The Olympic Sessions 1


July 25, 2024

The Olympic Sessions Day 1, a new bag of whiskies from around the world (almost)

sac

Here we go again on a journey with some world whiskies… And we start again with France. I don't know if you've been told, but we've just kicked off the Olympics here in France - the official ceremony will take place tomorrow - so we thought we could organise our own events, just for a bit of fun, with whiskies from around the world.

That said, I don't know how long it will last—several days for sure—but maybe we'll get tired quite quickly and need some more high-quality Scottish sessions again. We'll see. So, are you game? (Well, that was joking close to the ground, S.)

Rozelieures ‘Fumé Collection’ (46%, OB, France, +/-2023)

A smoky Rozelieures matured in Fino sherry (hurray). Rozelieures is made in the neighbouring Lorraine and is among the pioneers of French whisky. It’s now quite a sizeable whisky distillery, although they employ Charentais stills (cognac stills) but handle their own malting. Many are making malt whisky in France, but very few are using proper ‘Scottish style’ pot stills. Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s fresh, nicely peated but also on apple and citrus, all very well-balanced, pleasant, somewhat inoffensive, but we weren’t expecting Brora 1972 or Ardbeg 1974, were we? A few hints of green walnut, likely from the fino. Long live fino! (I insist). Mouth: all is well, still quite fresh, smokier than on the nose, a bit more on herbal and hay smoke, then indeed on fresh walnuts from the fino, plus the usual pepper and salt. Lovely aromatic precision. Finish: medium length but with increased salinity. Some little apples to distil. Comments: I find it technically quite perfect; I imagine it’s had a few years in the cask.
SGP:454 - 84 points.

Since we are in peat...

Gold Cock 'Peated' (45%, OB, Czech Republic, +/-2023)

What a laugh we've had since we first heard of this brand over 20 years ago! It became a bit of a running joke amongst enthusiasts, gifting it to each other for a chuckle. There's certainly a market for these kinds of jests. That said, we’ve only tasted Gold Cock once, a 3-year-old produced around 2003. It was a bit challenging back then (WF 45 - but we had a good laugh!), but they’ve likely improved things over twenty years, so let’s see… after all, the cock is the emblem of our country, isn’t it? Colour: gold. Nose: quite likeable, there are ginger cookies, turmeric and paprika cream, a bit of honey and vanilla, quite a lot of elderflowers, rosemary and some barbecue smoke… not bad at all, quite different from your average peated whisky. Mouth: it’s funny and pleasant. A smoky sawdust character that works well, developing mainly on lemon and fresh ginger. Finish: good length, nice freshness, a touch of mustard, lemon liqueur and a light curry. Comments: Gold Cock is made by Jelinek, I think I’ve sampled some of their products from the Iron Curtain days. Anyway, the Gold Cock brand has come a long way in twenty years, + 37 points.
SGP:555 - 82 points.

Fary Lochan 'Sherry & Peat Batch #001' (50.5%, OB, Denmark, oloroso & Islay hogshead, 600 bottles, 2023)

The whiskies from Fary Lochan are often quite amusing and certainly unusual. That said, I haven't tasted many. Colour: golden amber. Nose: varnish and roasted nuts, fresh peat, a bit of mild cheese (gouda, cheddar), then baked peppers and smoked meats. When I told you it could be special... the pepper side is very impressive. With water: redcurrants and damp earth, Italian black cigars, machine grease... Mouth (neat): a very 'rye' side, pumpernickel, pecan pie, and above all, lots of smoky brown beer. With water: increasingly unusual, but lovely all the same. Cynar, Fernet Branca... Finish: medium length but very nice peppery bitterness. Cloves, smoked paprika, peppers glazed in wine... Comments: lovely and, above all, not boring for a moment.
SGP:563 - 85 points.

Still in Denmark...

Sall 3 yo 2020/2023 (61.1%, Whisky Watcher, Denmark, bourbon, cask #29, 159 bottles)

The barrel came from Garrison Brothers’, which isn’t bad news. It is our first Sall ever. colour: very pale white wine. nose: it’s like barley eau-de-vie, and we’re not complaining. It’s really not far from young kirsch, in fact. We appreciate that no one seemed to have the idea to tamper with this almost-new-make, so it remains 100% natural. The bourbon cask was most likely ‘very refill’. With water: barley porridge, sweet mint, Gravensteiner apple, eau-de-vie... Mouth (neat): eau-de-vie all the way. Mirabelle plum, service tree berry, holly, plus a touch of lemon juice, pear juice, and just a tiny bit of very discreet vanilla. With water: excellent barley eau-de-vie, pears and apples, hints of beer... finish: medium length, lovely fruitiness, lovely balance. comments: they also make a lot of gin at Sall, like pretty much everyone else on this planet. Even we at Château WF made our own gin. Not saying we drink it, mind you...
SGP:641 - 84 points.

Sall 3 yo (60.6%, OB, ex-bourbon, Denmark, ex-Fondillon, 2024)

Fondillon is a rare and somewhat posh wine from Alicante. I have no idea about the (possible) relationship between a Fondillon cask and a young Danish distillery. Not sure the little photo of the bottle matches either, but here we go. Colour: gold. nose: I should add that I’ve never tasted Fondillon. Soft, vanilla malt with sweet beer, grilled malt, and a basket of raisin bread. It’s nice, quite inoffensive, but yes, nice. Hints of orange liqueur. With water: more sweet and fruity ale. Sweet beer and pear juice. Mouth (neat): lovely power, figs, sultanas, touches of caramel, praline… With water: aged pear eau-de-vie in very well-matured wood. Old pear aged in wood, it’s pleasant and quite rare, except in Calvados, notably Domfrontais. Finish: quite long, malty, fresh, fruity, on sweet beer, IPA etc. Comments: my first Fondillon! Certainly, it was blended with whisky here but still. Very lovely very young whisky.
SGP:641 - 83 points.

Towards the south…

Exmu ‘Spirit of Sardinia’ (45.5%, OB, Italy, bourbon, +/-2024)

All is good, 200-hour fermentation, direct-fired stills, very local barley... and Sardinia, of course. Colour: gold. Nose: one could have called this session ‘50 shades of cereals’. Superb combination of vanilla and papaya, stems and leaves, small touches of camphor, dill, lemongrass, a tiny bit of cellulosic varnish, little orange sweets... All of this is perfect, precise, and fresh, and even downright impressive. My first Exmu and I hope it won’t be the last. Mouth: magnificent fruitiness, mangoes, pink bananas, old white wine, nuts, sweet pepper, Szechuan pepper... But what is this thing? Finish: and here comes the mango, with a touch of liquorice wood. A very light hint of viognier and even lychee. Comments: bravo the Italians, they have more luck with their whiskies than with their football (we the French too, having said that).
SGP: 641 - 88 points.

Bimber ‘Wimbledon’ (56.6%, OB, England, The Spirit of the Underground, Vino de Naranja cask, cask #310/5, 298 bottles, 2024)

They are truly geniuses at Bimber, as they managed to anticipate the victory of a Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz, at Wimbledon this year by housing this baby in an orange (the fruit, not the style) wine cask that one would doubt wasn’t Spanish. It seems this is a genuine double maturation, with three years or more in this orange wine cask. We must admit, we’re very curious... Colour: full gold. Nose: you do find orange, but you find orange or orange cake or Jaffa cake in many malt whiskies. It almost gives it a little natural Dalmore touch. With water: indeed, orange cake and a slight IPA note. Mouth (neat): a creamy side, certainly very marmalade-like, but without being too vulgar, there's a certain balance maintained. The chocolate really adds a very pronounced liquid Jaffa cake note. Of some sort. With water: it feels like a bourbon cask is responding, with banana, vanilla, and quince. The balance is even more... balanced (bravo, S.). Finish: rather long, this time with Szechuan pepper. It was to be expected. Comments: I like this ‘travel’ aspect. After all, many journeys start with a ride on the Underground. I’m also very happy not to have a Bimber ‘Waterloo’ – or ‘Trafalgar’ – in the WF sample library. Of course, I’m jesting.
SGP: 641 - 88 points.

The entire planet now produces good, even very good whisky, which is quite impressive. See you soon for more whiskies from around the world. In the old days, it was very rare for a 'world whisky' to score 80 on my personal scale.

Current Medal Standing
(July 25, Updated Daily)

Gold		UK Bimber ‘Wimbledon’ (56.6%, OB, England, The Spirit of the Underground, Vino de Naranja cask, cask #310/5, 298 bottles, 2024)
Silver		Italy Exmu ‘Spirit of Sardinia’ (45.5%, OB, Italy, bourbon, +/-2024)
Bronze		DenmarK Fary Lochan 'Sherry & Peat Batch #001' (50.5%, OB, Denmark, oloroso & Islay hogshead, 600 bottles, 2023)