Around the world


April 18, 2023

Around the world...

Distillerie du Vercors with its sequoia (photo Distillerie du Vercors)

Once more, five whiskies from various countries, starting from our home country.

Sequoia 2017/2022 (46%, Distillerie du Vercors, LMDW Version Française, 320 bottles)

Sequoia 2017/2022 (46%, 400, LMDW Version Française, 320 bottles)
Everyone in France is making whisky these days, but very few are using pot stills. In this case it's a combination of a stainless still plus a Cognaçais. Having said that, Distillerie du Vercors are having an excellent reputation and this combination should work better than just Cognaçais or columns, which often make thinner whiskies that you then need to boost using aggressive oak. Forget about balance. Colour: gold. Nose: it is a little bit on banana liqueur but there's also a deeper beer-like background that's working pretty well. Tiny touches of fermented tofu, some gingerbread, speculoos… It's pleasant and certainly less thin and oddly fruity than others. Mouth: good, slightly earthy and rooty at first (horseradish), then more on marmalade, parsnips, celeriac, also fruits such as citrons, pears, some sweet aniseed-like spices… The wood was well-mastered, nothing went off the road here. Finish: a tad short but balance is good and gingerbread is at its post. Kirschwasser and oak spices in the aftertaste. Comments: clearly one of the better French whiskies that manage to stand on their own two feet.
SGP:641 - 83 points.

To the Netherlands!...

Horstman 2008/2020 (45.9%, OB, Netherland, Single Malt)

Horstman 2008/2020 (45.9%, OB, Netherlands, Single Malt)

On the label they say they are 'Masters of Dutch Distillate', which I find more modest and honest that saying 'Dutch Masters of Distillate'. No? This is triple-distilled in Losser, on the German border, and aged in sherry. Colour: gold. Nose: good caky nose, with biscuits, butterscotch and custard, plus crumbles of ginger cookie in the background. Small amounts of baking spices. Mouth: a little sour wood, apple juice, cinnamon, a few dusty elements, other than that fresh cakes. Not space cakes, mind you! Finish: a little disjointed now, sawdust plus apples juice going their separate ways. Peppery aftertaste. Comments: fine malt whisky, not much else to say.
SGP:551 - 77 points.

Let's stay in the Netherlands a little longer…

Zuidam 4 yo (53.4%, F.R.C., Dutch Windmill Collection, Netherland, PX Cask Matured, cask #180099, +/-2022)

Zuidam 4 yo (53.4%, F.R.C., Dutch Windmill Collection, Netherlands, PX Cask Matured, cask #180099, +/-2022)

Zuidam, excellent reputation! PX, we'll see… Colour: full gold. Nose: hold on hold on hold on… My bad, this is rum that I was having in a wrong box. It's true that in my little book, Zuidam = whisky. Rather in the Belize style, soft yet deeper, with some bananas, sugarcane juice, touch of tar, beer, dough… With water: some hay, metal polish, muscovado, menthol, liquorice, wee butyric side perhaps… Mouth (neat): pretty sweet and with a malty side, some heavier liquorice, oranges… It's not easy to assess rum when you were ready for whisky, I have to say, even if this baby does have a whisky side as well, ,perhaps even touches of rye. With water: good, with some preserved peaches and apricots, plus some oak spices. Finish: rather long, peppery, spicy, and a tad 'rumsky', or is that me? Drying aftertaste. Comments: this one note don't count. My bad indeed.
SGP:651 - 83 points.

Let's try not to do that again… Off to Spain…

Liber 2016/2022 'Great Sherry Xperience Chapter 5' (53.4%, The Cask Hound, Spain, cask #27, 245 bottles)

Great label! Now this baby spent its last 20 months in a fresh amontillado cask, so anything could happen (at least it's all Spanish!) Colour: deep gold. Nose: works, simple as that, even if this would rather be some further-fortified amontillado, complete with black nougat (or rather turon in this case), walnut cake, salty toffee, liquorice, coffee, balsamic vinegar, melted butter… In truth this is awesome. Naturally, you need to enjoy amontillado. With water: more bouillons, asparagus, leek, chocolates, marrow, coffee… I just love this. Mouth (neat): more pure, salty, coastal, coffeeish, chocolaty amontillado. Lovely bitter-sour profile. Some big black raisins from Smyrna bringing some sweetness. With water: the blackest toffee, old walnut, salty bouillon, more marrow and vinegar, chocolate… Finish: very long and, guess what, very amontillado-y. Fish in brine in the aftertaste – make that anchovies. Comments: extremely surprising, this double-Spanishness, and very smart. And very much to my liking.
SGP:272 - 87 points.

To Switzerland…

Langatun 2013/2022 'Château Kefraya Cask Finish' (49.12%, OB, Switzerland)

Kefraya is not Musar but it is a very good Lebanese wine. Langatun's very good too, even if they would tend to fill just any kinds of casks they could put their pawns on. Good fun, in truth. Like some heavy red Lebanese syrah cask… after a first maturation in French chardonnay! Colour: apricot gold. Nose: spicy and leafy, not too sure Kefraya are not using French oak. Some spicy biscuits, a little ginger and turmeric, raisins… With water: much softer and better integrated, water makes wonders this time again. Ginger and orange cake, moistened with some kind of grappa. Mouth (neat): spicy and raisiny, vinous but not too vinous, with a feeling of young armagnac. The spice load is a tad heavy. With water: ginger tonic with some honey and chartreuse. I think they make of did make some kind of chartreuse in Lebanon. Finish: medium, spicy and sweet, towards some kind of ginger cordial. Drying, peppery aftertaste. Comments: mestizo whisky, even involving the Phoenicians, apparently.
SGP:461 - 80 points.

To the far north…

Myken 5 yo 'Sabotør #2 Gunnerside' (47%, OB, Norway, ex-bourbon, 2023)

I've been told this baby contained 'deuterium oxide.' Whether I should thank our friend Morten for this one or not remains to be seen, having said that we've tried some rather excellent Myken by Berry Bros. in 2021. Colour: straw. Nose: deuterium or not, this is fat and waxy to perfection, rich in doughs and fresh breads, and ridden with grist and flour. This is like 'nosing' a Bobby mill in action. There's something akin to Barbour grease in the background. Mouth: starts pretty peppery and slightly fizzy (ginger tonic), gets then insanely bready, between oriental bread and focaccia. Focaccia alle olive, naturally, and even a little garlic bread. Finish: long, perfect, impressive. Bred, salt, garlic, olives, grape pip oil, touch of lemon. Olive and fish brine in the aftertaste. Comments: got to love the taste of deuterium oxide, I think I'll check dramazon to see if I can order some.
SGP:452 - 87 points.

We could do a Penderyn… They've mega-improved their whiskies IMHO (as we used to say).

Penderyn 'The Headliner' (46%, OB, Wales, Icon Of Wales No: 9, 2022)

A tribute to Prime Minster David Lloyd George who, in 1915, decided that whisky ought to be matured in wooden casks for at least three years and one day (but he didn't say wine casks, did he!) Not a bad marketing story, that one; what's a tad more uncertain is the cask-bill that's been in use for this one, namely Ruby Port and Jamaican rum. That's like strawberries and olives or chocolate and mustard, don't you think? Colour: apricot. The Port. Nose: overripe strawberries and raspberries, rosehip tea, praline, finger biscuits (why not those pink ones they make in champagne), blood oranges, a bellini while we're at it… Mouth: it's pretty good. Some peppered strawberries and some sour cherries. Some boisterous young pinot noir, if not straight Ruby, my dear (ooh that's smart, S.) The wood's peppers would then tend to take over, which is not too good. Finish: medium, on sweets, grenadine and pepper, leaves and cranberries… Some salty, slightly petroly notes in the aftertaste, that might be the rum, at last! Comments: it's good, but I don't think it's particularly well balanced. I've had the opportunity to try some straight Penderyn and thought it was much better than all these tiring wine flavourings. It's not only Penderyn, even some well-respected Scottish distilleries are now dumping everything (absolutely, everything) into wine casks. They must be very disappointed with their distillates. Oh and that lazy Jamaican rum really took its time. We've got some much better Penderyns in the boxes, we'll have them soon.
SGP:662 - 77 points.

Oh well..

Penderyn 2017/2022 (60.7%, OB, Wales, for Switzerland, Madeira Malvasia, cask #1347/2017, 303 bottles)

So, Malmsey, right? Let's remember that the first ever official Penderyn was a Madeira finish, I remember it well. Colour: full gold. Nose: in many cases, and even when it was sweet Malmsey, Madeira wood works well with whisky and this is another proof. This is very sour, on overripe apples, morello cherries, mustard, gunpowder and even a little gas, fig wine, sherry vinegar, then milk chocolate… With water: more chocolate, also diesel fumes and struck matches. Onion soup. Mouth (neat): big spicy stuff. Cinnamon mint, glue, electronic cigarette liquid (new descriptor on WF!), bitter leaves… With water: gets much gentler, more on figs and dates, raisins, Stolle, however the bitter and sour spices have not given up. Peach leaf tea, cherry stem tea, clove, caraway… Finish: long and spicy, pretty good. The gunpowder is back in the aftertaste, together with some chocolate. Comments: it was going to be tough after the Norwegian Myken anyway. Next time we'll find a straight Penderyn.
SGP:561 - 79 points.

(Thank you Morten)