Some whiskies from around the world, once again


February 18, 2025

	Some whiskies from around the world, once again
	As usual, we start in France, then move abroad, heading into the unknown with an open mind, fearless and free of preconceptions (whatever you say, S.) ...

Trésor Légendaire (44%, OB, Marcel Cabelier, France, Vin Jaune finish, +/-2024)

A French Jura house presenting here a single malt that is likely well sourced, matured in Cognac and Sauternes casks, then finished in a Vin Jaune cask from Jura. Colour: light gold. Nose: highly aromatic, curiously not vinous as such but rather very mineral and chalky, with a portion of that character likely coming from the Vin Jaune. Lovely ripe apples, medlars, then toasted brioche and pancake with honey, with a very faint smoky edge. A truly charming nose, beautifully balanced. Mouth: the Vin Jaune is more prominent here, with the duo of green walnuts and mild mustard upfront, a profile we also adore in finos and manzanillas, while here it also brings that saline touch. Also slightly peppery, which is always a pleasure, all set against a base of well-ripened apples. Lovely texture, no doubt partially imparted by the casks. Finish: of medium length, with a touch of paraffin, then honeyed apple and pepper. Walnuts lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: I had no idea what to expect, but I am most pleasantly surprised—Vin Jaune casks are not the easiest to handle. One would also love to sip this very fine malt with some well-aged Comté.
SGP:561 - 85 points.

Starward ‘Left-Field’ (40%, OB, Australia, French red wine barrels, +/-2024)

A bottling at 40% ABV is somewhat surprising here. It’s unclear which French red wine was used. We tasted this Left-Field five years ago, but the bottle itself was completely different—not sure it’s the same whisky. Colour: apricot. Nose: very singular, indeed packed with red fruits alongside a touch of rubber and candle wax. In essence, it’s like a massive bag of Haribo sweets of all kinds, plus some raspberry Jell-O and a few soapy and varnishy touches—not at all bothersome. Mouth: a bit odd now, with that mix of rubber and red fruit sweets creating a slight dissonance, but it recovers thanks to green pepper and bitter orange. Finish: curiously long and much spicier, with quite a bit of bell pepper—Cabernet Sauvignon? Cabernet Franc? Comments: well, a slightly offbeat charm this time, but I get the impression that was the whole idea. Very amusing!
SGP:661 - 79 points.

Signal Hill (40%, OB, blend, Canada, +/-2024)

A Canadian blend from Newfoundland, composed of maize and barley, matured in ex-1st fill bourbon, ex-Canadian whisky, and virgin oak. One thing is certain—the bottle is elegant. Colour: gold. Nose: shy at first, mostly oak and a hint of icing sugar. Then a touch of very soft honey and marshmallows. Very light on the nose, but not unpleasant. Mouth: extremely light, with grain alcohol, vanilla sugar, and caramel. Feels very much like corn alcohol (Korn Schnapps) or even vodka this time filtered through oak chips. Finish: very short. A hint of coconut milk. Comments: I don’t think this little one was designed to be sipped neat. That said, aside from its extreme lightness, there aren’t really any flaws, which ultimately makes sense.
SGP:330 - 65 points.

Paul John ‘Roulette’ (40%, OB, blend, India, +/-2024)

I hope this isn’t Russian roulette (now that’s clever, S.). In any case, it’s another blend—let’s have a look… Colour: light gold. Nose: there’s a hint of toasted sesame oil, fresh concrete, fir smoke, bitter almonds, and soot, with quite a sooty overall character. Rather intriguing—I’m quite curious about the palate… Mouth: feels a bit like 5% young Ardbeg mixed with 95% young Girvan. It works reasonably well, but it’s somewhat frustrating due to the near-total lack of body—very far from Paul John’s finest malts. On the other hand, it’s rather soothing. Finish: short, with the peat now a little more present. Some smoky wood. Comments: decent. Best over ice.
SGP:343 - 70 points.

Let’s stay in India...

Indri 11 yo ‘Founder’s Reserve’ (58.5%, OB, India, 1,100 decanters, 2024)

This one comes from Piccadilly’s Indri Distillery in Haryana, in northern India, near the Himalayas. We’ve already tried their very fruity ‘Trini’ in 2023, which we liked very much (WF 86). Colour: red gold/copper. So, red wine inside. Nose: yes, I checked—these were Bordeaux casks. They’re certainly all the rage in whisky worldwide! That said, there’s less of the usual tomato bush and bell pepper from Cabernet mixed with French oak here; instead, we’re getting more of a blend of orgeat, glue, morello cherries, almond milk, and peony. So far, nothing feels out of place. Merlot, perhaps? With water: strawberry tart. Mouth (neat): very kirschy, almost acidic—this now feels almost like Pinot Noir. We know there shouldn’t be any PN in Bordeaux. Loads of cherries and hints of violets laced with black pepper, with a slight polish note. With water: here come the red bell pepper, honey, pepper, cloves, and ginger. Finish: very long, heavily influenced by the spices from both the cask and the wine. Comments: quite extreme and ultra-marked by the casks. A new take on the Bordeaux blend, but make no mistake—it’s very well done if you enjoy this kind of extreme profile.
SGP:771 - 82 points.

Indri ‘Diwali Collector’s Edition 2024’ (58.5%, OB, India, peated sherry cask, cask #90)

We celebrated Diwali 2024 in Edinburgh! Colour: rich amber. Nose: another world, where honey and stewed mangoes take centre stage, alongside mandarins, a beautiful sherry, figs, caraway, coffee, and, most notably, roasted hazelnuts and peanuts. It even leans towards peanut butter, with an elegant smokiness that remains fairly discreet for now. With water: the smoke becomes far more pronounced after adding water, though it feels more like resinous wood smoke. A touch of bacon and a hint of black truffle. Mouth (neat): oh, this is excellent! The roasted peanuts are massive (which is great, as we love that), as is the Sichuan pepper, dried raisins, chocolate-coated prunes, and very dark pu-ehr tea, almost smoky. It’s quite thunderous, but we truly enjoy these bold eccentricities. With water: the black truffle returns, joined by tobacco, candied oranges, and a touch of molasses. Finish: long, rich yet well-balanced, carried by dried raisins and that persistent resinous smoke. The aftertaste turns distinctly earthier and liquorice-laced—we like that. Comments: a rather fantastic bottle.
SGP:664 - 87 points.

Let’s finish our little tour in Europe...

Thy ‘Spelt-Rye’ (48.5%, OB, Denmark, new American oak, 2,900 bottles, 2024)

We loved the ‘single malt’ earlier this year (WF 88), but the combination of spelt, rye, and new oak could be quite different—let’s see… Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is lovely! Humus and a pack of blond cigarettes, a bit of bok choy, then the much-anticipated pumpernickel and simply rye bread. The oak feels somewhat present, but so far, so good. Mouth: hmm, it’s quite special, but I really like it. Plenty of wood spices, lots of liquorice wood, a good amount of grapefruit peel, then a rather massive wood glue note. Of course, we don’t eat wood glue every day, but only beginners don’t know that nose and palate work together. Yes, they do! Finish: long, on bitter orange, nutmeg, rye bread, and finally, a return of the humus-like earthiness. Comments: I don’t think this is a crowd-pleasing profile at all, but I love this slightly mad dram, even if the oak and glue are a bit loud. As for the spelt, I’d struggle to recognise it, I humbly admit.
SGP:462 - 86 points.

Come on, one last little quirky thing, quickly...

The Nine Springs 7 yo 2017/2024 (59.8%, OB, Germany, acacia cask finish, 300 bottles)

Okay, ex-bourbon and ex-Bordeaux, finished for two years in acacia casks. Hard to see what could go… I mean, go wrong. In any case, acacia wood is expensive, so they certainly didn’t do this to save money… But it’s also highly tannic, so watch out… Colour: deep gold. Nose: not immensely aromatic, but with some lovely undergrowth notes despite the presence of the Bordeaux. An inevitable sense of damp woodland. Fresh wood, fresh earth, roasted almonds. With water: a strong soapy note at first, needing time to settle down. The wood really takes the lead. Mouth (neat): very much driven by the casks. Not bad at all, but the distillate seems to have thrown in the towel. With water: notes of strawberries and lychee emerge. Could someone tell me where that’s coming from? The Bordeaux, perhaps? Also bay leaf, a hint of grenadine, and some brioche. Finish: long, but the wood is dominant. I reckon that’s the famous acacia. Comments: rather enjoyable, but anecdotal—almost experimental. What are we supposed to do with it?
SGP:561 - 78 points.

My goodness, all these barrels of Bordeaux! Could we at least be told roughly what kind of Bordeaux it is each time? After all, Bordeaux produces around 900 million bottles per vintage.

Check the index of all whiskies of the world we've tasted so far