1 – France 0. It looks like the result of a football match from the 1970s or 1980s, doesn’t it? The absence of red fruits is a true blessing, while the walnut liqueur, mushrooms and damp earth are blessings too. Not forgetting the national pumpernickel, which we adore to the highest degree, it is almost malt whisky in solid form. Yes, indeed… But do take care, this Raasay is a little strong… With water: damp earth, fresh mastic, virgin wool and just a handful of fresh barley. Mouth (neat): excellent, taut, certainly young and vigorous, and a little rustic here and there, yet green pepper, smoke and lemon perfectly complete that famous… pumpernickel. With water: perfect young coastal malt, close to its ingredients, without Botox or excessive makeup. Despite the quarter cask, and despite the PX, perhaps it was refill? Finish: long, delightfully earthy, just as we like it. Comments: indeed, I do like this BKaiser-Franz of whisky very much.
SGP:553 - 87 points. |
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February 12, 2026 |
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A Balvenie
and a Balvy
Yet another new name for a ‘blended malt’ which, in all likelihood, comes from the famous distillery in Dufftown, from which we are about to sample — as an aperitif — a 10-year-old expression from a few years ago. |
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Balvenie 10 yo 'Founder's Reserve' (40%, OB, Germany, +/-2005)
We have of course already tasted this 10 a few times, but we have never written a ‘formal’ tasting note. In any case it was not the greatest of the Balvenies, even if the version from the 1980s in a Cognac bottle had been a little superior, in my humble opinion. That was the era when Scotch sometimes copied the attributes of cognac, you see… Colour: gold. Nose: mainly hay and herbal tea to begin with, then a touch of vanilla and fresh walnut, finally hints of not quite fully ripe apricot. It is not immensely expressive, but this is a 40% vol. version, there was also 43%. Mouth: much more punch on the palate, it is almost a little rustic and spirity, then it unfolds on vanilla and overripe apple, slightly bitter woody touches, and a return of the apricots, accompanied by peaches, the whole rather dry. No very ripe mirabelle nor quince paste this time. Finish: not so short, a little bitter, with a touch of lemon zest right at the end. Comments: it is nonetheless really rather good, better than in my memories. Perhaps a little good OBE after twenty years in bottle?
SGP:451 - 81 points. |
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Balvy 35 yo 1989/2025 (52%, The Whisky Jury, blended malt, refill hogshead, cask #681R, 278 bottles)
Thirty-five years, that is beginning to count. Let us see whether we rediscover the mirabelle tart with custard so common in old Balvenie distilled towards the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. Colour: pale gold. It is paler than the 10 yo, ha. Nose: I would almost go so far as to call it ‘anti-Balvenie’, so much does it begin on roots and waxes, fresh mastic, a handful of just-malted barley, old tobacco in an old tobacco pouch, and an old tin box with old mint tea inside. In short, you see, all this is murmuring rather quietly for the moment. Water should wake it up as it wakes the cats at WF Towers. With water: yes, it works, it brings out Williams pear and quince, and even cauliflower, but in homeopathic doses, so no cause for concern. Mouth (neat): the Balvenie DNA returns at once, with plums of every hue in abundance, plenty of apples and even some cider, then notes of salted butter caramel. Who does not like salted butter caramel? No one. With water: it becomes even more ‘Balvenie’, firing off apples, pears, greengages, little apricots, but also a touch of kirsch. In short, it is an old Balve… Balvy that has remained rather rustic. Finish: long, close to the orchard but also to the earth. Green apple and a surprisingly marked salinity in the aftertaste. Comments: let us admit that it does not show its 35 years, and that the cask was doubtless lazier than Homer Simpson. Or than a giant panda. Or than the cats at WF HQ.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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February 11, 2026 |
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Eight Tullibardine, for glory and for flavour |
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| (Tullibardine) |
A distillery full of merit, and one that truly deserves greater recognition. We're ready to spread the word! |
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Tullibardine ‘500 Sherry Finish’ (43%, OB, +/-2021)
The label states this is ‘A Drop of Pure Highland Gold’ and we’ve no reason whatsoever to doubt it. The number 500 would appear to refer to the cask capacity, and certainly not to the 500 miles of Indianapolis (S.? All good?). I should add that we’d tasted earlier iterations of this 500 and had rather liked them. Colour: full gold. Nose: lovely, slightly yeasty, showing notes of fresh walnut and overripe apple, a combination that, to our mind, always works. A few hints of bark and some wood dust as well. Mouth: really not much to add, it’s a charming malt, quite close in style to some excellent beers, dry in just the right way, unassuming, yet that’s very much part of its appeal. Farmhouse cider, tobacco, slightly bitter walnuts. Finish: not very long but nicely dry and bitter. Comments: a very young and inexpensive malt (I believe) but one full of merit.
SGP:461 - 80 points. |
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Tullibardine 30 yo 1993 (47.9%, The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, 222 bottles, +/-2024)
We’re placing this venerable version here due to its bottling strength, you see. These old Tullibardines are really not common at all. As they say round here, they don’t grow on vines. Colour: Californian chardonnay. Just kidding. Nose: absolutely all-in on weissbier, brewing wort, bread dough, a bakery at five in the morning, cider apples, even a dab of cider vinegar—but just a dab. Simply astounding for something thirty years of age. Mouth: it’s improbable stuff, not very balanced, hyper-fermentary, highly peppery, verging on acidic, and yet I utterly adore that sensation of tasting… … … new make. It’s genuinely excellent, albeit rather unlikely. Finish: fairly long, with honey and mead making a late appearance to lend body, if not quite sweetness. Still, what brilliant acidity. Comments: an improbable, disconcerting old malt, yet in the end, marvellous, if you’re into all things natural. Natural wine? Here comes natural whisky.
SGP:451 - 90 points. |
Time to hand this back to the juniors… |
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Tullibardine 13 yo 2012/2025 (54%, Cadenhead, Chairman’s Stock, hogshead)
Alas, this wee one spent its final two years in tawny Port casks, but one never knows, perhaps it managed to retain its DNA? Colour: dear me, redder than raspberry jelly! Nose: this is where all your certainties come crashing down—there’s not a hint of raspberry, cherry, strawberry, blackcurrant or redcurrant (S., message received), instead we’re getting fresh croissant and toasted gingerbread. The worst part is, for now, it works. With water: not bad, cigarette tobacco, fresh concrete... Mouth (neat): blimey, it’s actually good, thanks to the pepper taking full control. That said, I must admit there’s still a fair amount of red fruit in the background, which is borderline off-putting. A sort of artisan Campari. With water: no idea what that is. Salted and peppered orange liqueur. Finish: jammy, peppery. Artificial wild strawberry (yep). Comments: I’d be rather surprised if the Chairman of WM Cadenhead, with his access to endless Springbanks, drinks this sort of thing on the regular.
SGP:551 - 78 points. |
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Tullibardine 11 yo 2013/2025 (53%, Decadent Drams, 2nd-fill sherry hogshead, 242 bottles)
I must admit I’m very curious now—why has our Angus, prince of the singular yet classical malts, chosen a Tullibardine just 11 years of age? Colour: gold. Nose: scones, shortbread, sesame oil, kouign-amann, buttercream… Right, got it. With water: leaves, cherry tree, peach, fig… Mouth (neat): perhaps a few walnutty touches from the sherry, otherwise it’s all pepper and small white fruits. Not a jot of softness or sweetness, this baby’s taut as an Olympic bow. With water: a few gentler notes (bergamots), though it still holds tight as a G-string. Finish: fairly long, veering more towards bread and yeast. Comments: this is really lovely, very close to nature, ultimately quite minimalist, though perhaps not as memorable as Symphony No.40 in G minor KV 550 or indeed Crosstown Traffic.
SGP:451 - 83 points. |
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Tullibardine 10 yo 2015/2025 (55.6%, Hogshead Import, 1st fill vinsanto octave, 71 bottles)
Vinsanto? Why not! Don’t they say all tastes are found in nature… Colour: full gold. Nose: I’d say the vinsanto doesn’t really show, and I’d add that this is all for the better. Fresh brioches and green tea, plus green peppercorns. With water: the oak does come through in the end, leaning towards chamomile and a sort of ‘English breakfast’ tea vibe. Right. Mouth (neat): lemon drizzle cake and green pepper. Very good. With water: herbal. Not sure dilution does it many favours. Finish: medium length, herbal in flavour. Comments: comfortably above average, though let’s be honest, it’s no Brora 1972.
SGP:451 - 80 points. |
Maybe it's best to have one last one, or maybe two or three... |
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Tullibardine 9 yo 2015/2025 ‘Edition #44’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 100 proof, 1st and 2nd fill oloroso butt)
Truly, what a marvellous ‘budget’ series from Signatory… Colour: deep gold. Nose: cedarwood and candied oranges, plus bergamots and nougat—what more could one want? Nothing, absolutely nothing. With water: straw, hay, cigars, bread dough. And bread dough is always something to cherish under such circumstances. Mouth (neat): magnificently peppery, then bursting with turmeric, liquorice and coffee bean. It’s utterly full-on in the spice department, to say the least, but it’s great fun. Perhaps just a touch too much, on second thought? With water: we return to pure malt, herbs, earth, yeast… And the sherry’s walnuts! Finish: fairly long, a tad austere, bitter, herbal and, above all, honest. A trace of oregano on the aftertaste, which is rather amusing. Comments: lots of fondness for this fine series from Signatory, which generally manages to outshine its official counterparts without breaking a sweat.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
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Tullibardine 10 yo 2015/2025 (44.1%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills, hogshead, 392 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: all manner of beers, cardboard, old papers, straw, yeast and fresh bread. All of it works… beautifully. Mouth: very good, close to barley, with hints of kirsch and almonds—which, we agree, are more or less the same thing, in a kind of way. Finish: lovely length, with slightly tart apple and a touch of chalk. Comments: Scottish nature in your glass—it’s almost moving. Indeed.
SGP:351 - 83 points. |
Just one more, scout’s honour… |
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Tullibardine 6 yo (54.9%, Dràm Mor, cask #19000022, finished in 1st fill oloroso hogshead, 336 bottles, 2025)
Colour: full gold. Nose: the cask is doing much of the heavy lifting here, it’s all toasted country bread, fougasse, sourdough and the usual twigs, with a dollop of vanilla fudge. With water: whoops, it closes down on yeast and leafy notes only. Boxwood, privet, that sort of thing. Mouth (neat): oh yes, very good even if it’s a bit rough and, truth be told, ultra-peppery. Possibly a touch too much in that regard. With water: small green pears and serviceberries. Still pretty austere, to be honest. Finish: long, very herbal, very honest but no walk in the park. Small green pears. Comments: small green pears are truly delightful, but perhaps they’re not quite enough to deliver a full and satisfying experience, after all.
SGP:361 - 79 points. |
Right, we’ll stop now, but blimey, that 30-year-old Singapore, what a thing! |
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February 10, 2026 |
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The return of Royal Brackla
on WF
It’s not that one is obliged to sip Royal Brackla regularly, but still, the prefix ‘Royal’ is enough to spur us on—we poor, jaded, secular republicans. Alas, no official bottling today; truth be told, I’ve no idea where they’ve got to. I do hope they’re doing well…
It's one of the funniest bottles of malt, it is real, it is the 35-year-old Brackla released in 2013, aka The Holy Hand Grenade. We laughed so much! Having said that, we never tried it... |
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Royal Brackla 13 yo 2011/2025 (56.9%, Lady of the Glen, 1st fill tawny port finish, cask #1315, 159 bottles)
Certainly, it’s a tawny port finish, but never mind, we shall endure… Colour: full gold. Nose: the wine is obvious, with cherry jam, prunes, a honeyed Cognac-like side, plus a brandy de Jerez sweetness that borders on the indecent. Worst of all, it’s really rather pretty. We’re going soft! With water: springs back elastically to malted barley, with shortbread, oatcakes, and scones… Mouth (neat): heavily jammy and confit-like, yet also spicy and peppery… Peppered onion chutney, gingerbread—only the foie gras is missing. And I hate to admit I rather enjoy it. With water: blast, it’s truly good. I reckon it’s the pepper, quite dominant, that sets the pace and reins in the wine’s sweetness. And we do like pepper. Finish: long, curiously well-balanced, candied, and ultimately rather fresh. Comments: something miraculous happening in this tawny-ed Brackla, to think I wouldn’t have wagered a kopek. Then again, Lady of the Glen know what they’re doing…
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
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Royal Brackla 13 yo 2012/2025 (57.2%, Watashi Whisky, refill sherry octave, cask #574490)
Back we go to Taiwan, with our feline friends duly restored to glory. As it should be! Colour: white wine. Nose: the hue suggests a very, very well-behaved octave indeed—bravo. Truth be told, we’re knee-deep in fresh barley, damp soil (Scottish, naturally), and roots—celery, carrot, potato, even turnip—I daresay you could turn this wee Brackla into a broth and everyone would love it, me included. Lovely touches of parsley and chervil. With water: sourdough starter, pizza dough, actual sourdough… Long live the great outdoors. Mouth (neat): back to the fruity side with apples and pears, all steeped in ale and dusted with white pepper and nutmeg. It’s all rather rustic, really. With water: cider and beer. Finish: medium in length, with a nice bitterness and a touch of ginger. Comments: naturally, when one sees ‘octave’, one expects cask-driven madness. Not the case here at all, on the contrary, despite the ginger, and even if it’s not quite transcendental.
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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Royal Brackla 16 yo 2008/2025 (58.2%, Signatory Vintage, Symington’s Choice, 1st fill sherry butt, cask #2, 676 bottles)
And here comes the full sherry treatment. I don’t believe Brackla is quite a distinctive enough malt to fight an onslaught, so we’re bracing ourselves for a proper bacchanalia of dried fruits and assorted nuts. Colour: full gold. Nose: well, no, this is civilised stuff, still focused on walnuts and hazelnuts, but also soft pipe tobacco, bitter orange, triple sec, chestnut purée… With water: strong ale and an old tobacco tin. Mouth (neat): very bitter, heavily cask-driven, all cedarwood, pencil shavings, bitter orange, green walnut, fresh turmeric… It feels rather like a brawler on the palate at this stage, truth be told. With water: that same strong ale again, Belgian no doubt, cellared for twenty years or more. My beer knowledge pretty much ends there, though we’ve surely gone well beyond that point already. The sherry remains squarely in the nutty corner, dry and bitter as it should be. Finish: fairly long, though a touch less dry, with notes of mead, for instance. And naturally, old amontillado. Comments: very classically Jerezian.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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February 9, 2026 |
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A neat little trio of Redbreast
It's true, we don't taste enough Irish whiskey! We'll have to put that right with three single pot still Redbreasts from Midleton…
Oh, and sorry about the result of the France–Ireland match in the Six Nations last week — honestly, we’ve got so much love for the Irish!
(Midleton) |
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Redbreast 12 yo ‘Cask Strength Batch B1/12’ (58.6%, OB, single pot still, 2012)
A version from over twelve years ago that we’ve yet to taste. About time, really. Colour: gold. Nose: I find it distinctly less fruity than expected on the nose, at least without water. It's even rather peppery and herbaceous for a Redbreast, at this stage anyway, and quite hot. With water: the water releases melon and beeswax, along with all sorts of apples, though the pepper remains. Mouth (neat): lots of peppered apples and a fairly evident bourbon character, even a slightly rustic tutti frutti eau-de-vie. Quite surprising. With water: we’ve finally arrived at our destination, with the expected fruit salad and a few drops of peanut oil. This oily side is quite typical. A few cereals come through next. Finish: of medium length, on orchard fruits with a touch of honey. Comments: it’s very odd, when we taste the 12-year-old at 40% vol., we regret not having more wattage, and when we taste the cask strength versions, we regret the 40% vol. ones. Is it serious, doctor?
SGP:451 - 80 points. |
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Redbreast 27 yo ‘Batch B1/2019’ (54.6%, OB, single pot still, 2019)
A vatting of port, bourbon and sherry casks. Once again we’re running late, having already tasted batch 5 upon its release in 2024, which we adored (WF 90). Colour: dark gold. Nose: simply superb. The wines don’t really show, at least not the ruby port, as it opens with a solo performance of mango, followed by bananas, rosehip infusion and ling heather honey. A very slight muscat note, Turkish delights, rose petals… With water: a hint of damp chalk, greenhouse atmosphere, herbal teas and assorted infusions… It’s truly beautiful. Mouth (neat): a perfect mirror of the nose, only with more punch, centred on pink pepper and blood orange. Magnificent and dangerously easy at this strength. With water: the mango returns in full splendour, with pink pepper acting as bodyguard and just a flicker of pineapple. Truly splendid. Finish: long, strikingly fresh for its age, with a fruitiness increasingly geared toward citrus. Blood oranges and white pepper on the aftertaste. Comments: it’s absolutely delicious! It should be compared with another batch to see if there’s any variation…
SGP:641 - 90 points. |
Well, exactly… (what a stitch-up, S.!) |
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Redbreast 27 yo ‘Batch B2/2019’ (53.5%, OB, single pot still, 2019)
Same cask types as Batch 1 and considering they released a second batch in the same year, it’s fair to say the first was quite a success. So then, let’s see whether they’re really different… Colour: full gold. Nose: well it’s close, but there are differences, notably some notes of silverware and linden blossom added to the mango, honey, etc. As a result, it’s less “clean-cut”, but it’s more complex. You can’t have it all. With water: slightly more toasted, a touch more on cashew, pecan, even macadamia nuts. But the engine remains the same. Mouth (neat): even closer to Batch 1 on the palate, the fruitiness is just as expressive, though there’s perhaps a slightly greater sherry presence, especially with notes of nutty little cakes. With water: the mango returns in full fanfare, along with a few dried white mulberries, even some goji. Finish: long, and now nearly identical to that of Batch 1. Blood oranges, light pepper, hints of angelica. Comments: I very, very slightly prefer this Batch 2, but not quite enough to justify a different score.
SGP:641 - 90 points. |
We should have more Irish coming soon, including some from new distilleries, but also some old Bushmills and the like. Stay tuned.
(Thank you, Ryan) |
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February 8, 2026 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
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| The sublime Etablissements Tiffon in Jarnac (Syndicat des Maisons de Cognac) |
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Some quality cognacs and other fine eaux-de-vie |
…Since rum unfortunately missed its turn last Sunday! Right then, let’s start with our traditional little aperitif… |
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Gautier *** (40%, OB, Fine Cognac, +/-1985)
I believe that since then this three-star has become the ‘VS’. Gautier is a small but very old Cognac house that belongs to Marie Brizard. Those we tasted the last time, but that was eight years ago, had hardly impressed us, alas! Colour: full gold. Nose: very much on sultanas and all-flowers honey, with touches of caramel. It is not bad, but it is rather lacking in expression, beyond these very rounded notes. Mouth: not bad at all on the palate, with an almost vigorous arrival, unfortunately massive doses of caramel, natural or not, quickly invade the whole, offset by heather honey. Finish: quite long, but really, I insist, far too much on caramel for a modern palate. Comments: rather to be drunk over ice or as a fine à l'eau, diluted with water.
SGP:740 - 72 points. |
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Lhéraud ‘Lot 90 + 20 yo’ (49.4%, The Spirit Traveller, No.07, Petite Champagne, 1475 bottles, 2025)
100% ugni blanc, by the famous house Lhéraud, of which we have already tasted a few marvels. Here we have a vatting made half of a 20-year-old, and half of a 1990 vintage, 34 years of age. Colour: amber. Nose: another world, I dare say of course, even if we are also on a rather traditional profile, fairly jammy and honeyed, not devoid of raisins, but also showing fresh and floral aromatics, somewhere between viognier and gewurztraminer, before dried apricots and dried figs take control, accompanied by a little pipe tobacco, liquorice and earth. Mouth: it picks up where the nose left off, on earth and tobacco, even touches of oloroso, then it fires off the dried fruits, those figs, dried banana, dates, prunes and currants. Also a little dark nougat and touches of slivovitz, or old Souillac plum (vielle prune de Souillac). Finish: long, very ripe, rather jammy and leading towards blood orange, with light pepper and tobacco. Touch of molasses in the aftertaste. Comments: it is rather rich in the end, I find it excellent, but that was to be expected.
SGP:651 - 89 points. |
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Tiffon ‘Hors d’Âge The X-mas Unicorn’ (44.9%, Swell de Spirits, Borderies, Field Trip #08, 2026)
I believe, I am even sure, that here is our first cognac bottled in 2026. Colour: dark amber. Nose: understood. This is undoubtedly a rather old cognac, of exquisite finesse, on hazelnut cake, chestnut honey, apricot jam and pipe tobacco, the whole coated in melted dark chocolate, profiterole style. Traces of menthol. Sublime nose. Mouth: chocolates filled with fruit liqueur, raspberry, apricot, pear… I would almost like to stop there, but one must not exaggerate all the same, especially as black tea and peach leaf (tea) then come in to add a perfect structure, almost dry. Finish: incredible freshness, incredible firmness as well. Return of chocolate and fresh but very ripe fruits, especially vineyard peaches and apricots. Comments: this Borderies is monstrously good in my opinion, it is almost improper, all the more so as there are, I believe, only very few bottles.
SGP: 661 - 92 points. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Lot 70’ (58.2%, The Whisky Blues, Grande Champagne, 219 bottles, 2025)
A house that has become a classic among malternative lovers, here in a version for our friends in Taiwan. Colour: deep gold. Nose: more firmness, I would almost say a wholesome rusticity that nearly evokes an old Domfrontais, with coffee, malt extract and raisins. Very beautiful and almost a little tricky. Positively tricky, naturally. With water: very fine oakiness, somewhere between Darjeeling and fruit-tree wood, with a few touches of mastic and Gravenstein apple eau-de-vie. Mouth (neat): forget those calvados stories, here we have a pure old Grande Champagne, but indeed very full-bodied. Candied citrus fruits, pepper and a little polished wood quickly take charge. With water: the candied fruits, especially the citrus, assert themselves and are accompanied by liquorice, mint, and a slight medicinal side, between eucalyptus and camphory touches. Finish: long, rather sharp, with a triumphant return of small apple and a few flinty touches. Comments: superb, nervy, almost imposing. Better let it breathe a little - us as well.
SGP:461 - 90 points. |
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Tree of Life ‘Lot n°46’ (49.5%, Whiskay, Fins Bois, 120 bottles, 2025)
A close cousin of Temps Retrouvé by Passion for Whisky. These immediate post-war years always carry a particular charm, which can also be found in, for example, the Médocs, especially the great Pauillacs, absolutely legendary (1945, 1947…) Colour: full gold. Nose: there is a certain firmness at first, in any case plenty of structure, a slightly austere elegance, roots and earth, yellow and white fruits, and above all an assortment of those small-berry eaux-de-vie that we like so much at WF HQ, rowan, wild service tree, elder, holly… In short, this is very, very classy. A few drops of sweet woodruff syrup come to relax the atmosphere a little after five minutes. Also wax. Mouth: this is perfect, taut, almost refreshing at this age, with apples and citrus fruits, then those roots and that earth. Gentian is really not far away. The same sweet woodruff syrup then comes to coat the whole. Finish: long, more austere again, with touches of propolis and other resins. Gentian is still there too, and the whole is simply brilliant, like the aforementioned cousin probably - we no longer have any to compare them, alas! More pine sap in the aftertaste. Comments: a true bouilleur de cru cognac, the very best of the countryside.
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
What if we moved on to the pre-war period?, I mean WWII? |
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Vallein Tercinier ‘Grande Rue 34’ (42%, OB, bottled in 2014)
A small half-bottle that has a rather amusing story. We had it on a shelf, unopened, and I had always told myself that I had already tasted it, and that I had in fact adored it, while it was a bottling of +/-2012. Very, very great cognac! And then, while doing a bit of tidying up, I grabbed this wee bottle and, looking at the back label, I saw an extract of a rather disjointed tasting note… But it rang a bell. Of course, it was gobbledygook made at Whiskyfun. So I looked more closely and realised that it was another tirage, a little more recent, say two years later. In short, 2014 instead of 2012. For us, that was reason enough to open this second bottle, and so here it is in our glass! In such cases, any excuse is a good excuse, isn’t it. Colour: full gold. Nose: I swear I remember it. It is so perfect that it marks you indelibly. Incense, cedarwood, red tea, vegetable soup (leek, carrot, potato, chervil, parsley, bay leaf), very old Malaga PX, and then guavas and papayas, mango, beeswax, marijuana, shoe polish… In fact it never stops. We do, though. Mouth: incredible three-way duel between the wood, or rather the woods, the fruits and the herbs, with a wonderful dry side, somewhere between an old amontillado and an old Pu-erh. As we used to say, please call the anticognacporn brigade. And the drier it becomes, the more beautiful it gets, which is not all that common. Finish: very long given the low bottling strength (natural!) and completely oriented towards old Madeiras, Sherries or Marsalas, all as dry as a stick. We love that. Comments: 1934 was a great vintage, in wine too, particularly in Burgundy for that matter. Granted, we are far from Nuits-St-Georges or Beaune. We are not going to change our score compared to the previous outturn, but I promise you I was tempted to add one point, though that would have been misplaced affectation.
SGP:561 - 93 points. |
Well, we won’t be pushing any further with the cognacs, even though we’ve just received some superb ones — sadly a little too late for this session. Instead, we’ll make the most of the occasion to taste two or three other fruit spirits, if you’re happy with that… |
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Huo Shao Yun (53%, Huangshan H&S Wine Estate, China, +/-2025)
Stop, wait, this is in fact a spirit made from assorted stone fruits, notably peaches, apricots and plums. I do not know whether they leave the stones in and in what proportions, whether they control prussic acid as some do when we distil, but anyway, let’s go since we are here. This is an aged spirit. Colour: full gold. Nose: what is interesting is that the fruits do not really stand out as such, at least not in their singularity, and that we are rather facing a spirit that is not so far from malt whisky, or rather from bourbon. Vanilla, milk chocolate, varnish, café latte, and just a little kirsch, whether there is cherry in the mix or not. With water: the plums come out. Mouth (neat): well it is good, even very good. A light sweet side at first, but this time the apricots do express themselves, on rather fine oak and always that bourbon-like side. Orange notes. With water: it swims like a champion and even if the wood shows more (cinnamon, nutmeg) this is compensated by the apricots. Finish: long, gentle but not too much so, and more marked by the fruits. Comments: well this is a true malternative. Excellent surprise, and it even holds its own after the grandiose VT 1934.
SGP:641 - 85 points. |
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Ferme 1719 2023 (71.3%, Authentic Spirits, Eau-de-vie de Grande Champagne, high-ester)
Ugni blanc from Cognac, straight from the still. Okay, we quickly draft our will, say our prayers, warn family and friends… and here we go! Colour: all white. Nose: it stings hard, but there does seem to be a lovely oily and fermentary side. But let us not push our luck any further… With (a ton of) water: I promise you that you feel as if you were on Marie-Galante. Mouth (neat, because we must, procedures you know): this is superb, it is just dangerous. Plenty of pear, of course, as in all ultra-young spirits bottled at natural strength. Okay, not vodka… With water: very oily, the pear is still there, but there are also lemon and olive, and even some saline notes. Finish: an olive mojito side, quite incredible. Comments: this is rather terrifying in its clarity and precision, but beware, you must be the emperor of the pipette to get through this fairly incredible eau-de-vie. Here, we love it, but we are afraid of nothing.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Philippe Schaeffer 1982/2022 (49.3%, Authentic Spirits, Fine d’Alsace)
We love the work of Authentic Spirits, one must not forget that dealing with these distillates, especially in their less commercial versions (or not commercial at all to be honest), is to deal with the gods. Indeed. Here we have sylvaner, riesling and gewurztraminer, and we are in Epfig, in the Bas-Rhin. They make superb wines there (says this citizen of the Haut-Rhin). Colour: full gold. Nose: this baby is forty years old in total, wood + demijohn according to the picture on the label, and you can feel it, but there is no softness at all, on the contrary, we have travelled to Asia, with fermentary aromas, small fruits such as jujubes, but also manzanilla (I promise you) and vin jaune from Arbois. And walnut wine, what we call here nusswasser. Mouth: incredible lemony and fermentary side, natural wine (in 1982 one may doubt it), chalk, comté, green pepper, but also paraffin and, above all, plenty of bitter almond. We are not far from the craziest marcs of the nearby Jura. Finish: indeed, green walnut comes to impose itself, with a few touches of new plastic as well. Comments: this is very improbable, a real journey in your glass, not easy to follow but quite fascinating if you hang on a little. We find it a bit vulgar to assign a score to this kind of creation of nature, but anyway, that is what we do. Take this with a grain of sauerkraut/choucroute. I mean, a grain of salt.
SGP:362 - 85 points. |
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Zind Humbrecht 1996/2019 (62%, Amateur Spirits, eau-de-vie de vin)
A proper fine d’Alsace, 100% pinot noir, aged in cask for 23 years, half an hour on foot from WF Towers. Remember, a fine is distilled and aged wine, not marc. Right, Cognac is a fine too. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is praline, roasted peanuts, fudge, pistachio oil, sesame oil and various assorted foliage. With water: glue and kirsch come to the fore, with almost an American side, in any case bourbon. I know, I know… Mouth (neat): it is almost fresh, nervy, taut, varnished, packed with citrus peels, with touches of glue. But that could be the very high strength… With water : it rolls along on citrus fruits and small berries, even grapes, their pips, and even a very light brine, surprising but absolutely not out of place. Finish: long, very taut, almost tart, with again that fresh kirsch side. Lemon zests and small green apples come to nag you in the aftertaste. Comments: a kind of friendly anti-cognac side, with much more sharpness here. But we agree, the grape varieties have nothing to do with each other. Well done DZH and AS.
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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