Around the world once more


September 18, 2025

Around the world once more
(Although French, WF is staying on the job!)

Naturally, we’re going to leave from France, as usual, despite the strikes and demonstrations we’re putting on today for the tourists and the international press – just like we do every year at this time… If you happen to be visiting us, do take the opportunity to come and admire the finest our country has to offer in action, and even take some photos for your children. But be warned: there are also black bloc groups forming, made up of individuals who’ve come from all over Europe. Do they count as tourists too? In any case, it seems to work, according to wikipedia the most visited country in the world remained France in 2023, with about 100 million international tourist arrivals.

In the UK too, there are tourists arriving at the moment.

BM Signature 15 yo (46%, OB, France, +/-2024)

BM is Bruno Mangin, one of the whisky distillation gurus in France, based in the Jura at the Rouget de Lisle distillery. He had stopped his operations for a while but according to the latest news, things are back on track. We had tried a very good 8-year-old back in January. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: straight away, this heads towards aged kirsch and young Armagnac, while also displaying touches of varnish and fresh paint, then marzipan. The whole ensemble, although unusual, works perfectly well, no issues there. Mouth: the almond paste side remains prominent, but a hefty vinous character quickly takes control, nicely dovetailing with the kirsch and almond. A dark beer note brings Säntis in Switzerland to mind. Finish: long, increasingly focused on maraschino and guignolet, then brown tobacco and perhaps just a pinhead of mustard. Comments: we are not really in cereal territory here, but it is very well made, nonetheless. I believe we slightly preferred the freshness and fino-like profile of the 8-year-old.
SGP:561 - 84 points.

Let’s stay in France…

Armorik 11 yo 2013/2025 (51.4%, Spirit Paradise, France, refill bourbon peated, cask #4075, 96 bottles)

A wee single cask that ought to have quite a bit to say, judging by the general word on the street. Colour: white wine. Nose: smoked green apples and crabs, somewhat in the Caol Ila vein. Then a bonfire in the garden and a stack of old newspapers. With water: hints of fresh paint, even anti-rust treatment, how amusing is that. Mouth (neat): a rather splendid peaty fruitiness, truly surprising in fact, it's almost as if someone had smoked and salted an enormous fruit salad. Only the texture is lighter than that of most Islays. With water: the fruits, notably banana and pineapple, fire back. The whole remains coastal, nonetheless. Finish: long, fruity, smoky, salty. Comments: such a well-achieved balance between fresh fruits and peat is not all that common (aside from citrus). We like this a lot.
SGP:645 - 86 points.

Belgian Single Malt 3 yo (46%, Bottles & Legends, Race 2, Belgium, single malt, 400 bottles)

A Belgian malt and a nod to the world of motor racing. Perhaps a tribute to the great Jacky Ickx? Or to Thierry Boutsen? Colour: very pale, nearly white. Nose: we’re finding porridge, fresh bread, slightly overripe apple, hints of fresh cement, then it rounds off on raisin bread, perry and mead. Nothing to complain about, it’s fresh and charming. Mouth: the palate is a little more unruly, also more brutal, with spices and chalk, a tannic edge akin to strong tea, followed by ginseng and a very faint soapy note, though never excessive. On the fruity side, some greengage. Finish: lovely length, a continuation of the palate but with more pronounced pear eau-de-vie, which is nearly a hallmark of very young whiskies. Comments: one can’t help wondering whether this would go well with shrimp croquettes, naturally. A lovely whisky at only 3 years.
SGP:451 - 83 points.

While we’re in Belgium…

Lanchals ‘Batch 1’ (43%, OB, Belgium, 2024)

Here we are in Bruges with a single malt matured in ex-bourbon, oloroso and pinot noir casks. Now, we know that pinot noir in malt maturation can be a bit of a tightrope act, can’t it, so let’s have a look. Colour: gold. Nose: good malt whisky is being made all over the world these days, and this one is even quite distinctive, very much on the candied zests of various citrus fruits, with just a wee touch of cherry clafoutis, which might well be the pinot noir showing itself. Beyond that, some orange blossom and brioche. Nice stuff. Mouth: once again, less structured than on the nose, slightly earthy, though the core remains on lovely candied citrus fruits, with a few honeyed touches. Finish: same. Comments: very different styles, but the quality level is much the same as that of the B&L.
SGP:541 - 83 points.

Slyrs ‘Bavarian Malt Whisky’ (46%, OB, Germany, +/-2024)

One of the pioneers of whisky in Germany, not counting Der Falckner, of course. The distillery is very handsome—we visited it some fifteen years ago. Colour: gold. Nose: this is what we’d call an all-purpose nose, which is by no means a criticism. Vanilla, cereals, malt, overripe apples, honey, roasted peanuts and charcoal. Mouth: similar impressions, with quite a clear sense of youth and now more wood influence. Here too, pear plays a central role. Finish: not very long but soft and well-balanced, with a faint bitter edge as a signature, reminiscent of charcoal. Comments: not loads of individuality, but everything works like clockwork.
SGP:552 - 82 points.

St. Kilian 2020/2024 ‘Ex Champagner vin clair’ (60.9%, OB, Germany, cask #5473)

An unpeated version drawn from a Champagne ‘vin clair’ cask. Note that by definition, all Champagne casks are from ‘vins clairs’, these being the wines produced after first fermentation and later bottled for the second fermentation, or champagnisation. All clear? Anyway, one never gets bored with St. Kilian. Colour: gold. Nose: the Champagne influence is very pronounced, which is good news as far as we're concerned. Acidity, fermenting notes, overripe yellow fruits, quince, honeysuckle, acacia blossom, even vanilla yoghurt… So far, so good. With water: the barley crashes in and jostles the Champagne aside. Loads of porridge, soot… Mouth (neat): quite brutal and very wine-forward, perhaps not wise to push our luck at this point. I mean without water. Curious hints of pineapple. With water: now we’re sorted, blood oranges appear, brioche, flowers, and even—fancy that—ladyfingers. Finish: long, still fairly fermentary, a bit like a brut nature Champagne. In any case, the dosage comes long after the vins clairs are racked. Grey pepper. Comments: a rather lively creature, just as they like them at St. Kilian. For our part, we like it a lot too.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Myken 5 yo 2016/2021 (57.15%, OB for Three Whiskyteers, Norway, sherry cask, cask #R035, 64 bottles)

Bottled for ‘Merete, Kenn and Ivar’, proper connoisseurs from the north, seasoned and steady. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very pretty, full-on raisin rolls and heather honey, with both patisserie and foresty touches in the background. And quite a bit of fresh mint to boot. With water: earth, beer, mosses, nutmeg, and a very faint hint of ginger… Mouth (neat): cracking wee beastie, on northern firs and citrus, rounded out by milk chocolate and both juniper and coriander seeds. With water: even better, spicy, fermentary and very much on multigrain bread with all manner of seeds. Very lovely pepper. Finish: long with no major changes. Aftertaste on peppery chocolate, that’ll be the cask. Comments: it’s modern, it’s spicy, it’s craft—I think it’s excellent. And the sherry, even from a small cask, held its ground.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

We’ll finish by staying in the north…

Teerenpeli 10 yo (58.5%, OB, Finland, Port cask, cask #19072011B, 379 bottles, 2021)

Colour: rosé gold, quite. Nose: strawberries, olives, orange marmalade and fresh bread. That sounds utterly implausible, and yet it’s rather lovely. With water: more paraffin, more smoke, more soot. It would seem the Port has bowed to the distillate, which does suggest a certain class, no? Mouth (neat): powerful, peppery, on marmalade, dark chocolate and kirsch. It’s certainly not the most delicate at this point, but let’s give it time... With water: a slightly fragile balance between red berries and a bit of smoky brine, though the whole remains very good. Finish: long, pretty, on raspberry and pepper liqueur chocolate. If such a thing were to exist, that is. Comments: a quirky malt, sometimes doing the splits between Finland and Portugal, but hey, long live Europe.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

(Merci, Ivar)

Check the index of all world whiskies we've tasted