Another little journey around the world


February 15, 2024

	Another little journey around the world, with some red wine
	Kicking this off from little France, as usual…

Secale 2013/2023 (52%, La Maison du Whisky, Version Française, France, Cerealis, rye, 547 bottles)

It's actually not full rye, it's 51% rye, so rather the American way, the remainder being malted barley. Distilled in an undisclosed armagnacais continuous still – which doesn't obligatorily mean it was distilled in Armagnac country (I would suggest Rouget de l'Isle in the Jura but don't take my word for it). Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather heavy, with some satay sauce, peanut butter, also curry and roasted cake, toasted oak, rye bread indeed, then green walnuts and bitter oranges. A little savagnin 'under veil', not necessarily proper vin jaune. With water: more earth and mosses. Why not dried morels! Mouth (neat): high action, a lot of concentration, and once again some curry, garam masala, satay, peanuts and walnuts, orange zests, a salty touch that's pretty savagnin-y indeed (right), a little mustard... With water: rather sameish, a tad fruitier, that is to say more on oranges and, indeed, rye. Touch of lavender. Finish: long, with a little more oak, beyond these oranges and these mustardy walnuts. Chocolate in the aftertaste. Comments: in my book, this shouldn't have worked out, but it sure did. Pretty special.
SGP:461 - 86 points.

Slyrs 'Bavarian Peat' (43%, OB, Germany, +/-2023)

From Slyrs at the Schliersee, say between Munich and Salzburg. We had visited the distillery with the Malt Maniacs quite some years ago, it was cool, but I used to know more about the Bavarian Beat than about Bavarian Peat, to be honest. Let's put on our Lederhosen and try this one.... Colour: straw. Nose: indeed, some straw smoke, apple juice, rubber boots, vanilla… It's an easy one on the nose, pretty gentle. Mouth: same easiness. Some sweet mustard, some sawdust, nutmeg, cinnamon, apple juice, brine… It's pleasant. Finish: medium, a little gritty and drying, all that from the oak. Comments: I think it's always a little tricky to reduce peaters too much, as H2O can disintegrate these kinds of spirits, IMHO. Fine drop nonetheless.
SGP:444 - 78 points.

Farthofer 5 yo (48.3%, Whisky Druid, Austria, new charred red wine cask, cask #F465, 285 bottles)

That's STR, no? I don't think you can read the labels from our crappy little thumbnail pictures, but this one says 'We make 100% single-estate single malt but forgot to tell anyone'. Good one, but do they also make red wine? These fine folks are located in Öhling, so east of Linz and Steyr. Colour: gold. Nose: I rather like all these wood spices, the speculoos, juniper, coriander seeds, pumpernickel bread, then the williams pears and damsons/zwetschke. In short, nice nose, not too red-winey. Mouth: rather a lot of rose petals and lychees, you would almost believe it was gewurztraminer instead of red wine. Having said that, gewurztraminer grapes can get pretty 'red'. Also Turkish delights, violet sweets, cranberry juice, then more pumpernickel. Finish: long, spicy, oaky. Raw chocolate and coffee beans. Comments: good fun until the rather tannic, black-tea-ish aftertaste.
SGP:661 - 82 points.

Let's drive south towards Slovenia…

Broken Bones 5 yo 'Peated' (58%, OB, Slovenia, batch #3/23, 2023)

I really enjoyed the earlier batches from this wee Balkanian distillery. This one is a peated batch. Colour: straw. Nose: oh nice! Granny smith, lemon juice, pinewood smoke, a little menthol, some cough syrup and lozenges… Some tiny bits of rubber too (bits of tyre), spearmint, a tiny touch of juniper… It remains fresh all along, you would almost believe this drop stems from a large distillery that's been making this style of whisky for at least 120 years. Have I mentioned these fattish oysters and clams? Mouth: very good, no quibbling here. More lemons and oysters, juniper and peat smoke, herbs that will cure your cough, like thyme, green apples… I'll write it again, you would believe they've been churning out millions of litres of peated malt whisky for decades and decades, eventually reaching quasi-perfection. Finish: of medium length, rounder, sweeter, easier yet, extremely pleasant. Comments: rather a great surprise, to be honest.
SGP:556 - 87 points.

The Lakes 'Whiskymaker's Reserve No.6' (52%, OB, England, 2023)

Matured in oloroso, PX and red wine casks, that's now become a classic combo. I found 2022's Reserve No.5 extremely good (WF 86) while it had been exposed to the same kind of treatment, so no fear here… Apart from that, we remain astounded by the incredible altruism of all these distillers and blenders who continue to sacrifice by offering their own reserves of their whiskies to the thirsty and astonished crowds. Beautiful gestures! Colour: dark copper. Nose: a little yogurt (strawberry flavour) and various smoothies at first, then cherry clafoutis, muscat wine and various chutneys. Which is all much nicer than it sounds. With water: thick musto (grenache) and an ueberabundance of fruitcakes. Right. Mouth (neat): cherry cake, Chinese cough syrup (honey and myriads of spices and herbs), sultanas and blood oranges, plus quite some Szechuan pepper. With water: the whisky's back, with dazzling glory. Malt, and chocolate truffles, ganache, Corinth raisins, figs, toasted brown bread… Finish: long, rather grapey again. Prunes and Port. Comments: why is it that I enjoy this a lot whilst I just shouldn't according to my taste? It's been a long time since I last saw my psychologist, I'm going to make an appointment. Hope he's sobered up since last time (joking, I haven't got any psychologist).
SGP:661 - 86 points.

Bimber 'France Edition' (58.9%, OB, England, for LMDW, Port, cask #30, 290 bottles, 2021)

It was about time I tried this crazy French Londoner. Colour: dark pink apricot. Nose: hope I won't ruffle any feathers but I'm simply reminded of some ex-Port Bushmills malts that I had tried on location. Perfect, pure fruitiness, ultra-precise, on vine peaches, blood oranges and guavas. With water: wonderful rosehip tea, eglantine, Timut pepper, pink grapefruit, fruity hops (IPA-style)… yadda. Mouth (neat): it is insanely fruity, this is almost deep-fortified peach juice. With water: same feeling. Peach juice, Bellini made with champagne rosé, late-harvest riesling, and even more vine peaches. Finish: medium, insanely fruity. Comments: I remember that my dear mother, who thank God is still with us, always thought that instead of buying a bottle for 500€ because it had notes of mandarins (for example), I would have been better off buying a bag of mandarins for fifty times less. One should always listen to their mother.
SGP:751 - 89 points.

Since we're bathing in red wine today… (not without success, moreover)…

Belgrove 2016/2023 (61.1%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, The Pioneers, Tasmania, rye, pinot noir, cask #170216, 256 bottles)

Some rye in pinot noir! What, do they want us dead? We might be approaching whisky's Godwin point… Colour: apricot. Nose: fumes, blackcurrant buds, concrete, brake dust, rye indeed, leaven bread and sourdough, crêpes and pancakes… Well it seems that the bready rye is having the upper hand, which of course pleases us mucho. No belly of a hare having run through the tall grass at five o'clock in the morning at this stage and no dirty old mop either. With water: bresaola and Grisons meat, serious. Smoked ham. Mouth (neat): well, it's certain that the folks at Berry Bros know how to select a cask of whisky. To be completely honest, this one is extremely bizarre, with a kind of raspberry smoked with black pepper set on fire or something like that, but the result is quite excellent, even if we're not too sure what category of spirits it would fall into anymore. And does smoked lavender exist? Except in Bowmore from the 1980s? The rye's texture is quite spectacular, almost as oily as oil. With water: more smoke, hydrocarbons, raw fuel, orange skin, cherry stems and leaves… Also grapefruits, which is cool and somewhat stabilizing. Finish: long, with a ryeness that's much more pronounced, plus some camphor. Comments: honestly, it is a very crazy drop. The kind of whisky that pushes the boundaries of conventional norms, as they would write in brochures. I let myself be convinced quite easily, but the BB&R signature undoubtedly played its part.
SGP:572 - 87 points.

(Merci Tim)