World sessions number fourteen


February 16, 2021

	World sessions, doing sequels for no particular reasons
	Number Fourteen - and breaking news wrt Japan Whisky

There's now so much interesting whisky in the world. And duds too, naturally, but I believe those tend to slowly become a minority… we shall take off from France, naturally…

Brenne 'Cuvée Spéciale' (40%, OB, France, +/-2020)

Cuvée spéciale means Special cuvée, would you have guessed that? So, not much, it's to be put into the same box as 'réserve', 'deluxe' or 'premium'. Last time I tried Cognac's Brenne whisky, in 2015, I thought it was okayish (WF 70) but pretty thin and sweet. Still no age statement after all those years… Sure age is just a number, but NAS is no number at all. Colour: straw. Nose: perhaps has it improved, as I'm rather finding a lot of white currant at first nosing, some nice notes of kiwis and guavas, then touches of fennel and caraway (clear notes of caraway liqueur). What it hasn't quite got is barley, or malt, or bread, or anything like that. Mouth: extremely sweet, with syrups and a lot of vanilla liqueur. Feels like very light 'arranged' rum, or Bacardi Vanila. Very thin body. Finish: short, sweet, with a feeling of having quaffed sugarcane syrup. Sugary aftertaste. Comments: I don't think it has improved, and it surely feels sweetened-up. A little thing, I'm afraid, some kind of Don Papa of malt whisky? I would have loved to like it, really. I would hope no one in the world would believe this is how French whisky tastes in general.
SGP:730 - 50 points.

Good, let's forget about that one and move straight to Taiwan…

Nantou 4 yo 'Batch 1' (49%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Taiwan, bourbon, 342 bottles)

I believe this was bottled last year. Nantou/Omar are doing it right, we do know that. Colour: straw. Nose: much more body, much more fatness, and yet it's not a very aromatic whisky, but that was probably not the game. A little fresh oak, some crushed bananas, overripe apples, muesli, bread, poppy seeds, butter pears, plantain… Sunflower oil too. I'm a fan of this pretty self-restrained style. Mouth: very good, on oranges, croissants, more bananas, sweet barley, touches of lime, muesli again… It is really all natural and since we're travelling now, it could have been a blend of young ex-bourbon Arran and Yamazaki. And why not? We're free to travel as long as we don't (eh?) Finish: medium, rather on the same notes, perhaps with a little more peaches and lemons, and a liquoricy, almost balsamic at times signature. Some warming spices too (cinnamon, perhaps a pinprick of curry). Comments: unquestionably very good. Great quality/age ratio.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Perhaps an easy 'Japanese'…

Now this to celebrate the fact that the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Producers Makers Association have just announced a kind of Japanese Whisky Act that does regulate the labelling of Japanese Whisky. For example, saccharification and distillation will have to take place integrally in the country. This should be the end of 'false' Japanese malts. Kudos to the members of the Japan Spirits & Liqueurs Producers Makers Association (here's the act translated into English)...

Nikka 'Session' (43%, OB, Japan, world blend, 2020)

All right, this is not quite Japanese, it's Nikka's recent answer to Suntory in the 'world blend' category. In short, our Japanese friend keep blending whiskies sourced from other countries, but this time they tell us about that and wont label it as 'Japanese Whisky'. Thank you Nikka. A lot of Ben Nevis in this, I'd bet, and certainly some Miyagikyo and Yoichi… Colour: straw. Nose: to be honest, I like this, it's pretty light yet not thin on the nose, with touches of pineapples and pears, the same bananas as in the Nantou, and only a moderate vanilla. What's a little troubling I that I do not get much Ben-Nevisness this far, perhaps on the palate?... A little apricot too. Tends to lose steam, don't nose too deeply. Mouth: there, ben Nevis, most probably! Rotting vegetables, engine oil, good sulphur, artichokes, rapeseed oil, bitter herbs… Nothing to throw! All that over a gentler, banana-y and brioche-y foundation, and even touches of mangos and papayas. Finish: medium, fruitier again. Green melons. Comments: liked it, they should even do a cask strength version. Very solid body and oomph at only 43% vol., while I wasn't expecting much. Isn't whisky always better when it's they're being transparent?
SGP:552 – 85 points.

Let's do a U-turn, to Israel… I really need to publish notes for Milk & Honey's Classic, by far my favourite, and I shall do that soon. In the meantime…

Milk & Honey 3 yo 2017/2020 (61.6%, OB, for Holydram, Israel, ex-Islay, 223 bottles)

I usually call these set-ups 'in-cask vattings', as the cask's former content, here Ardbeg it seems (many do Laphroaig instead),will most certainly change the nature of any new filling and consequently, of the mature malt. But that's only gratuitous literature, let's try the beast… Colour: straw. Nose: not too many burnt tyres, we're fine. What I don't know is if the newmake was peated in the first place; if it wasn't, the impact of the Islay cask is totally massive. Many smoked herbs and vegetables, a feeling of wood-smoked asparagus (perhaps), burning pinewood, garden bonfire… Now once your olfactory bulb has filtered out all this smoke, some rounder, cakier notes of malt bread and puréed chickpeas start to have the upper hand. But all that may change once water's been added… With water: coal, cigar ashes, menthol, broken branches… All that works really well. Mouth (neat): Ardmore! Seems that it was a peaty whisky in the first place. Lovely notes of fried parsley on top of the rather massive peat. Lemons. With water: there, yes, aha, it worked, compliments. No feeling of 'unjustified flavouring' whatsoever here, this is just a fresh young peater from some solid active wood, with mentholated oranges in the background. Smart. Finish: long, tight, fresh. Perfect aftertaste. Comments: hey hey! I really wasn't sure about the concept, and I still not sure they should tell us about it, but the end result is unquestionably superb. And only 3 – I would be proud to be 3 (we're looking at you, NAS).
SGP:456 - 88 points.

Let's fly afar for our fifth and last dram toady…

Hellyers Road 16 yo 2004/2020 'Slightly Peated' (59.4%, OB, for Taiwan, Australia, cask #4113.11)

These Tasmanians are great, that's all. They've flabbergasted yours truly in December and January already. Colour: light gold. Nose: boy is this nice. Leatherette, old Volkswagen, banana pie, antifreeze, lanoline, leather polish, butter pears, marzipan… All that is extremely coherent. No, seriously. With water: superb. Old magazines, Bakelite, new electronics, not-too-ripe bananas, hand cream, cleansing milk… Very coherent again. Mouth (neat): but yes! Could you smoke masala? In truth I'm instantly reminded of those Indonesian cigarettes, Gudang Garam, that have tips that taste like sweet clove. Actually, they do add clove to the tobacco, so when you smoke them it can happen that they suddenly 'burst' when the burn reaches a clove. Oh well, why am I telling you this, we're in Tasmania, not in Jakarta… With water: lemons are up, cloves disappear. The peat here kind of reminds me of old Caol Ila (G&M, pre-1970) even if it hasn't quite got its complexity. Finish: very long, with more liquorice, chlorophyl, and smoked almonds. Lemons and eucalyptus in the aftertaste. Comments: more proof that age does much. By golly, Hellyers Road!
SGP:466 - 90 points.

Sure the Brenne didn't belong here, but I'm happy about his session. You always need a steppingstone anyway.

(Thank you Chris and Gal)