The Olympics, Day 9


August 6, 2024

The Olympics, Day 9

We’re simply going on and on.

(Old ad for Schinkenhäger from Westfalen)

Alfred Giraud ‘Une Odyssée’ (52.9%, OB, France, Collection Singulière, cognac cask, 459 bottles)

Alfred Giraud’s ‘Horizon’ was very good the other day. This one’s meant to be a crown jewel, aged in an old cognac cask. Let’s see if the crow lives up to its plumage… Colour: gold. Nose: we find the relative softness of a fine cognac, very ripe peaches, whiffs of honeysuckle and orange blossom, brioche and croissants, some notes of damp earth, chestnut honey... Between us, it can only be young whisky, but the maturation seems to have been done with taste. With water: orange cake straight from the oven, just cooled. Mouth (neat): powerful and honeyed. Mead, old triple sec, old Pineau des Charentes, ‘pommes tapées’ (a thing they make in the Loire, dealing with apples as our Austrian friends deal with their schnitzels – ha). With water: it’s really very good, with a clear impact from the cask but entirely balanced, leading towards orange blossom honey. There must be some sorcery in all this. Finish: of medium length, soft, while the citrus and marmalades have taken over. That’s always good news. Comments: a NAS bottle but an extremely high price, especially for a ‘rest of the world’ whisky, so the contents had to be top-notch. They are – and it’s a mystery. Seriously, it looks like a Glenmorangie from the 1970s or 1980s.
SGP: 641 - 89 points.

Spirit Thief ‘American Oak Cabernet and Bourbon’ (48.3%, OB, Australia, Curated Wine Barrel Collection, +/-2023)

We’re in Tasmania again. Worldwide, distillers are aligning or building their ranges according to the wines previously contained in the casks they use (or with which the casks were seasoned), which is quite a strong trend. PX, cabernet, merlot, sauternes, shiraz, Bordeaux, sangiovese, champagne, whatever. Right, not champagne. We’re not big fans, as you might know, but there can be some pleasant surprises. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s not bad! Soft beer, crepes, very ripe apples, and vanilla cake, without any major cabernet impact (they don’t say, but I imagine it was cabernet sauvignon, and not cabernet franc?) Mouth: really, it’s not bad at all, in any case much better than Spirit Thief’s ‘Distiller's Cabernet Select’ in my humble opinion (WF 76). Herbal teas, cherries, clafoutis, candied bell pepper, tobacco… The green tea and peppery wood notes then take more prominence, but it stays balanced. Finish: medium length, woody spices, plus some honey. Do they have manuka in Tasmania? Tasmanian pepper honey? The aftertaste leans more towards bell pepper and green pepper. Comments: very nice for a wine-like whisky!
SGP: 551 - 83 points.

I don't know how whisky makers are going to manage if winemakers increasingly start using clay, cement, concrete, sandstone, etc. Anyway.

The Westfalian ‘Masterpiece Peated’ (64.1%, OB, Germany, ex-Macallan sherry hogshead, cask #TW74, 238 bottles)

Imagine owning your own distillery whilst practising for many years the venerable profession of independent bottler of grand Scotch whiskies. What would you do with all your empty casks? Probably exactly what we’re about to taste now. Colour: dark honey. Nose: to be honest, we haven’t tasted the peat + Macallan combination since the last vintages from the 1940s we had in our glasses. But to be even more honest (it’s getting fishy, S.), this is closer to a kind of young Laphroaig super-sherry for Italy, circa 1985. Basalt, soot, coal dust, mushrooms, old paint pots, linoleum, leather, roasted chestnuts, cigars, etc. It’s already quite expressive at 64% vol.! With water: putty and anti-rust paint, plus burnt cake straight from the oven. Mouth (neat): it’s a bit of a head-ripper, but all that leather and pepper mixed with tobacco works well. Even if it’s a bit extreme. With water: much fruitier, with loads of sour cherries and plenty of bell pepper. Lots of smoked meats and juniper, à la Steinhäger (big in old Alsace). And Schinkenhäger while we’re at it, as it also hails from Westphalia. Finish: long. Bitter oranges and dark chocolate. Comments: you probably shouldn’t taste this little monster near an open flame. It’s extreme and above all, anti-boring in these times when so many whiskies are looking and tasting more and more alike.
SGP: 375 - 87 points.

How are we going to get over that?...

Westward ‘Belgian Ardennes Trappist Ale’ (45%vol, OB, USA, Trappist ale cask, Westward Club, 2021)

Here we are in Portland, Oregon. This bottle appears extremely improbable and certainly not planet-compatible (Belgium <-> Oregon), but we’ve already tasted some excellent Starward. And we adore that headline on their website: ‘A Legacy that Spans Two Decades’. Wow! Colour: rich gold. Nose: crikey, but it works! Autumn leaves, patchouli, dried flowers, mushrooms (morels), Bolognese sauce, mead, gingerbread, and indeed, slightly oily Belgian beers. Mouth: starts on bitter oranges, marmalade, then gentle curries, Indonesian sauces (kecap manis, satay), even peanut butter. It’s almost sweet, could that come from the famous Trappist beer? Finish: quite long, spicy, you might think you could pour this over your wok like soy sauce. I know, we’re far from Belgium. Chocolate, mole sauce, gingerbread... Comments: lots of fun, even if it’s a bit ‘too much’ for me. Amen.
SGP:661 - 82 points.

Since we're in America, let's move from Portland to Seattle...

Copperworks 3 yo 2018/2022 (56.8%, Whisky-Facile, USA, Black Cat Series, virgin oak, cask #287, 239 bottles)

Black cat series? One of WF’s mousers, P’tit Noir, is all black, so we applaud! Having only sampled one Copperworks thus far (Boutique-y), let’s proceed with caution. But kudos for not going the NAS route. And for the lovely label that reminds me of a Mahavishnu Orchestra album cover. Or was it Weather Report... Colour: full gold. Nose: delightful nougat, honey, maple syrup, pancake sauce, white chocolate… With water: honey upon honey upon honey. Save the bees! Mouth (neat): excellent, with mango from the virgin oak (yes indeed), vanilla, passion fruit jam, wildflower honey, tutti-frutti eau-de-vie… With water: by Jove, it’s perfect. Passion fruit ice cream, mango syrup, guava juice, acacia honey… Finish: medium length, very smooth, creamy, fruity, with sorbets. Comments: a sin. Yes, it’s probably a sin, but we’re careful about what we say in France these days, no more mentioning any imaginary friends of our dear comrades from around the world. Even Dionysus, shh.
SGP:741 - 88 points.

Let's go to Sweden in honour of Miss Sjoestroem. Oops…

Sweden Rock Spirits (44.7%, OB, USA, Kentucky bourbon, +/-2023)

I haven't the foggiest what this exactly is, apart from the fact that it's not Swedish. Not even remotely. The label says 'Fill Your Head With Rock'. All right. Colour: gold. Nose: not much going on. Some sawdust, some vanilla. Not Swedish in the slightest. Mouth: a bit better but still weak, overly influenced by woody spices, becoming quite bitter. Not very good. Finish: medium length, drying, simple. Powdered clove. Comments: if I were a Swedish distiller, I'd sue these people immediately. Especially if I were a Swedish distiller who also happened to be a lawyer. Well, it's not entirely dreadful, but it remains a rather poor plank juice. Kentucky bourbon, really?
SGP:231 – 49 points.
PS: I know Sweden Rock is probably an existing place somewhere in Kentucky, I was just trying to joke a bit to make up for the weakness of this very small bourbon.

Help! We're now going to have a little glass of Belarusian vodka. Of course not...

(Merci Franco!)

We had no idea where we were going with this slightly crazy idea of hosting these very modest Personal World Whisky Olympiads, but given how things have turned out and the enjoyment we're getting from it, we're going to adapt the 'medal' system and make it a bit more coherent, if you don't mind... Well, hopefully.

Current Medal Standing
After Day 9

92 - Gold
	TTO Trinidad Distillers Limited 14 yo 2009/2024 'Edition N°1' (62.9%, The Colours of Rum, Up Spirits Club, bourbon cask, cask #106, 259 bottles)
91 - Gold
	JPN Shizuoka 2019/2023 (65.2%, Asta Morris, Japan, peated, pot still K, bourbon barrel, cask #1222, 302 bottles) JPN Shizuoka ‘United S - Summer Edition 2023’ (50.5%, OB, Japan, first-fill bourbon) JPN Yamazaki 18 yo ’Suntory 100th Anniversary’ (48%, OB, Japan, Mizunara, 2023) FIJ South Pacific Distillery 11 yo 2012/2023 (57.5%, The Whisky Jury, Fiji, refill barrel, cask #12, 292 bottles)
90 - Silver
	JPN Hakushu 18 yo ‘Suntory 100th Anniversary’ (48%, OB, Japan, 2023) NED Millstone 26 yo 1996/2022 (47.7%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, Netherlands, American oak, cask #1372, 264 bottles) JPN Shizuoka 2018/2024 (46.6%, OB, Sushi + Soul Munich, Japan, KS+WS, bourbon, cask #939) TTO Caroni 25-year-old 1998/2023 (60.1%, Impressions by The Colours of Rum, Trinidad, cask #8, 120 bottles)
89 - Silver
	FRA Alfred Giraud ‘Une Odyssée’ (52.9%, OB, France, Collection Singulière, cognac cask, 459 bottles) GBR Bimber ‘Stratford’ (58.5%, OB, England, The Spirit of the Underground, Fino cask, cask #267/16, 325 bottles, 2024) AIN Caribbean Rum 30 yo 1993/2024 (60.5%, eSpirit, Liquid Treasures, 15th anniversary, barrel, 282 bottles)
88 - Bronze
	GBR Bimber ‘Wimbledon’ (56.6%, OB, England, The Spirit of the Underground, Vino de Naranja cask, cask #310/5, 298 bottles, 2024) JPN Chichibu 2017/2023 (65%, OB for ePower, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #8279, 176 bottles) USA Copperworks 3 yo 2018/2022 (56.8%, Whisky-Facile, USA, Black Cat Series, virgin oak, cask #287, 239 bottles) ITA Exmu ‘Spirit of Sardinia’ (45.5%, OB, Italy, bourbon, +/-2024) JPN Kanosuke 2019/2023 (61%, OB, for ePower, Japan, oloroso sherry, cask #19421, 281 bottles) GBR Penderyn 13 yo 2010/2023 (59.5%, OB, Wales, LMDW New Vibrations, second fill bourbon, cask #313/2010) JPN Shizuoka ‘Pot Still W Japanese barley First Edition’ (55.5%, OB, Japan, Japan exclusive, 2,500 bottles, 2023) JPN Yoichi 10 yo (45%, OB, Japan, Edition 2022) GUY Diamond 20 yo 2003/2024 'SVL' (51.6%, The Roots, Guyana, bourbon cask, cask #23, 174 bottles)
87 - Bronze
	GBR Bimber ‘Germany Edition 2023’ (59.2%, OB, Kirsch Import, sherry, cask #456, 280 bottles) NED Kalkwijck 2019/2023 ‘Higgledy Piggledy Rye’ (44%, OB, The Netherlands, American oak, 480 bottles, +/-2023) FIN Kyrö 'Malt Rye' (47.2%, OB, Finland, +/-2023) NED Millstone 2019/2024 (57.3%, OB for The Whisky Jury, refill PX hogshead, cask #2547, 319 bottles) GER The Westfalian ‘Masterpiece Peated’ (64.1%, OB, Germany, ex-Macallan sherry hogshead, cask #TW74, 238 bottles) AIN Ron Colon ‘Salvadoreno High Proof’ (55.5%, OB, blend, +/-2022)