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September 30, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today, Dufftown |
The old official Dufftown-Glenlivets, especially those 8-year-old black labels, were splendid whiskies, but I’m afraid they’ve all but faded from memory by now. Never mind, we should soon get over it, or so we hope, with these two indies from a couple of well-known young bottlers… |
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Dufftown 16 yo 2008/2024 (51.5%, Thompson Bros., oloroso hogshead, 218 bottles) 
The label is splendid. Labels matter, don’t they? Colour: reddish amber. Nose: burnt caramel, dried ceps, metal polish, armagnac and old walnuts. Not nearly as odd as it sounds, mind you… With water: add some fresh potting compost and pinecones smouldering in the fireplace. Mouth (neat): quite improbable, like some very old oloroso blended with twenty per cent nocino. Rather gives the old vertebrae a jolt, but it’s splendid. With water: even more splendid, now we’re thinking of some old PX seco from Malaga. Finish: long, more balanced, with the faintest cardboardy touches, never troublesome, plus very dark chocolate and dark tobacco. Beef broth and smoked oysters in the aftertaste. Why does nobody ever mention smoked oysters? Are they really that rare? Comments: a properly old-school Dufftown. Admirable stuff, with only that faint touch of cardboard keeping it from reaching 90 in my little scoring system of no importance whatsoever.
SGP:362 - 89 points. |
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Dufftown 34 yo 1991/2026 (51.1%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drinks, refill barrel, 159 bottles)
For once, I’m not entirely convinced by the label, although I suppose it must have something to do with contemporary Scottish urban culture. Duffzilla? I clearly don’t get out enough. Colour: gold. Nose: an old aluminium saucepan (takes me straight back to my army days) and gun oil (same comment), then in come the little yellow and white fruits, pears, plums and apples, with a slight young-calvados feel. I do mean ‘young’. I reckon water is going to cause a revolution here… With water: absolutely nothing, it moves no more than Mount Rushmore. Or Ben Nevis (the mountain). Mouth (neat): never, absolutely never, would you guess its 34 years, instead we’re getting a mixture of fresh walnuts, serviceberries, sesame oil and pistachio butter. All that with a pinch of sea salt. With water: this time it does unfold a little, towards green teas and hay, although the young walnuts remain firmly in charge. Finish: even more so in the aftertaste, with those apples we mentioned earlier joining them. Comments: it could be twenty years younger. It’s magnificent, although I slightly prefer the sheer extremities (?!) of the 2008 de la muerte.
SGP:451 – 88 points. |
Sept. 2026
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Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Yoichi 35 yo 1991/2026 (65.4%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, sherry butt, cask #129880, 144 bottles) - WF 93
Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Bruichladdich 17 yo 1976/1994 (52.1%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection) - WF 93
Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Edradour No.2 8 yo 2018/2026 (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, Andrew Symington’s 40 years in the Whisky Industry, 1st fill Châteauneuf du Pape hogsheads) - WF 88
Serge's favourite malternative this month:
T.D.L. 24 yo 2001/2025 (58.5%, Swell & Co. & RumX, Trinidad, #16, 168 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's thumbs up this month:
Daftmill 20 yo 2006/2026 ‘Find Francis’ (53%, Decadent Drinks) - WF 91
Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Spytail ‘Cognac Cask’ (40%, OB, spirit drink, +/-2025) - WF 70 |
We would like to remind you
that we do not take prices
into account, except for the
“bang for your buck” category. |
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September 29, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today, Fettercairn |
Long somewhat relegated to the ranks of those strange, bitter, sometimes a tad feinty malts, and perhaps a little overshadowed by its prestigious cousin Dalmore (and Jura!), Old Fettercairn has, over the past decade, found its rightful place among the more characterful whiskies, and become much more appreciated by enthusiasts. At least by the one currently hammering away at his keyboard with both appetite and curiosity… |
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Fettercairn 18 yo ‘Batch 2024’ (46.8%, OB, annual release, Scottish oak finish) 
In 2024, Fettercairn celebrated its 200th anniversary! This baby was finished in ‘responsibly-sourced, native Scottish Oak’. I promise we’ll taste it just as responsibly, even if we are two years late. Who said as usual? Colour: full gold. Nose: very light touches of green walnut and mild mustard to begin with, which strikes me as traditionally Fettercairn, then an avalanche of ripe apples and a few very subtle touches of grilled bacon and currants. This is really very charming and, above all, distinctive. Mouth: excellent, peppery, salty, bitter, but candied too, packed with peppered walnuts, fir needles and, once again, currants, with a little chocolate and coffee. The coffee must come from the Scottish oak, right? Finish: long and still bitter, like the best amaros. Amari? Bitter coffee in the aftertaste. Comments: properly dry, with something of an amontillado feel, only without the amontillado. Well, you see what I mean…
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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Fettercairn 17 yo 2007/2025 ‘The Gauger’s Reserve’ (57.8%, OB, bourbon barrel, cask #4369)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: we’re very close to chalk, grist, bushels of barley that’s not quite ripe yet, a few crushed mustard seeds and liquorice wood. You simply couldn’t get any closer to the raw materials, believe me. With water: plaster and cement, both still damp. Mouth (neat): splendid bitter, green, mustardy vivacity, with lime zest and tiny wild apples. I just love that little sensation of plaster and grass juice. With water: barely any sweeter, with just a little softness brought by apples and their old pal, green pear. Finish: long, once again with splendid bitters. Comments: they could have sent you an empty bottle, a kilogram of barley, some brewer’s yeast and a few fresh oak shavings and it would have been much the same. Except you’d still have quite a lot of work to do. I love it.
SGP:361 - 88 points. |
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September 27, 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! |
A few rums and animals
We need to make a little room before the big events that come along ahead of the festive season, you see. Let’s just pick them at random…
Trinidad Distillers Limited in the 1950s (Angostura) |
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Vieux Vaval 8 yo 2018/2026 (47.3%, Velier, Haiti, Clairin, Ex-Caroni cask, cask #VA17CR-4)
Oops, this one is actually brand new. Isn’t it interesting that the fashion for in-cask blends is now spreading to rum as well? A bit like a young Scottish malt with a Laphroaig finish? It’s true that this is often a good way of adding an extra kick. Vaval is made at Distillerie Arawaks, by the way. Colour: gold. Nose: double petrol, double olive oil, double acetone and double liquorice. What more could we ask for! Mouth: that worked perfectly, this time it’s the salty liquorice that speaks first, followed by olives, capers and finally those petroly notes. A little concentrated lime ties everything together, alongside tiny notes of shampoo. Does lime shampoo actually exist? Finish: long, very briny. Comments: an excellent tango, although it is true that clairins and certain Trinidadians share the same values (eh?)
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Foursquare 12 yo 2013/2026 (60%, Habitation Velier, Barbados, 100% pot still, ex-cognac cask)
Mind you, this is 100% pot still. I repeat, 100% pot still. In other words, 100% batch distillation… We absolutely loved the very young 2-year-old from the same stable, released in 2015 (WF 89). Colour: full gold. Nose: sandalwood, rosewood, peach liqueur, little pink olives… It’s a little too strong to nose like this, but all the lights are green so far. With water: it smells of an old petrol station (we love that) and old varnishes. Mouth (neat): it starts off as gentle as an ex-column rum, then gradually salty liquorice and petroly notes take over on top of milk chocolate. With water: it doesn’t change all that much, remaining saline and very slightly peppery. Finish: long, on tapenade and a small touch of violet, which brings us full circle to the sandalwood from the beginning. Comments: it has clearly mellowed after another ten years under the tropical sun. Still extremely excellent.
SGP:452 - 89 points. |
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Mhoba 2021/2026 (67.55%, The Whisky Jury, The Ester Hunter, South Africa, refill hogshead, cask #VR-2, 249 bottles) 
At 67.55%, this is less a rum than an assassination attempt. We’d call our lawyer, naturally, but guess where he is? Bingo, golfing again, and, would you believe it, ‘out of signal’. Of course he is… Colour: light gold. Nose: crystal-clear, carbon, tar, acetone, olives, anchovies in brine, and a little ethanol all the same. With water: a few moments of gentle vegetal notes, plantains, cassava… Mouth (neat): superb salinity, gherkins, olives, varnish, concentrated lime, and even a little mezcal. Do they make mezcal in South Africa? With water: I love this, little vegetables and roots, turnips, parsnips, plus grapefruit and seawater… Finish: much the same, only even saltier and more liquorice-driven. Comments: you could add hectolitres of water and it would never falter.
SGP:463 - 90 points. |
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TDL 25 yo 2000/2025 (57.6%, Swell de Spirits, for Bar 1802, Trinidad, #14, 200 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: this seems to be TDL in a rather gentler mood, with neither the riotously exotic fruitiness nor the high-ester, petroly extravagance that some of its siblings like to throw at us. This one appears to have chosen balance over pyrotechnics. For now… With water: a very lovely balance of blancmange, mangoes and bananas. Touches of passion fruit yoghurt. Mouth (neat): on the palate, pink bananas and ripe mangoes, with a slightly salty edge, immediately take the lead. With water: ah, there we are, a few of those trademark saline and petroly touches do emerge after all. Best avoid adding ‘too much’ water, though. Finish: long, very well balanced but a little sharper now, almost slightly fizzy. Comments: very lovely, and certainly a slightly different TDL from the ‘others’.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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T.D.L. 24 yo 2001/2025 (58.5%, Swell & Co. & RumX, Trinidad, #16, 168 bottles)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is immediately more concentrated, more on mangoes that are just beginning to turn overripe, and perhaps not much else, but that’s precisely the profile we adore, isn’t it. With water: some magnificent furniture-polish notes start creeping in. Mouth (neat): perfect. Mangoes, olives, acetone. With water: massive, brutal, exceptional, almost Laphroaig-like in its peatiness. Rather amusing that adding water should make it… more violent. Finish: very long, much more bitter, and with bags of panache. Comments: you’ll lose a few friends if you serve them this, but you’ll gain some others, for life! Yep.
SGP:573 - 91 points. |
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Uitvlugt 30 yo 1992/2022 ‘MPM’ (50.4%, The Whisky Blues, Guyana, barrel, cask #9, 215 bottles)
This is of course Port Mourant at Uitvlugt. Colour: white wine. Clearly European ageing. Nose: what delicacy! Slightly smoky apples, beeswax, drawing gum, manzanilla, a few green walnuts and two or three wee oysters… With water: slightly smoky green tea… Mouth (neat): lovely salinity, green apples, almond milk, chervil and tarragon… This is rather different from the more massive Uitvlugts that have undergone more tropical ageing. With water: very lovely, saline, with radish (daikon) and an unexpected touch of grilled bacon. Just one tiny scrap of grilled bacon… Finish: dry, a composition of fino and vin jaune, most surprising in this context, then pepper. Comments: perhaps not an ‘obvious’ old Uitvlugt/Port Mourant, but it’s full of charm.
SGP:362 - 88 points. |
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Uitvlugt 27 yo 1995/2022 (56.9%, The Duchess, Guyana, bourbon, cask #36)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: brand-new Formica (yes indeed), freshly laid linoleum (absolutely), then roots and little olives. In other words, part kitchen showroom, part hardware shop, part olive grove. And all that at 100° proof, what more could we possibly want? With water: fresh butter with smoked seaweed!!! Mouth (neat): perfect, ultra-precise, with liquorice wood, lime, olives, seaweed and varnish. With water: much the same, really, except that our friends the olives end up ruling the roost. Finish: the salinity just keeps building, this baby is increasingly reminiscent of seawater matured in American oak. Comments: joking aside, this is excellent, perhaps a little demanding, but nothing frightens us, does it?
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
Wait, didn’t we once say we’d never do a session without at least one Jamaican rum? |
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New Yarmouth 2005/2025 (59.8%, The Whisky Jury, Jamaica, refill barrel, cask #14, 221 bottles)
Colour: new world chardonnay. Ha. Nose: magnificent maritime freshness, we’re almost standing on some old ramparts facing the ocean, our faces lashed by sea spray and our ears assaulted by the howling wind (what?) Kelp, oysters, brine, seashells… With water: this brine displays an incredible complexity and freshness, something we sometimes find on Islay, but it’s not that common. Mouth (neat): a ‘chemical’ palate, in the very finest sense of the word ‘chemical’. Acids, terpenes, varnishes, tars, carbon… With water: everything falls into place and calms down, the storms pass and a subtle bitterness takes over. Still, it’s not the greatest swimmer of all time, so better add water with some caution. Finish: long, salty, bitter. Comments: this wasn’t a tasting, it was a fight. What a beast! I should add that HtoH, the Jury’s Mhoba almost has the upper hand. Incredible and unexpected.
SGP:363 - 87 points. |
Good, enough typing, back to Whisky Live Paris before they drink everything without us. See you very soon… |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted
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September 25, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Craigellachie |
No official this time, but the independents are always interesting, aren’t they… |
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Craigellachie 18 yo 2005/2024 (54.4%, Artful Dodger Whisky Collective, bourbon hogshead, cask #315075, 330 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: the classic profile, grass, grist, chalk, lemon, green apple, barley and tutti frutti eau-de-vie. Not exactly original, but it’s precise and lovely. With water: chalk, clay and crushed slate take the lead. We rather like this. Mouth (neat): little fruit sweets, green tea, white pepper, and once again that rather chalky side. Lovely texture. With water: a few little peppermint leaves are coming through, but green apple rules the roost. Finish: fairly long, lively, grassy, but not without a slightly oily side, certainly quite textured... Comments: there are probably millions of casks like this in Scotland, so millions of very good casks. But are there millions of enthusiasts for this slightly austere style? In any case there’s one, me.
SGP:561 - 85 points. |
Let’s try an older version… |
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Craigellachie 31 yo 1994/2026 (53.1%, The Antelope, refill hogshead, cask #8001068, 98 bottles)
And here we are back in Macau. Colour: gold. Nose: we find a similar profile in terms of balance, but everything is riper, the fruits are candied, the apples slightly bruised (those are the best), and there’s a very lovely Belgian beer side, Trappist-style. Amen. There are also toasted hazelnuts, and even pistachio and milk chocolate, but without drifting into Dubai chocolate madness, very 2022. With water: it’s chalk and slate that are elbowing their way to the front. Mouth (neat): really excellent, with the Belgian beer returning, served with lemon syrup (yes, yes, it is done) and an oily side that’s even more pronounced than in the 18 yo. Very lovely notes of greengages and citron. With water: really excellent. Milk chocolate filled with orange. And shall we dare mention Dubai chocolate again? Finish: medium in length, with a surprising camphory, eucalyptus-like touch, almost medicinal. Comments: really excellent, one of the finest Craigellachies of recent times. A shame there were only 98 bottles, are there any left?
SGP:551 - 89 points. |
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September 24, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Auchentoshan |
Auchentoshan, when we started in this game, it was big. Not quite so much today, sadly, and we do miss those days rather badly. We can still remember those sherry versions from 20 years ago (you’re saying 30 years???) as if they were yesterday, those wonderfully old-school, deeply characterful Auchentoshans that seemed to turn up almost casually and were simply from another world. Bottles we probably took for granted at the time, which makes the memories even sweeter, and perhaps a little painful too. Anyway… |
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Auchentoshan 9 yo 2016/2025 ‘Waiting for the Sun’ (46%, Uncharted Whisky Co., 1st fill bourbon, 617 bottles, 2025) 
Waiting for the Sun, we love that name, very early Pink Floyd, the Doors or Aphrodite’s Child. Psychedelic indeed, so let’s see if the whisky follows suit… Colour: white wine. Nose: absolutely immaculate, all on apple juice, with a few drops of lemon juice and a little barley syrup. Brioche dough too, very fresh and almost morning-like. Mouth: ziiiing! Apple juice, lemon juice, grass juice, touches of fresh coriander. It’s all rather elementary, but the world is complicated enough as it is, isn’t it? Finish: much the same, with a few herbal teas joining in, then pink grapefruit. Comments: nothing to add, this is very good, perfectly simple, and perhaps a little psychotropic indeed.
SGP:551 – 81 points. |
Let’s try to shift gears for the second one… |
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Auchentoshan 28 yo 1998/2026 (45.99%, Thompson Bros., 1st fill wine barrique, 379 bottles)
‘Wine barrique’ sounds mildly pleonastic, but we won’t call the language police just yet (after all, I believe they partly use barriques in Calvados too, for instance.) Especially since the label is rather sublime, with the three stills discreetly evoking triple distillation, a motif much used by the brand itself in the past, if I remember correctly. As for the wine, no idea, let’s see… Colour: deep gold. Nose: there is indeed something of an old chardonnay about it, but also touches of rubber tree, balsa wood, a surprising hint of smoked fish, and above all some old dry Madeira, or old fino from the Franco era (what?). Old cellar, dunnage, damp hessian, bandages, green walnut skins… Was that famous wine simply fino after all? Manzanilla? Especially since a lovely rooty side then joins in, salsify, turnips, radishes etc. Mouth: but what on earth is this? Auchentoshan, really? Pepper sauce, mustard sauce (à la diable), walnut wine, flint… It’s very beautiful but rather bewildering. Finish: long, with magnificent bitters and peppers. Comments: seriously, we can’t make head nor tail of this baby, all we know is that it’s rather magnificent. So, what exactly is the story with this ‘wine barrique’? People want to know!
SGP:361 - 89 points. |
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September 23, 2026 |
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French whisky strikes again |
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| Warenghem/Armorik in Lannion, Brittany (Warenghem) |
Right, let’s be honest, I mainly wanted to taste the new Armorik/Warenghem 18-year-old, but we’ll take this opportunity to add a few other French “ouiskis” from the back of our shelves. Where, it has to be said, a few forgotten splendours have been quietly snoozing away… |
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Armorik 18 yo ‘Anthologiez’ (58.8%, OB for LMDW, Sauternes & Oloroso sherry, 150 bottles, 2026)
Is it ‘Anthologiez’ or is it ‘Anthologeizh’, as in ‘Breizh’, the Breton name for Brittany? And there we go, already splitting hairs… In any case, Warenghem, where Armorik is produced, is a proper whisky distillery, rather than a distillery that also makes whisky, as there are so many in France. Colour: Americano coffee. Nose: between us, this really noses like a very old Sauternes. An old Sauternes that has digested its sugars, flowers and fruits, leaving it to concentrate on tobacco (cigar boxes), paprika, walnuts, chocolate and toasted malt. You’ll tell me that this last part must come from the… Malt. A wee De Bartoli Zibibbo side to it. In short, this is really beautiful. With water: the oloroso is clearly taking the upper hand now, dried meats, tobacco, walnut wine, freshly ground pepper… Mouth (neat): very dark caramel with salt and pepper. There is a brutal side to it, but one that’s full of promise (S.!) Cedarwood and dark tobacco. With water: it softens, heading towards the obligatory raisins and milk chocolate. We’re reminded of all those artisan chocolates to which flowers, dried fruits or spices have been added, there are myriads of them. Finish: long, first with a few currants, then very dry, almost drying. This is always the slightly trickier phase. Dark tobacco and black pepper. Comments: a great success for a French whisky made in the Scottish manner, and without peat. Personally, I’d put binious on the labels. Just joking.
SGP:461 - 89 points. |
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Uberach 2008/2015 ‘Jaune Païen’ (48.2%, OB, Bertrand, Vin de Paille finish, 96 bottles)
Here we are in northern Alsace, at a distillery that is sadly closed for the time being. Jean M., you rock! Vin de paille is the local passito in the Jura. Colour: full gold. Nose: fresh walnuts galore, concentrated chamomile, concentrated woodruff too, then touches of gentian and just a few drops of farmhouse cider. And one drop of pepper liqueur. Mouth: people often confuse vin de paille with vin jaune, well, here you could almost forgive them, even though those two wines could hardly be more different. Fresh walnuts are running the show, soon joined by peppery zests and, indeed, a few almost ‘Monty Python’ notes of elderflower. The whole thing becomes increasingly spicy but remains dominated by walnuts from our gardens. Finish: long, very much an extension of all that. A suitably bitter aftertaste, all on walnut skins. Comments: not the easiest of Alsatian whiskies, but the label, deliciously bawdy and in any case almost literary, adds another two or three points.
SGP:371 - 86 points. |
Since we were on the subject of Jura … |
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Blavier 2006/2024 (57.3%, La Maison du Whisky, Version Française, Brûlerie du Revermont, cask #A024, 181 bottles, 2024)
From a Macvin cask, please see (SEPT 17). Blavier is the name of the still, a charming old contraption that had already produced a 2003 that we rather liked (WF 84). Colour: golden amber. Nose: this is amontillado. Yes, really. Milk caramels and coffee caramels. With water: those eternal walnuts come out to play, always a very good sign. Mouth (neat): the fruitiness of the Macvin is coming through now, with a mixture of sultanas, marmalade and, well, Macvin, plus quite a lot of pepper. With water: much gentler and more civilised, although there’s still a slightly rugged, earthy and almost rebellious side to it. After all, we’re in the Jura. Finish: same story. Notes of grape stalks, grape pips… Comments: this is a whisky you have to understand, and certainly shouldn’t rush. I think it’s even better if you know the region where it was produced a little.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Domaine des Hautes Glaces ‘XO #4’ (47%, OB, Heritage Harvests, +/-2026)
This baby contains only old vintages, although the distillery itself isn’t exactly ancient, so no pre-war stuff in here. Unless, of course, they own a time machine. Colour: gold. Nose: this is pear eau-de-vie matured in refill oak. A few wee touches of fennel and wild aniseed. Magnificent, ultra-precise and wonderfully fresh. Mouth: forget the pear now, here comes the barley, bière de garde, plums, fougasse, dark chocolate, pepper… Yet all that freshness remains. Finish: the pear comes back to say goodbye, together with a superb array of green spices and a magnificently peppery, nutmeggy aftertaste. Comments: this is a malt-wine, in other words a malt with the characteristics of a great wine. A white wine, naturally, especially from the northern Rhône. Something along the lines of a great-vintage Stérimberg. Well, well... But careful, this goes down a little too easily, which makes it dangerous.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
Alfred Giraud ‘First Peated’ (63%, OB, 2024)
I must admit I couldn’t find any trace of this bottling on the Internet, but as we all know, the Internet is vastly overrated. Still, what we have here is an ‘official’ sample. We’ll go fairly quickly all the same… Colour: full gold. Nose: this is spicy, vegetal peat, with roots, ginger, turmeric, white pepper… With water: lemon and pepper bread. Mouth (neat): this is good, with lime, ginger and high-ester Jamaican white rum. With water: the citrus fruits take centre stage, especially lemons. The peat remains light. Finish: long and lemony. Notes of peppered artichoke. Comments: very vegetal peat indeed. This is really good, but there really is no trace of this baby online. An abandoned project, perhaps? These things happen…
SGP:463 - 82 points. |
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Eddu 10 yo (43%, OB, cognac cask, +/-2025)
Eddu is buckwheat, of course, a very fruity pseudo-cereal… Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is top-notch, with pink peppercorns, greengages, beeswax, aniseed and just a faint touch of natural rubber. Mouth: exactly the same profile as on the nose, which isn’t all that common. Apple juice, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds, bergamot liqueur… Finish: not that short, fresh, becoming more lemony. Comments: a magnificent summer whisky, brimming with freshness.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Laferté ‘La Ferté-Bernard’ (46%, OB, cognac, 634 bottles, 2025)
This is a blended malt celebrating the millennium of the small town of La Ferté-Bernard. Not entirely sure the event has truly international significance, but never mind, it’s all rather charming, so let’s proceed… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: pilsner, apple juice, very young Calvados, light vanilla, barley syrup… It’s rather nice. Mouth: light but lively, with apple and lime juices, a few drops of acacia honey and some biscuity notes. Finish: same. Comments: a very pretty little whisky, although perhaps not quite enough to make the current US administration want to add the town of La Ferté-Bernard to the United States of America. Unless they’ve got oil too?
SGP:441 - 80 points. |
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Northmaen 2014/2025 (55.5%, LMDW Version Française, Itinéraires, recharred French wine cask, 259 bottles)
So, STR… We’re in Normandy. Colour: gold. Nose: a faint touch of blackcurrant bud at first, then a little smoked fish, wakame, Japanese-style pickled cucumber, and loads of Japanese aromas, which is rather surprising. Matcha and green pepper. Cabernet? With water: oh, this is lovely! Wild carrots, turnips and salsify. Mouth (neat): very, very good, and very, very surprising, fermentary, rooty and spicy. Eaux-de-vie of berries, celery, service berries… What a strange distillate! With water: still just as good, only a little saltier. Finish: long, saltier still, heading towards nuoc-mâm sauce. Comments: whether this still qualifies as whisky is open to debate, but in any case, I like it a lot, despite some very fermentary notes and some fig leaf. Crazy stuff.
SGP:362 - 85 points. |
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September 22, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Glen Spey again |
Another of those rather obscure distilleries we always enjoy trying on WF. Believe it or not, we should be hitting one hundred Glen Speys within the next few years. We’ll start with the older one, and the less… strange of the two, shall we say. |
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Glen Spey 24 yo 2001/2026 (53.8%, Maltbarn, sherry cask, 148 bottles)
A brand-new Glen Spey, I just love Maltbarn’s new, highly conceptual labels, which rather bring to mind the work of Joël Ducorroy and other devotees of offbeat lettrism. Colour: white wine. Nose: a lovely sylvaner, dry and fresh, even grape stalks and pips, but without anything vinous. Not even any sherry, mind you. With water: touches of dry muscat, from Alsace of course. Mouth (neat): more barley syrup, barley itself, lime, and still those grape stalks. It’s very grassy, which is just how we remembered Glen Spey. A very slight saltiness too, we could almost mention muscadet. Careful, not muscat this time. With water: it moves towards mild ale and walnut brioche. The walnuts may well come from the sherry. Finish: fairly long, fresh, and very close to the raw materials. Grist and yeast. Comments: excellent, entirely natural, with the sherry almost anecdotal.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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Glen Spey 12 yo 2014/2026 (59.1%, Lady of the Glen, pineau des Charentes rouge finish, cask #800873, 201 bottles)
Red pineau, seriously? This may well be a first for us, at least as a finishing ingredient. White pineau is much more familiar territory, but rosé and red versions do indeed exist, made from cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and merlot. Colour: full gold, no pink hues at all. Nose: much more vinous than the 2001, with more blood orange, grape must indeed, fresh strawberries, but also cherry beer (Kriek) and clafoutis. The fact is, it works rather well, with no false notes whatsoever. With water: candied cherry cake! Mouth (neat): very lovely, if highly unusual, with fig and pepper cake, then strong liquorice and, once again, blood orange. Mainly the peel, actually. With water: still works, we’re moving closer to the malt and bitters now, but rather elegantly so. Finish: long, peppery, still with some lovely bitters. Tomato leaf. Comments: much less fruity than expected. In fact, it holds its own extremely well after the much more classical 2001. Well, well, red pineau!
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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September 21, 2026 |
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A few entirely random New Cats, a sequel
There are plenty of them, the pre-Covid tide having floated a great many ambitions and good intentions. And some are very good indeed, so let’s see what else we’ve got, entirely at random…
(Distilleries, we need photographs! See below...) |
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Holyrood 3 yo 2021/2024 (54.2%, Duncan Taylor, for Kirsch Import, sherry hogshead, cask #12148, 382 bottles) 
The first new makes made from heritage barley varieties (Chevallier, for example) had impressed us greatly. Since then, we haven’t really kept up, and that’s our fault, so here’s a chance to make amends… Colour: deep gold. Nose: yes, barley, tapioca, polenta, white chocolate and sweetcorn. With water: very lovely shoe polish and bread dough. Mouth (neat): ah, very good, lively and lemony, with some excellent bitters and those famous green walnuts from the sherry (we imagine). With water: it remains close to nature, yeast, barley, beer etc. Finish: fairly long, increasingly on beer. After all, whisky is only distilled beer. Comments: we really do enjoy this yeasty side, it feels as though we’re vibrating in tune with nature. Really.
SGP:451 - 83 points. |
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Isle of Harris 2018/2025 ‘The Hearach Peated’ (58.6%, OB, 1st fill bourbon)
We’re behind the curve here too. What’s more, we like Isle of Harris and find the bottle rather amusing. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: lovely sharp peat, precise to the millimetre, pure and straightforward. Oysters, Barbour grease and lemon. With water: seaweed and virgin wool. Or a brand-new jumper from a proper maker, no junk fast-fashion-slow-brain. Mouth (neat): it’s more or less 45ppm peat and you can tell. Mercurochrome, concentrated lime juice, salted bitter almonds and grey pepper. With water: no major changes, apart from even more salinity. Finish: long, saline, yeasty, maritime. Comments: for lovers of fresh peat… and barley.
SGP:357 - 85 points. |
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Dornoch 2017/2021 (58.43%, OB, PX refill, cask #26a)
This micro bottling had been quietly resting on our shelves, so it was high time we dealt with it. Colour: gold. Nose: oh bother, fresh bread, candied lemon, a little charcoal, in short, nothing we don’t like. With water: ginger, lemon, ginseng. Mouth (neat): excellent, sharp, lively, lemony, spicy, peppery. With water: same. Multigrain bread with lemon. Finish: same, really. Comments: they must have chucked half a pallet of organic lemons into the wee cask. A costly strategy, certainly, but surely an effective one.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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Strathearn ‘Batch No.2’ (50%, OB, bourbon, virgin oak and sherry, 2025)
I believe they used 31 casks from the wee distillery to compose this baby, under the aegis of the current owners, of course, Douglas Laing. Colour: gold. Nose: very much on fresh bread, pumpkin seeds, damp earth, a little ginger, buckwheat flour, then tiny touches of lavender, very discreet, which do bring a little variety all the same. With water: pancakes! Mouth (neat): we find that little lavender-sweet side again, or perhaps violet sweets, then a whole assembly of cereals, with some slightly peppery oak. With water: a pumpernickel side, all that’s missing is some fresh butter. Finish: fairly long, even more on pumpernickel. Comments: very much about the raw materials, with the casks making their presence felt but marrying this lovely young profile rather well. I just think I’d been even more impressed by the inaugural batch (WF 87).
SGP:451 - 85 points. |
A little advice now for all distilleries, especially the new ones, on top of those wonderful ‘automatic’ full-screen videos on your websites, it would be rather cool to add three or four proper photographs of the distillery that ‘bloggers’ such as this poor lost soul, armed with little more than a keyboard and questionable judgement, could use to illustrate their posts! Many thanks, and besides, it would spare everyone those heroic instamatic-style masterpieces or AI slop we occasionally produce ourselves, which, I’m quite certain, never quite do justice to the true beauty of your places. Thanks for your attention, we continue… |
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Aberargie ‘Inaugural’ (48.2%, OB, 2026)
Splendid, a new distillery on WF! And from Morrison Distillers. This first version is a 50/50 vatting of bourbon and sherry casks, and comes, of course, from Perthshire, with a mashbill giving pride of place to Golden Promise barley. Colour: gold. Nose: certainly very cereal-driven, but there are orchard fruits too, in a more, shall we say, civilised balance, perhaps rather more ‘Midlands’ in spirit. I’m thinking a little of Blair Athol… Mouth: very good indeed, with the sherry making more of a mark on the palate, walnut cake, spicy fruitcake (beerawecka), nougat, with touches of cinnamon and coffee. One tiny flash of ginger cookie, then a little pink grapefruit. Plenty going on in this youngster. Finish: long, less peppery than I’d expected, simply carrying on from the palate. Comments: well, for a first release, you rather get the impression there was no ‘test and learn’ period whatsoever… and that it would have been pointless anyway. Lovely texture, slightly oily.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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Dalmunach 8 yo 2016/2025 (60.7%, James Eadie, refill PX hogshead finish, cask #364526, 126 bottles)
Colour: light gold. Nose: very lively for PX, that must be the high strength. Green apple, freshly trimmed privet, a snapped branch… With water: fresh almonds, we love fresh almonds. Mouth (neat): ah, very good! Beautiful fruitiness, coherent, almost a little rounded, and yet taut as a bow at the same time. Apples and lemons in duet. With water: it remains just the same, and it’s very good. You even start wondering whether this wasn’t ‘seco’ PX. Finish: long, lively, still with apples and a very light menthol touch. Fennel. Comments: I wonder whether this wouldn’t work with oysters or smoked salmon. Careful with peaters alongside those things, it may sound obvious, but perhaps not quite as obvious as all that. In short, top Dalmunach.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Glasgow 7 yo 2018/2025 (58.7%, Best Dram, 1st fill oloroso sherry butt finish, cask #18/1079, 651 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: an ashtray at three in the morning, as they say, plus as many green walnuts as you’d find on a walnut tree. Some acridness. With water: it becomes rounder and more civilised, rather like a Viking longship returning to harbour after discovering table manners (what?) Walnut wine. Mouth (neat): it really lays it on thick, rather like the very young Ardbegs of the early 2000s. In short, it’s a little brutal, certainly very medical (rather than medicinal), and I’m sure it cures all manner of things, bruises, splinters, sprains, burns… With water: once again it softens, while retaining a lovely acrid edge that brings aubergines to mind. Grilled red peppers. Finish: very long, saltier, more peppery. Comments: frankly, it is a little brutal, but under these circumstances, we’re quite prepared to be (slightly) brutalised.
SGP:367 - 86 points. |
Well, we’ve come this far… |
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Glasgow 9 yo 2016/2026 (57.9%, Le Gus’t, Vin de Paille, cask #244, 227 bottles)
We just write ‘Glasgow’ rather than ‘Glasgow Distillery’ because it seems fairly obvious to us that it isn’t a laundry or a charcuterie. Capeesh? Anyway, this one was matured in Vin de Paille casks from Lornet in Montigny-les-Arsures, a rather lovely place. Think Puffeney, Aviet/Bacchus, etc. But come on, this isn’t Winefun… Colour: amber. Nose: but who smoked the nougat? And the cassata? And who added bitter orange and toasted pine nuts? With water: I swear there are Jura ceps in there. A little gunflint too. Also, some pencil shavings. Mouth (neat): very lovely bitters, as in the Best Dram, plus a tangerine-peel side, chen-pi etc. With water: now the Vin de Paille really comes through, but via the tangerine. To make a great Vin de Paille you need plenty of acidity in the grapes, and that is precisely what we find here. Finish: rather long, softer, almost gentle. That’ll be the tangerine. Comments: truth be told, it’s a little intellectual, but this baby has digested the excesses of peat even better than the very good Best Dram.
SGP:565 - 87 points. |
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Glasgow 1770 2018/2023 ‘Cognac Cask Finish’ (52%, OB, batch #01, 1576 bottles)
But what on earth is it with Cognac and everyone in Scotland these days? Colour: white wine. Nose: finer peat, more ashes, smoked almonds, green apple juice… We’re reminded a little of that Islay distillery opposite the Paps. With water: grapefruit and lemongrass. Mouth (neat): very good, with this little smoked yellow peach side. I reckon they could try kilning bunches of folle blanche grapes, I do wonder what that would produce, if only as far as the wine itself is concerned. With water: we’re drifting a little towards pips now, not necessarily the best phase. And peach skin. Finish: medium to long, slightly saline. Comments: it’s very good, but with less majesty and sense of adventure than in that crazy Jurassic one from Le Gus’t.
SGP:553 - 84 points. |
We’re getting rather attached to these little Glasgows, damn them… |
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Glasgow 1770 2018/2022 ‘Moscatel Cask Finish’ (55.3%, OB, cask #18/988, 336 bottles)
Oops, moscatel, that ultra-sweet wine that rather ruined… Caol Ila. We mean the DE. The charming people at Glasgow say ‘limited edition’, and we’re wondering whether that might be… just as well. But we’re speculating, you never know, after all, the Vin de Paille, which isn’t a million miles away from moscatel, had worked extremely well. But enough waffle, let’s taste it. Colour: pale gold. That’s all right. Nose: that’s all right. Apple tart and quince jelly, with no smokiness whatsoever. A family-sized bag of marshmallows drizzled with a little honeyed wine. With water: fresh and lovely. Apple juice and honeysuckle. Mouth (neat): it works, phew! In short, no overly obvious moscatel, rather grapefruit with a little honey and white pepper. In fact, it’s devilishly taut for ex-moscatel. Or do they make ‘seco’ moscatel in Spain too? With water: very well put together, fresh, lively, with no heaviness whatsoever. Did I really read ‘moscatel’? Finish: very good, fresh, with chalk, to the point where it brings Chablis to mind more than… moscatel. Comments: the mysteries of malt whisky (and Spanish wines) are impenetrable.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
Come on, a little modern archaeology and then we’ll call it a day. |
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Dornoch 4 yo 2018/2022 (58.77%, OB, 1st fill bourbon octave, cask #6, 75 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: there’s no denying it, first-fill bourbon and slightly immature young malts are a love match. Marshmallow, mango jelly, vanilla pods, orange cake, verbena… The verbena is particularly prominent here. With water: macchiato and orange crème brûlée. Orange crème brûlée is an absolute killer. Mouth (neat): excellent. Citron liqueur, fresh turmeric, woodruff, but what was their secret? With water: ginger can often be tricky, but when it’s as elegant as this, it’s beautiful. Finish: same. Läckerli and aniseed bredala. An Alsatian thing. Then some very fruity young Comté. Comments: I’m really very impressed, and I’m only four years late. This time.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Edradour No.2 8 yo 2018/2026 (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, Andrew Symington’s 40 years in the Whisky Industry, 1st fill Châteauneuf du Pape hogsheads)
A new baby unearthed directly at the distillery last Friday, from casks sourced from the iconic Château Mont-Redon, possibly recoopered as hogsheads. We had initially planned to add it to an Edradour session sometime over the next few weeks, but as the saying goes, never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. And Edradour No.2 really is a ‘new cat’, even if it is an almost exact replica of distillery No.1, which celebrated its bicentenary last year. |
Colour: ripe apricot. Nose: there are indeed a few wee touches of leather, plum, black cherry, and even some discreet hints of lavender, but it is all integrated into the malt like two rivers meeting, their waters becoming impossible to tell apart (what?) Though the lavender grows increasingly prominent, but we are very much talking about the flower here, not the cosmetics and assorted perfumes made from it. In any case, this is lavender with nothing Bowmorian about it (1980s). With water: it does not move much and remains rather Provençal. |
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Mouth (neat): it is the slightly spicier side that comes out now, especially black pepper and liquorice, over the black cherries and, above all, a malt that is leaning increasingly towards bitter oranges. With water: it becomes rounder, while the distillate moves more to the front of the stage. Finish: the fusion continues. Cherry tart with cinnamon and a little pepper. The lavender has disappeared. Comments: a slightly disconcerting alliance at first, but a very excellent one in the end. A little Jagger/Richards, Lennon/McCartney, or even Page/Plant, in short. Make of that comment what you will. Happy 40th Anniverary, Andrew!
SGP:661 - 88 points. |
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September 20, 2026 |
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Two or three or five armagnacs to celebrate the arrival of
autumn... |
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| Domaine Laguille (Laguille) |
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... And my own birthday alright. I should add that armagnac has always been, for me, the most gastronomic of spirits, the one we would most often enjoy at the table, even more so than cognac, which we would sometimes also serve as an apéritif, for example in the legendary ‘fine à l’eau’, cognac with water. In any case, armagnac also goes wonderfully well with ceps, duck, game, and of course after a glass or three of Madiran. In short… |
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Domaine Laguille 1987/2026 (43.4%, The Whisky Jury, Bas-armagnac, cask #21, 72 bottles)
Have you noticed how handwritten labels are suddenly all the rage again these days? So much for AI! Anyway, here's baco and ugni blanc from Laguille, whose excellent 1993 we tasted five or six years ago. We are here in Eauze in the Gers, one of the capitals of armagnac, if not the capital. Colour: rich amber. Nose: you can feel the age, through an old cigar box, beeswax, old furniture, furniture polish, an antiques shop, well, all of that is rather the same thing, is it not. Then come resinous woods, thuja, yew, and liquorice. This is quite beautiful, as everything remains in perfect balance. Mouth: a perfect mirror of the nose, with a pronounced yet very refined woodiness, fir buds, cigars, then a superb combination of bitter orange liqueur, black pepper and verbena. Finish: long for the strength, magnificently bitter. Comments: a very traditional armagnac, just the way my grandfather liked them, more dry than velvety (the opposite of my grandfather). The woodiness may slightly put off some whisky lovers, while profoundly delighting the other half.
SGP:361 - 89 points. |
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Château Garreau 1976/2026 (50.1%, OB, for Piacere Rinato, Bas-armagnac)
Here we are in Labastide d'Armagnac (another capital of armagnac). Colour: full amber. Nose: much softer and rounder, with toasted hazelnuts, vine peach jam, golden sultanas with honey, crème brûlée… It certainly does not feel like 50.1% on the nose, we shan’t even add any water, it is pretty perfect as it is. Mouth: still soft and round, but certainly not without backbone or muscle, rather on heather honey but still very much on very ripe vine peaches, the whole wrapped in black tea and some oakiness that is ultimately rather discreet. Touches of bitter orange marmalade and mango then come along to lift the whole thing even further. Finish: long, woodier now, with dark tobacco (an untipped Gauloise). The wonderful fully ripe vine peach returns to sign off the whole thing. Comments: very süfig, as we say in Alsace. All our friends living between the Moselle and at least the Sudetenland, as well as all the distinguished Germanists around the world, will have understood.
SGP:451 - 89 points. |
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Château de Gaube 51 yo 1972/2023 (42%, Gourmet Pool, Bas-armagnac, 235 bottles)
This time we are in Perquie, in the Landes. This is pure baco. Everything should go swimmingly. Colour: full gold. Nose: this time some varnish appears, almost malt, and I do mean ‘almost’, then very ripe apples, toasted pecans, followed by peaches in syrup which, to be fair, do rather evoke an old cognac. A few herbal teas too, including mint infusion. This nose is perfect. Mouth: a little more rustic, a little more ‘armagnac’, with orange and some fine oakiness, then rather peach skins and blond tobacco. Think English brands rather than the Gauloises mentioned above. Then comes quince jelly, quite a story… Finish: very good length for 42% vol. and very much on herbal teas, citrus zest, perhaps cinnamon, undoubtedly nutmeg… Comments: at these levels of pedigree and selection, we inevitably end up in roughly the same cluster in terms of quality. This is excellent, even more so for lovers of slightly more civilised armagnacs, I was about to say ‘urban’.
SGP:551 - 89 points. |
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Domaine Laguille 1971/2026 (42.8%, The Whisky Jury, Bas-armagnac, casks #B1+B4, 144 bottles)
Pure baco here, from a demijohn into which this little armagnac had only been transferred one year earlier, in 2025. In short, that hardly counts and if this was meant to be a period during which the two casks could marry, well, it was barely the wedding night. Or, at any rate, the honeymoon. Right… Colour: dark amber. Nose: boom, this is going to be quick. Salted butter caramel, toasted sesame, honeyed pecans, walnut tart, ceps, Caesar’s mushrooms… In short, it is simply splendid in its compactness and coherence. Mouth: it is narrow and full, if you see what I mean. Some very fine oakiness, quince and apple eaux-de-vie, toasted walnuts and a top-class Darjeeling, then a little salty liquorice, salmiak-style. That is all, but it is more than enough for us. Finish: not eternal, but still on this slightly woody profile and all kinds of nuts. A touch of juniper right at the very end. Comments: the finish is a little less spectacular than the rest, as is the case with most great spirits, let’s face it, but this remains very high level. What’s more, I think putting it into demijohn was a good idea, all this could have tipped over into more pronounced oakiness. Timing is everything (that’s so 1990s, S.!)
SGP:451 - 90 points. |
Come on, one more baco to finish… |
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Château de Gaube 61 yo 1962/2023 (43.4%, Gourmet Pool, Bas-armagnac, 235 bottles)
1962! Keith Richards had just acquired his pension rights from Her Most Gracious Majesty’s government, if I remember correctly. In short, this is very old… I should add that it is intriguing to see old age statements on armagnacs like this, it is not all that common. Vintages, yes, of course! Colour: full gold. Nose: we immediately return to that very classy antiques shop, where beeswax, fresh and old varnishes, oil paint and gum Arabic reign supreme. All you need to add is some mango soup and a few small, very ripe bananas. Mouth: it is a game of wood, almost as much as in the intro to Honky Tonk Women and its woodblocks. Or were those cowbells? Anyway, wood to begin with, plus black tea, tobacco and dark chocolate that surely derive from it, but the fruits promptly fight back and rebalance the whole thing in an almost, let’s say it, miraculous fashion. Peaches and apples at the controls, bravo. Of course, it remains woody, but the oakiness is now balanced. Finish: rather long, not drying, but mainly on teas, herbal teas and infusions, especially peppermint. Then, as if by magic, the fruits return in the aftertaste, with even some orange. It is almost another miracle. Comments: an old armagnac that has played with our nerves a little. We gladly admit defeat.
SGP:461 - 89 points. |
Another cracking group effort today!
PS: it’s wonderful to taste spirits at such sensible strengths, it saves you water. And water is now a vital resource for three quarters of the planet, isn’t it? In any case, next time we’ll be venturing into rather rarer grape varieties, each vinified and distilled separately. Something to look forward to… Stay tuned! |
Last minute! A much younger armagnac, so no doubt facing quite an ordeal after these little wonders, but we have complete confidence in L’Encantada’s stamina and panache. After all, they drive around in a 2cv (yes!) |
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Domaine del Cassou 2005/2026 (52.1%, L’Encantada, Bas-armagnac, Collection Social Club, cask #13, Champagne cask finish, 200 bottles)
Champagne casks are generally sourced from Burgundy (pièces) and are used to mature certain still wines before their second fermentation in bottle and subsequent ageing on racks. Colour: amber. Nose: lively, rather sharp, and much closer to the grapes and must, which is a quality, naturally. Rum-soaked sultanas, kirsch, whiffs of old cellar, walnut wine, then more and more walnut wine. Did you know that we adore walnut wine when it’s properly made? With water: funny, toasted buckwheat and a surprisingly tikka masala-like side. Mouth (neat): powerful, with the return of raisins soaked in… kirsch, bitter orange, touches of walnut husk (we don’t drink that, rest assured), dark tobacco… With water: it lands on orange biscuits and a little slightly bitter zest. Cherry-stalk herbal tea. Finish: lovely length, lovely orientalness (what?) Pretty bitters at the very end of the finish and a slight pomace-like side. Comments: it comes through extremely well, partly thanks to its slightly… Bollywood side. On the other hand, the Champagne influence is discreet. Very discreet…
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
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September 18, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today some Swiss Glen Moray |
Whenever we taste Glen Moray, we think of Stuart Thomson. Whenever we taste Ardbeg too, for that matter. Here’s to you, Stuart in the sky! |
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Glen Moray 18 yo 2007/2026 (51%, C. Dully Selection, bourbon barrel, cask #6302, 179 bottles)
Christian Dully is Swiss, of course, although its reputation travels well beyond Switzerland (for sure). Colour: chardonnay. Nose: a fruit salad for twelve, containing apples, pears, grapes, banana, papaya, cherries in syrup, and some less important but amusing exotic fruit, such as star fruit. All you need to add is a vanilla pod and half a spoonful of mild acacia honey. As they say both in Switzerland and Alsace, hoppla. With water: add some grist and fresh bread. Mouth (neat): very precise fruitiness, of the kind only barley can generate. This time, apples and pears are firmly in charge. A little green tea. With water: much more complex once water is added, lemongrass, angelica, woodruff, wormwood, thyme and lime-blossom honey… Finish: not extremely long, but still perfectly balanced. Herbal teas from the Alpine pastures (ha) and a touch of lime. Comments: very, very fine Glen Moray, entirely natural, with no make-up, Botox or mascara.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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Glen Moray 28 yo 1994/2024 (55.6%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 30th anniversary in Switzerland, toasted hogshead, #35.386, ‘A cup of kindness’, 225 bottles)
‘A cup of kindness’, how lovely! And how badly needed just now! Switzerland, naturally, coming to the rescue. Colour: full gold. Nose: bonkers, much more deviant, all on cep powder and… cep powder. And morel powder. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered such a profile before, you almost wonder whether this couldn’t go straight into a fondue instead of the kirsch. Swiss fondue, obviously, let’s remain geographically coherent. With water: and on it goes! Very fermentary notes too, most unusual in an old malt. Mouth (neat): peat, lemon, dried ceps… This simply cannot be Glen Moray, unless the cask previously held Lagavulin or Laphroaig. Or Ardbeg. With water: now it heads towards mezcal and eaux-de-vie made from small berries. Or celeriac. Finish: long and surprisingly salty. Comments: the sample has passed all our usual checks, vial, perfectly sound stopper (there are so many utterly useless ones on the market!) etc. So no, that’s not it, this is simply a slightly bonkers Glen Moray. A cup of kindness indeed… Swiss precision, perhaps, but with the compass spinning. And we love it, great fun.
SGP:462 - 85 points. |
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September 17, 2026 |
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A few whiskies from France
This is a ‘solera’ session, in other words, a session to which we add whiskies as we go along, so they are not all tasted at the same time, lined up in front of the taster as if on parade, which is the method we use in 95% of cases. |
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I’ll take this opportunity to point out that our distilling friends in France, when translating the word ‘finish’ or ‘finishing’, use two quite distinct terms: affinage or finition, and sometimes its maybe a little less flattering variant finissage. We shall have to ask the highly distinguished Fédération du Whisky de France and its dashing president what the official position is on the matter. |
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Laferté ‘Tourbé’ (41%, OB, France, blended malt, +/-2024)
A blend of malt whiskies from various French origins, matured in a wide variety of cask types. The bottle is very pretty. This is our first time trying Laferté. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: this is lovely, rather like ash-dusted bread sprinkled with cider and orange juice, with a few drops of Verveine du Velay and some very gentle vanilla. As for the peat, let’s just say Ardbeg needn’t call an emergency meeting. Mouth: fresh, light, with smoked almonds and bitter orange, the whole thing rather whispering away. Then cereals and yeast. A little green peat. Finish: not very long, but fresh and well balanced. The verbena returns in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing to complain about, this is very well put together. Rather refreshing too.
SGP:453 - 82 points. |
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Artésia ‘Classique’ (45%, OB, +/-2025)
We’ve already tasted some very good limited versions of this single malt from northern France, but never this standard expression. We always do everything backwards at WF. Colour: white wine. Nose: let’s say it’s moderately expressive, mostly on apple and gooseberry. A little lemon and plenty of youth, signalled by pear and a touch of pharmacy alcohol. Mouth: not bad at all, with lemon, apple and a surprising pineapple, over a little fresh oak. Very slight saponification, even without adding water. Finish: not very long but lovely, still with that surprising lemon-and-pineapple duo. Comments: nothing to add.
SGP:451 - 80 points. |
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Northmaen 3 yo ‘Thor Boyo’ (42%, OB, +/-2023) 
Here we are in Normandy, although it would appear that red Bordeaux casks were used. In theory, the colour should tell us whether Bordeaux has left its fingerprints at the scene. Thor Boyo is a pun on ‘Tord-Boyaux’, which means more or less… rotgut. Hmm, humour at last! Colour: gold, not pink. Bordeaux pleads not guilty. Nose: raspberry eau-de-vie, aged in wood and topped up with a few geranium and cherry blossoms. Ah, Bordeaux may need a better lawyer after all. Mouth: halfway between red berry liqueurs and eaux-de-vie made from those same red berries, especially cherry. Guignolet and kirsch. Some barley emerges in the background. Finish: not very long, a little maltier. ‘Kriek’ beer. Comments: a genuinely humorous malt, how could anyone be against that? But we’re quite a long way from their superb ‘Cuvée 1110’ (WF 87).
SGP:640 - 78 points. |
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Naguelann 2022/2025 ‘Start’ (63.1%, OB for Malt in France, 253 bottles)
Here we are in Brittany, the historic birthplace of French whisky. Colour: white wine. Nose: not hugely expressive, but pure, cereals and orchard fruits, with a little earthiness. With water: Weissbier and greengages. Mouth (neat): very lively, very much on green apple and kiwi. This is lovely and much more expressive than on the nose. With water: now excellent, rooty, peppery and lemony. A touch of genepy. Finish: same, long, fresh, on gentian, fresh turmeric and lime. Caraway and fennel seeds in the aftertaste. Comments: it all happens on the palate!
SGP:561 - 85 points. |
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Moon Harbour ‘Dock 2’ (45.8%, OB, +/-2024) 
This is 100% malted maize, so grain whisky, matured in a Château Rieussec cask, perhaps the best value for money in Sauternes. And we’re in Bordeaux. Colour: gold. Nose: yeast, apricot, wet earth, honey, pencil shavings. Let’s say it’s rather unusual… Mouth: not easy, very different from anything you might taste elsewhere, with bruised bananas, tapioca, balsa wood… Not too sure about all this, but it’s fun. Finish: not very long, on Fanta, cinnamon and apricot again. Comments: let’s say it may divide opinion… There are some good sides!
SGP:441 - 75 points. |
Let’s head back to Brittany… |
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Eddu ‘Héritage’ (40%, OB, Distillerie des Menhirs, affinage en pommeau de Bretagne, 2,300 bottles, 2026)
Buckwheat whisky as usual, here finished in Pommeau de Bretagne casks, another speciality of the Distillerie des Menhirs. It is apple must fortified with cider brandy, let’s say it’s the equivalent of Pineau in Cognac or Ratafia in Champagne. Or Floc de Gascogne. This baby celebrates the distillery’s 40th anniversary. Colour: gold. Nose: we could call this a ‘self-finish’, just as there are ‘self-blends’. Apple steals the show, but just as Jacques Chirac used to, we love apples. He even won some election because of that, true! The whisky itself may not have much to say for the moment, but that could be down to the surprisingly low strength. Mouth: proper applesky! The worst part is that it works perfectly, perhaps because buckwheat whisky is itself very fruity and can sometimes veer towards… apple. Finish: not very long but totally dominated by apple, which, we repeat, we love. But toasted buckwheat reappears in the aftertaste, how funny. Or perhaps a Breton galette. Comments: between us, this rather reminds us of Rochelt’s Gravenstein. Very nicely done!
SGP:740 - 87 points. |
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Eddu 10 yo ‘Brocéliande’ (48%, OB, for LMDW Anthologie, 288 bottles, 2026)
This teenager was finished in new Breton oak from the forest of Brocéliande, a thoroughly legendary and esoteric place ruled by druids and tourists. We prefer the druids. Colour: gold. Nose: a proper short film on fast-forward, buckwheat, then oranges, then ripe apples, then service berries, then waxed cardboard, then linseed oil, then fresh salsify, then caraway… It never stops moving. Mouth: excellent, spicy, earthy, peppery just as it should be (the Brocéliande effect, we suppose), unfolding towards resins and little green berries, then citrus zest. Finish: long, with some very exquisite spices and green saps. Comments: on paper, this whole Brocéliande business sounds a little too neatly scripted, but in the glass, it works perfectly. I told you, the druids… Or the fairy Mélusine? We could almost swear there was also mistletoe in there.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Domaine des Hautes-Glaces ‘Epistémé Single Track B19F26 Amphora’ (47.9%, OB, 572 bottles, 2026)
Just imagine, this baby was finished in amphora, and we’ve been dreaming for ages of whiskies matured, or at least finished, in terracotta, in stoneware as some eaux-de-vie are, in porcelain, or even simply in ‘breathable’ glass. Yes, we do have hobbies. Incidentally, we’ve been tasting quite a few old wines matured in amphorae lately, and I can tell you that after twenty years, they’ve become splendid. Anyway… Colour: pale white wine. See? We were right to have hobbies. Nose: it’s the precision that strikes you here. Apples and clays. Lots of different apples and lots of different clays. Then countless little berries, flowers and spices, almost impossible to pick out individually, the whole thing eventually converging on citron, king of the citrus fruits. Mouth: roots, citrus fruits and earths. Finish: same. Oh, and citron. Comments: the true love-it-or-hate-it whisky isn’t Laphroaig, it’s DHG. I chose my side a long time ago.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
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Domaine des Hautes-Glaces ‘Epistémé Single Track B19F26 Macvin’ (47.2%, OB, 540 bottles, 2026)
Why make things simple when you can make them complicated? Here’s a version finished in a Macvin cask, a Jura (not Isle of Jura) speciality with an improbably Scottish-sounding name indeed, the equivalent of Pineau des Charentes or… Pommeau de Normandie or de Bretagne. In short, must and eau-de-vie. So, you add eau-de-vie, and then later you add whisky. Why not fortify it directly with whisky? Well, you’d lose the Macvin appellation, I suppose (I hope they hanged whoever chose that name from the highest tree in Arbois) … Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s not so different from the amphora, but it’s less distinctive, fruitier, and probably more commercial (the horror!) Joking aside, this is rather gorgeous, with superb musts in full fermentation, which is precisely what the Macvin process would have interrupted. I think we’re tying our brains in knots here… Mouth: the amphora is superior, less vulgar (this isn’t vulgar at all, but the amphora is even less so, well, you see what I mean). There are still rather a lot of raisins here. Finish: amphora all the way. Comments: amphora all the way.
SGP:651 - 83 points. |
One last one. More French whiskies will probably follow after Whisky Live Paris later this month… |
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Alpenglow 2015/2024 (55.3%, LMDW Version Française, Foundations, PX finish, 291 bottles)
PX is always a little frightening, isn’t it? In fact, the journey here was oloroso, then Pineau des Charentes, then PX. Quite some cooking, let’s hope the original distillate still has something to say (even if we trust LMDW completely) … Colour: reddish amber. Nose: volcanic soils, ceps, truffles, varnishes, a pronounced terpenic side, bitter chocolate, Pu-erh tea… Some sorcery seems to be at work here. With water: and cigars and old Gouda! Mouth (neat): biting, bitter, acrid, very resinous, and yet it works. Almost like a very old VORS that’s gone completely dry. With water: we’re drifting towards some very old Ténarèze that’s completely off-market. The oak is so extreme that it almost becomes soft and light through sheer saturation. Finish: long, essentially on walnut husk and salted bitter chocolate. Comments: I don’t know whether this concoction is legal, but it’s certainly spectacular. And very Jerezian.
SGP:262 - 85 points. |
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September 16, 2026 |
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Three Japanese days on WF, day 3 |
We’re picking up where we left off yesterday, with the new Yoichis and Miyagikyos from Nikka, as interpreted by LMDW for their artistic series, the aptly named ‘Artist’ series. Rest assured, the creativity is on the labels, in real life, and in the bottles. |
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Yoichi 20 yo 2005/2026 (59.1%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, virgin mizunara puncheon, cask #407529, 297 bottles)
The 10 yo was very fine but had been narrowly pipped by its Miyagikyo cousin of the same age. Let’s see whether another ten years can turn the tables… Colour: full gold. Nose: rich, highly aromatic, even enveloping on the nose, with plenty of honeys, proper bitter orange marmalade, and a very delicate smokiness, very vegetal, almost resinous. Mango liqueur then comes in, together with manuka honey and salted butter caramel. Nothing less. With water: a little more towards fig leaves, tomato leaves… Mouth (neat): smokier, more resinous, with a slight roughness that isn’t out of place at all (see our comments on the integration of oak in Japanese whiskies a little further up), and some salted citrus paste. Superb and powerful, with a slight Ardbeggian side. With water: it softens, almost falls into line, and moves even closer towards candied citrus. Finish: long, elegant, much less invasive than I had expected. Comments: I’m repeating myself, but these babies are very sensitive to water, so careful with that pipette, Eugene.
SGP:364 - 91 points. |
I think we’ll change barrels (that's smart, S.) and finish this little Yoichi vertical first, then move on to the Miyagikyos. It should be more interesting that way after all, and a little less, shall we say, schoolroom. |
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Yoichi 35 yo 1991/2026 (65.4%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, sherry butt, cask #129880, 144 bottles)
Impressive power for a 35 yo! We’ve already tasted quite a few 1991s. The very young ones had been a little brutal, the older ones much more charming and seductive. Colour: coffee. Nose: a fine example of an old malt where the sulphury side is perfectly integrated, as in some old Mortlach, let’s say. We’re talking truffles, bitter chocolate, ristretto coffee, and above all game birds, hung just long enough. Do they have grouse in Japan? With water: everything relaxes, moving towards candied citrus, bergamot, Iberian cured ham, with still plenty of dark chocolate and coffee. Touches of old plum spirit (vieille prune from Souillac!) Mouth (neat): absolutely massive, all on very old fir-tar liqueur, with an amusing little flash of Clacquesin. Incidentally, La Maison du Whisky held their first proper festival, before Whisky Live Paris, at the old Clacquesin distillery in Malakoff. We were there, naturally, and it was brilliant. Old bottles of Clacquesin are still easily found at auction and are well worth trying. End of commercial break, back to our Yoichi… With water: lots of little herbs, salted prunes, a few touches of anchovies and olives, there’s even a black tapenade side. Finish: very long, returning to very high-cocoa dark chocolate. And salmiak. Comments: hard not to think of certain Karuizawas, as well as old Mortlachs! In fact, I find it absolutely magnificent, with its slightly extreme side.
SGP:373 - 93 points. |
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Yoichi 40 yo 1986/2026 (59.4%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, remade hogshead, cask #252819, 39 bottles)
The Yoichis from this era that I’ve been lucky enough to taste seemed globally peatier to me than they are today, although of course they were much younger. I haven’t tasted many 1986s, but the 1987s were certainly well peated (P = 4-5). Anyway, a forty-year-old Yoichi is a first, wow! And quite a privilege to be able to taste it… Colour: full gold. Nose: completely different, this is concentrated mandarin, peel and all, with touches of chen-pi and peppermint. Incredibly clear and fresh, with quince paste coming through after a while. We love this. With water: spruce buds, faded rose and geranium, very ripe guava, then more and more woodruff. Our pet plant! Mouth (neat): exactly the same combination on the palate, mandarins, chen-pi, quinces, mint, with just the addition of a little liquorice wood and lemon marmalade. Incredibly fresh, you could easily put away half a litre. I’m joking, okay? With water: even fresher, even more citrusy, even more dangerous, especially as it then starts going fractal on you, provided you haven’t added too much water. Finish: nicely long, more on mint tea with pine nuts, quite simply, then a little almond milk and white amaretto. Comments: it’s strictly impossible for me to tell you whether I prefer the 35 or the 40. Anyway, I’d change my mind tomorrow, then again the day after, and so on. Perhaps the slightest edge to this 40 because of its more pronounced fruitiness but trying to separate the two would become vulgar.
SGP:563 - 93 points. |
Let’s move on to the Miyagikyos, then. |
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Miyagikyo 15 yo 2010/2026 (58.8%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, Port hogshead, cask #125892, 204 bottles)
What’s always rather puzzling with these babies is that there seems to be absolutely no relationship between their bottling strengths, so cask strengths, and their ages. In theory, strength can rise in hot, dry environments, as in Kentucky for example, but I don’t think we could claim that’s the case here. Yoichi is up north (Hokkaido), while Miyagikyo is near Sendai, on Honshu, in a very humid environment. Unless, of course, the casks are stored somewhere hot and dry… Mystery… Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re facing oriental spices, masala, also bergamot, very pronounced, and some little resinous touches that are much more discreet than in the Yoichis. And then, mango! With water: this is probably the most ‘Scottish’ so far, at least among these little beauties from Nikka. Ripe apple, acacia honey, blond tobacco, while the mango has gone rather quiet. Mouth (neat): very powerful, very distinguished, with lemons, clementines, candied angelica, and one drop of pear liqueur. Japanese pear, naturally. With water: a little oak now, kirsch, almonds, and even a drop of sour cherry juice. Finish: rather long, a little more marked by the wood. Comments: this is of course very beautiful, but I think I slightly preferred the 10 yo.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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Miyagikyo 25 yo 2000/2026 (60%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, sherry butt, cask #117935, 425 bottles)
Colour: amber. Nose: this time the rubber tree is back, even with some metallic touches, slightly smoky tea, potting soil, fruit skins, and an amusing chocolate-mint side. A little walnut stain, amontillado, dark tobacco… With water: cedarwood, cigar box, then straight into an old box of Caran d’Ache pencils, the big one, thirty colours at least. You remember, the Matterhorn on the lid? Mouth (neat): it’s very different on the palate, spicier but also fruitier. Peach soup, paprika, then more and more tobacco, like when we used to smoke unfiltered cigarettes, back in the last century. Indeed, there’s also a little tar, but nothing like the Yoichis. With water: the walnuts are back, as is the amontillado side… Finish: rather long, with no major changes, except that it’s rather dry, with black tea and cocoa. Comments: the 10 yo still remains my favourite so far.
SGP:461 - 89 points. |
One of my favourite Miyagikyos was the 18 yo 1996 LMDW #42439 (WF 91), a peated one. Are we about to beat it?... Suspense… |
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Miyagikyo 40 yo 1986/2026 (59.9%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, virgin oak puncheon, cask #78858, 174 bottles)
This is, naturally, the oldest Miyagikyo of them all. And as usual, it refuses to play by the rules, being remarkably pale for such a venerable age. Colour: full gold. Nose: oh yes, a greenhouse in full bloom, little rubber objects, school erasers, bitter almonds, toasted pecans, sesame cream, peanut butter… Then pink grapefruit and the tiniest touch of fresh turmeric. The coherence and compactness of the whole are quite sublime. With water: little flowers and herbs come rushing in, pansies, borage, wood sorrel… And you can eat all of those too! (a very French concern). Mouth (neat): incredible citrus fruits and the finest Wulong tea. That implies a certain tannicity, very obvious here, but mingled with those citrus fruits, it melts into the whole and becomes a tremendous asset. A touch of linseed oil. With water: a veritable collection of little oils, peanut, rapeseed, sesame, hazelnut, pistachio… Finish: fairly long, very elegant, with pistachio at the helm. Thin Mints in the aftertaste. Comments: what a beauty! But once again, mind the water. These high strengths can tempt you into adding too much ‘without thinking’, and there’s no way back. A glorious drop, nonetheless.
SGP:452 - 93 points. |
Right, I’d have loved to vat the two 40-year-olds, Yoichi + Miyagikyo, just to see whether the marriage might tickle 94 or even 95 points. Sadly, being hopeless philistines, we drank the evidence before conducting the experiment. Like savages, and like you-know-whom. |
I should add, in closing, that all these Yoichi and Miyagikyo ‘Artist’ bottlings are beautifully adorned with photographs by Yoshiki Hase, taken on location in and around the distilleries. Here are two superb examples: |
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September 15, 2026 |
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Three Japanese days on WF, day 2
Let’s start, once again, with one of Ichiro’s blends… |
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Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘The Dragon Awakes’ (61.1%, OB, Lucky Choice & The Antelope, sherry finish, cask #B0026, 284 bottles, 2025)
Colour: full gold. Nose: it strikes me as a little more grain-driven than yesterday’s, with corn cream, vanilla and a faint touch of coconut, but there’s also some lovely shoe polish and wood smoke. Let’s see what water has to say about that… With water: orange cream, sweetcorn, praline, pancakes… Mouth (neat): extremely powerful and rather ‘bourbon’ at this stage. It really does need water… With water: it rdoes seem more grain-driven. Lemonade, Fanta, a few drops of chardonnay… Finish: fairly long, with a profile that rather recalls those old Scottish ‘blended at birth’ single blends. Rather uncommon, admittedly. Comments: I find this really good, with a lighter texture despite the sherry.
SGP:541 - 85 points. |
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Japan 10 yo 2014/2025 (54.5%, Elixir Distillers, The Whisky Trail, cask #11044, 240 bottles)
Whoops, I thought this was a secret Japanese, but I’ve just noticed it’s actually a Chichibu. So, we’ll have to file it with the Chichibus, especially as the colour itself is already looking very promising by our standards… Colour: Chablis, alright. Nose: all the freshness and liveliness we were expecting. Small ripe apples, fresh barley, clay, one drop of lapsang souchong, then suddenly, an explosion of mangoes, uppercut-style. There, that’s quite enough to make us happy. With water: apple and mango juice. Mouth (neat): it’s a gentle Chichibu at first, all simplicity and delicacy. High-quality green tea, apple peel, lemon… and bang, full-on mango once again. With water: yellow fruits everywhere, ending on passion fruit. Finish: long, lively, but thickened by mango liqueur. Comments: I have to admit, it’s very difficult to resist this mango bombardment. We do adapt our tasting notes to current affairs, as you can see.
SGP:751 - 90 points. |
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Chichibu 10 yo 2016/2026 (64.7%, Spirits of Salud, 7even Gods of Fortune, 1st fill barrel, cask #5731, 144 bottles)
This wee yet mighty god is called ‘Takarabune’. Colour: full gold. Nose: let’s say it, this is strikingly close to the 2014/2025 Chichibu we’ve just tasted, with mangoes, apples, passion fruits, a little cedarwood, papayas... It’s beautiful, almost immaculately simple, I was about to say biblical, really very ‘clear line’. With water: it gets even narrower, like a small bergamot you’re squeezing between your hands, right under your nose. A little cedar too. Mouth (neat): superb, with mangoes and grapefruits, joined by verbena and Chartreuse, although all that remains discreet and elegant. Wow. With water: it becomes a little easier, but with the same grapefruits, which have now overtaken the mangoes, plus a touch of lemony salinity. Finish: long, bewilderingly simple and magnificent. Almost a daiquiri made with Hampden and mango juice, in the required proportions. I mean… Comments: yet another Chichibu that ought to come with a warning sticker about its frankly excessive drinkability. It goes down like mother’s milk, even without water. But I’m not recommending that, don’t go putting words into my mouth, right.
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Let’s (try to) tone things down a little… |
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Mars Komagate 22 yo (43%, OB, +/-2013)
A rather astonishing oldish expression at a very ‘1990s’ 43%, straight out of the old Macallan playbook. A deliberate wink towards the famous distillery in Craigellachie? Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, there we are, this could almost pass for 1980s Macallan, with that faint smokiness and little touch of shoe polish complementing a whole bed of camphor, dead leaves, walnuts and mushrooms. Superb sherry. Mouth: goodness, this is good! 43% or no 43%, there’s magnificent complexity here, that shoe polish again, those famous walnuts, tobacco, balsamic touches, amontillado, orange liqueur from some brand everyone forgot fifty years ago… Well, you see what I mean… Finish: wow wow wow wow…. Comments: to be tasted on a Sunday morning, after Mass, from a tiny glass, among friends. Nothing says you can’t refill that tiny glass several times. Sublime surprise, is this available in Europe?
SGP:452 - 91 points. |
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Hinomaru ‘The 1st Edition’ (48%, OB, 3,000 bottles, +/-2023)
A malt made by Kiuchi Brewery, which we don’t know, but then again, we know more about the breeding of domestic beavers in Manitoba than about the breweries of the world. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s fresh, yeasty, close to barley and apples, so certainly pleasant, even if it isn’t going to change the face of the whisky world, let alone the malt whisky world. Mouth: really good, although very slightly soapy at first, then developing along classic lines, almonds, apples, a little saltiness, beer… Finish: same, with a slightly sour and salty side right at the end. Comments: nothing to complain about, it may not be hugely distinctive, nor particularly exciting, but it’s very well made.
SGP:441 - 82 points. |
Right, now we need to talk. Because the slightly mad but passionate people, unless it’s the other way round, at La Maison du Whisky (that’s Paris, baby) have just released a series of superstars from Nikka, namely Yoichi and Miyagikyo, at progressively older ages, which rather reminds us of what Springbank did with their Millennium series… well, thirty years ago. The seminal question, the cruel dilemma, is how to taste them: do we run through each distillery separately, Yoichi from youngest to oldest and then Miyagikyo, or do we pair the two distilleries at each age and work our way upwards together? I’m not sure I’m making myself clear, but we’ll go with the latter, since we believe time is the main ingredient in malt whisky. Even if the Chichibus and other grand Japanese whiskies we’ve just tasted rather contradict that assertion. But never mind, off we go, this is Whiskyfun and we do as we please… |
I should also point out that while tasting this series we won’t look at the cask types, it’s more fun (and challenging) that way. We’ll add them to each whisky’s details afterwards, before we put all this online, you see. |
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Yoichi 10 yo 2015/2026 (63.1%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, virgin oak puncheon, cask #148028, 471 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: a cured ham sandwich, pata negra-style, with fresh bread, black pepper, fresh butter, and a generous splash of Scandinavian-style fir liqueur. Quite a massive amount of natural rubber too. With water: lupin, toasted sesame, roasted tea (hojicha), in short, very Japanese indeed. Mouth (neat): very punchy, very concentrated, rather resinous but never stifling, with lime and, above all, plenty of verbena and gentian. You couldn’t exactly say it’s dawdling along the way. With water: everything falls into place, verbena, yellow Chartreuse, roasted tea, small citrus fruits, but without the saltiness we so often find elsewhere. Finish: long, woody, but everything is nicely integrated. The aftertaste is distinctly smokier. Comments: some aspects remind me of the Yoichi ‘Woody & Vanillic’ that could be found at the distillery ten years ago, only better. Much better. Mind the amount of water, though, in fact I find that most great Japanese malts require you to be both precise and sparing with your favourite pipette.
SGP:463 - 89 points. |
I find that heavily oaked Japanese whiskies aren’t quite like heavily oaked Scottish whiskies, the oak seems better integrated, more part of the profile, even when it’s still obvious in your glass. Quite remarkable, really… Anyway, enough amateur dendrology for today, let’s have one last expression today… |
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Miyagikyo 10 yo 2015/2026 (55.3%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, recharred puncheon, cask #11621, 507 bottles)
We’ve often given Miyagikyo the narrowest of leads over Yoichi, but they say only fools never change their minds. Let’s see if today is the day… Colour: gold. Nose: nope, Miyagikyo keeps the lead. Perhaps tomorrow? Mango, figs, castor oil, fresh almonds, very ripe apples. That’s all, but it’s already huge, as the balance is perfect. With water: sheer class, little cider apples and mentholated lemon. Or rather lemon-mint. Mouth (neat): we’re getting a little of what we found in the Komagatake 22, those ripe mangoes, those notes of great white Burgundy, whitecurrants, very gentle mint, the faintest touch of artichoke, green walnuts, fresh tobacco… With water: strawberry cream. Is there anything more regressive than strawberry cream? Finish: rather delicate, strawberry, fir buds, thyme tea. Comments: this is very complex, ultimately less woody than the very fine Yoichi, and closer to a great white wine. After careful consideration, I’ll suggest Fonsalette blanc but make of that what you will. Cheers Emmanuel up there.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
Nothing says the older ones will be better. Age may have a surprise or two up its sleeve, as Methuselah used to say (S.!)… We’ll find out tomorrow, stay tuned. |
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