The Olympic Sessions, Day 12


August 9, 2024

The Olympic Sessions, Day 12 (France, Spain, Korea, England, Germany, America)

We still have many 'world' whiskies to taste, which is a pleasure, given how much they have improved in recent years. Honestly, ten years ago, we would have approached this with reluctance, or perhaps we simply wouldn’t have dared to do such series... Right, let’s head back to France…

Picture WF Archive, Jerez, 2017. No puns will be tolerated.

Hériose ‘Le Petit Tourbé’ (46%, OB, France, 2022)

We sampled the ‘classic’ version of this little Cognac whisky two years ago, and it was very pleasant in our opinion (WF 83). These Hériose are crafted by Maison Boinaud in Angeac, known for their De Luze cognacs. This ‘wee peater’ isn’t distilled from peated malt; it’s the classic version simply finished in an ex-peater cask, as is increasingly common in Scotland too. Colour: white wine. Nose: classic notes of chalk, green apple, lemon, and cold ashes (fireplace). A few drops of limoncello – do they also make limoncello at Maison Boinaud? Mouth: a lovely in-cask blend, sharp, lively, fresh, quite peaty rather than merely lightly flavoured. Touches of radish, horseradish, more lemon, and a few pine needles chewed absentmindedly (who hasn’t done that during a wee walk in the woods?) Good body. Finish: rather long, quite sharp, with more pepper, grapefruit, ash, cinchona, and a garden bonfire sensation... Comments: very nice. The peat takes over quickly, as we know it always does. This rather lovely concoction could easily replace gin in cocktails. Well, I think so.
SGP:465 - 84 points.

Sherishor 12 yo (45%, OB, Spain, ‘pure malt whisky’, +/-2024)

The return of the pure malts! According to the label, this brew is ‘born in Scotland, refined in Spain’ and ‘triple matured in real old sherry casks’. This is interesting as it also highlights the fact that perhaps more than 99% of whiskies aged or finished in ‘sherry casks’ are actually only in casks specifically made and treated for whisky, i.e., seasoned with basic sherry. Nothing to do with real solera butts, and I know some in Spain consider these not even real sherry casks. Well, we’ve been debating this for years... Anyway, here we have undisclosed Scotch malt aged 3 years in bourbon in Scotland, then 9 years in solera butts in Andalusia. Colour: amber. Nose: it’s true, we’re close to an old sherry, oloroso or amontillado type, and it reminds us a bit of the old Speysides our Italian friends were having, the old Mortlachs, Linkwoods, Macallans, etc., from Sestante or Intertrade for example. So, it’s rather more vinous than modern sherried malts, but also richer and perhaps more complex. Lots of dried figs and dates with toffee, and strictly no even remotely astringent woodiness, unlike in many contemporary finishings. I like it a lot so far. Mouth: a bit of pepper and grated lemon peel right away, which is quite surprising, then bitter orange liqueur, chocolate, toffee, roasted peanuts, dried pear... It’s really different without being too different, and excellent for me. Finish: chocolate bars with coffee and caramelised peanuts. Comments: it’s said that each real solera butts do their own thing and that it’s hard to maintain a consistent profile in your whisky, batch after batch. In any case, I find this Sherishor excellent, a wonderful discovery.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Let's head to South Korea...

Kimshangsoo Single Cask (52.1%, OB, Korea, Artist Edition, 1st fill European oloroso hogshead, 312 bottles, 2023)

A rather brilliant micro-distillery that only produces a few casks per year. Everything we've tasted so far has always been excellent. Colour: gold. Nose: quite different from previous ones, fresher, less massive, with touches of rainwater in a big city, citron juice, lemon balm, and basil water, with a hint of lemon mint... It's quite singular, especially as it develops notes of sake, fresh concrete, old cellar, with touches of oyster mushrooms and very old sweet wine. Think at least fifty years in the bottle (we've just tasted a very old muscat from Massandra which was a bit like this). Mouth: richer on the palate, more marked by sherry, walnut wine, black pepper, chestnut honey, a slight charred edge, with bitter chocolate, tar, and charcoal. Finish: long and very peppery, with an increasingly pronounced umami aspect. Some orange liqueur comes to sign it all off and put things back in their place. Comments: there's a bit of Jackson Pollock art about it. The kind you either love or don't; we firmly fall into the first category.
SGP:563 - 89 points.

Westward ‘Cask Strength 125 Proof’ (62.5%, OB, USA, +/-2023)

Isn’t it all happening in the West of the good US of A lately? I mean, in terms of American malt whisky? Colour: full gold. Nose: the traditional mango + banana duo, usually from deep charring, so I suppose that's it. Then vanilla, leaves and stems, eucalyptus, some whiffs of patchouli and rose petals and, most importantly, 62.5%. Ahem, with water: not much change except for some honeyed touches and quality green tea. Mouth (neat): even more mangoes and bananas, to the point where there's more than in a fruit salad containing only mangoes and bananas. You see. Some green pepper in the background. And 62.5%. With water: very fruity, almost explosively so. Lovely little mild curry and cinnamon cake, plus pink pepper. Finish: long but soft and still very fruity. Comments: an iron fist in a velvet glove unless it’s the other way around. Very seductive, very good. But at 62.5%, handle with care, I’d say. Much fruitier than other expressions.
SGP:751 - 87 points.

Since we're dealing with explosive degrees...

Filey Bay 2016/2021 (63.1%, OB, England, oloroso sherry hogshead, cask #146, 271 bottles)

We find ourselves back in Yorkshire. Colour: deep amber. Nose: fumes, gunpowder, bitter chocolate, black truffles, more chocolate, old walnuts, and 63.1% vol. With water: a bit of rosehip tea and still those massive doses of chocolate. The gunpowder is rather subdued now. Mouth (neat): it's punchy but seems very good, even if it’s quite fiery indeed. Chocolate with mint and rose. Does that exist? With water: blood orange comes to the fore, but the base remains very chocolatey. To be honest, this chocolate and citrus combination is a great classic that absolutely always works. Finish: very long but softer, with pepper under control this time, as well as pipe tobacco not too much under control. A peppery aftertaste and quite pleasantly bitter, although a bit drying. Also, a touch of strawberry liqueur, just a hint. Comments: we are lucky today; here is another excellent world whisky.
SGP:652 - 87 points.

The Westfalian 2012/2024 'Single Grain' (62.5%, OB, Germany, ex-Ben Nevis sherry hogshead, cask #TW8, 266 bottles)

It's a topsy-turvy world. A grain whisky, thus a relatively light spirit, aged in a cask that once held one of Scotland's heftiest malts. That's amusing, unless it was Ben Nevis 'single grain,' but I strongly doubt it as they stopped their column towards the late 1970s at Fort William if I recall correctly. Well, the few Ben Nevis grains I've tasted (James MacArthur, for example) weren't really that great, but I digress again... Colour: amber. Nose: it remains a grain whisky, with sweet corn and nougat, but I think the BN has added some structure, at least it seems so. But again, 62.5%... It's a constant assault at WF HQ at the moment! With water: macaroons, popcorn, maple syrup, plus touches of fermented soy that must come from the BN. Mouth (neat): it tastes like rum. I repeat, it tastes like rum, notably a fairly famous Barbadian rum that isn't Mount Gay. But 62.5%. With water: it swims extremely well, as well as Mark Spitz. Correction, Michael Phelps. Correction, Léon Marchand. We're not going back as far as Johnny Weissmuller, rest assured. This rumsky or whiskum is excellent, but likely very tricky in a blind tasting. Finish: long for a grain, sweet but with lemony touches, and almost very slightly maritime. That's definitely the BN, it can't be Westphalia. Comments: really amusing this single grain. And very, very good, while being a bit bewildering.
SGP:631 - 87 points.

A nice array of countries today. Shall we perhaps continue during the Paralympic Games, what do you think?