| |
Home
Thousands of tastings,
all the ramblings
and all the fun
(hopefully!)
Whiskyfun.com
Guaranteed ad-free
copyright 2002-2025
|
 |
|
| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
| |
|
| |
| |
October 28, 2025 |
|
  |
|
The World Sessions,
A new little malty journey around the world |
Setting off from France, of course, let’s make the most of it while neither the air traffic controllers nor the railway workers, perhaps not exactly the crème de la crème of French society, are on strike… |
|
Trésor Légendaire (44%, Marcel Cabelier, sherry, vin jaune finish, +/-2025) 
Unmistakably a malt whisky that seems to hail from the Jura, although the distillery remains unnamed. That said, we've already sampled another expression from this house, and it had rather tickled our fancy back then. Colour: gold. Nose: barley, ripe apples and fresh walnuts—what more could one ask for? Extremely faint traces of aniseed and caraway lurking in the background. The vin jaune influence is subtle yet unmistakably present. Mouth: the fact is, this unlikely bottle turns out to be excellent, offering caramelised walnuts, wee apples, toasted rustic bread and a dash of liquorice wood, all wrapped in a saline touch that evokes the nearby Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans. Finish: of medium length, ever so slightly mustardy, entirely consistent with the vin jaune style. Still a bit of a mystery whether we're squarely in Arbois territory or perhaps further south. Well done, Grands Chais! Comments: I wasn't expecting this level of quality, to be honest.
SGP:462 – 86 points. |
|
Uberach 2005/2025 (47.9%, LMDW Version Française, Banyuls cask, 251 bottles) 
Dear, dear LMDW, if I may say so, the mention of 'Grand Est' on the label instead of 'Alsace' is most unwelcome. Will your next champagnes be labelled 'Grand Est' as well? And what of mirabelle from Lorraine? Rozelieures, perhaps? Said in all friendship, of course... That aside, it is rather sad that Uberach, i.e. the Bertrand distillery, has ceased 'smoking', as it once boasted France’s most formidable master, citizen Jean Metzger, prince and pioneer of French whisky. Let me add we had already tasted this baby during a masterclass at Whisky Live Paris, and I believe it was quite the hit. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it would appear that this unlikely pairing of Alsatian malt and Banyuls has resulted in notes of new tyres, charcoal, herbes de Provence on the grill, rosewood and fresh latex. How amusing. Mouth: it’s nothing short of miraculous that this works so well, but let’s not forget Jean used to play Hendrix and Zappa to his casks during maturation. No surprise, then, that we find here notes of muffins shrouded in a purple haze. Joking aside, the liquorice pastille that wraps it all up turns this into a proper little gem. Finish: long, with blackcurrant and liquorice, a curious combination that almost drifts into an improbable watermelon (in Easter hay). Comments: magnificent and moving. Jean, keep in touch.
SGP:651 – 89 points. |
|
Agitator 'Chestnut Cask' (43%, OB, Sweden, +/-2024) 
A ‘vacuum distilled’ malt (but we’ll come back to that later), matured in chestnut casks, a type that was once widely used for transport, notably by the Burgundians, as it was cheaper and far easier to work with than oak. Word has it you can still unearth old chestnut casks in Scotland, though of course, while traditional, they’re now officially illegal. Shh... Colour: full gold. Nose: I imagine what we’re detecting here mirrors the difference between chestnut honey—one of my favourites—and oak honeydew, pleasant but rather more common and less refined. Brave bees! In short, a light resinous side and hints of chestnut purée. With whipped cream, naturally. Mouth: this is good, slightly more resinous and indeed honeyed, with what we might call foresty notes—mosses, ferns, that sort of thing—along with a faint sawdustiness, perhaps a little less charming, let’s say. Finish: medium in length, and decidedly on marrons glacés and fir honey. Comments: I wouldn’t call it the innovation of the century, but personally I quite like it—very much, in fact.
SGP:351 – 83 points. |
|
Archie Rose x Whisky Abbey (50%, Single Malt Australian Whisky, 2024)
Here we are in Sydney, Downunda. I don’t quite know what to expect, but Casa de Vinos seems to be involved, which is rather like receiving a letter of recommendation from Winston Churchill. Randomly. Colour: full gold. Nose: LOL, as we used to say. Hugely expressive, with a mash-up of cereals, cumin and honey, all properly fermented as one might hope, then prunes, roots veering toward carrot, molasses and pumpernickel. In short, it’s very ‘new world’, and naturally, here in the old one, we rather love that—particularly the faint roguishness about it. Mouth: fat and hugely expressive, with carnations, cinnamon, strawberry, lychee, coffee, pine sap and liquorice—a wildly improbable flavour combo that somehow works like a recently serviced Patek Philippe. Finish: long, now saltier, more tertiary, fermentary and umamified. There. Comments: frankly, it’s a bit bonkers, but we absolutely love this delightfully refreshing anti-classicism.
SGP:562 – 88 points. |
|
Thy 'PX and Oloroso' (49.5%, OB, Denmark, 2024) 
This appears to be Odyssey barley, smoked over beechwood. And why ever not? We are admittedly a little weary of PX these days, but let’s remain civil and stay focused... Colour: full gold. Nose: it’s mainly the wood that takes hold here, giving the impression the distillate’s been gently swept under the rug. Roasted chestnuts, toasted bread, the faintest hint of mastic... Mouth: it improves greatly on the palate, though the herbs and wood resins still dominate somewhat, with a sprucey character that’s actually rather pleasant, if a touch overpowering. The sherry doesn’t seem to have much to say in this case, though we’re not sufficiently familiar with Thy’s distillate to pass firm judgement. Finish: fairly long, but led by lemon, pine and fir. Comments: cracking stuff, though really quite polarising. Perhaps best reserved for true Vikings, of which we most certainly are not... We've found other Thys much more convincing.
SGP:373 – 80 points. |
|
Penderyn 15 yo 2010/2025 (56.8%, OB, LMDW Itinéraires, Wales, bourbon barrel)
Penderyn is one of those distilleries that left us rather cold at first—perhaps due to an overenthusiastic use of Madeira casks and the like—but which has gradually won us over over the years with purer, more natural expressions. The only remaining question is whether these very tall bottles actually fit on standard Ikea shelves. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s oily and rooty, somewhere between celery, carrot and a blend of sunflower and peanut oils. The vanilla from the bourbon barrel merely softens it all ever so slightly. With water: barley fields and vanilla pods. Mouth (neat): mango ice cream and orange liqueur, with some floral glimmers. Absolutely nothing to complain about here. With water: edging slightly towards the Irish style—Bushmills comes to mind. A little coconut, ripe apple, fresh oak. Finish: fairly long, with a hint of green tannins, though the whole remains really… lovely. Gorgeous ‘aeroplane’ mangoes. Comments: gearing up for the Six Nations, you see. When is it again—Wales vs France?
SGP:551 – 85 points. |
|
Rampur 9 yo 2016/2025 (57.5%, OB, LMDW Itinéraires, India, bourbon barrel, cask #2411)
Here we are in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, Mughal territory—home to the Taj Mahal, no less. Colour: gold. Nose: mad stuff, all on gewürztraminer, mei-kwei-lu, rose petals and lychee syrup. Possibly a touch OTT, one might suspect some enzyme tinkering in the lab... let’s dig a little deeper. With water: things settle down slightly, as oranges and pink grapefruit begin to emerge. Mouth (neat): almost too perfect, bursting with mango, heather honey and passion fruit sorbet. With water: lemon and yes, grass, come in to add just the right amount of acidity, restoring balance with remarkable precision. Finish: fairly long, again with an almost indecent exotic fruitiness. Still, one can’t help loving those gewurzy notes. Comments: terribly hard to score, given that slightly, erm, let’s say ‘uninhibited’ side. Apologies. But heavens, it’s delicious!
SGP:751 – 85 points. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
