Today, we're setting off around the world again


August 1, 2025

Today, we're setting off around
the world again

Chuan

The Chuan, Eimeishan, Sichuan, China (The Chuan)

There really are an incredible number of new whiskies from all over the world, it's genuinely exciting, even if it's a bit hard to keep up with, one has to admit... We're starting from France, as usual.

Tchankat ‘Classique’ (43%, OB, France, +/-2025)

A whisky from the land of Armagnac, down in Gascony. Mind you, this isn’t malt, rather 80% maize, 10% barley and 10% rye. It’s been matured for three years in re-toasted Saint-Julien casks, so the cabernet influence should remain somewhat restrained. Colour: deep gold. Nose: not half bad, and thankfully it doesn’t reek of cassis or strawberry from fifty yards away, instead we’re more in shortbread and damp stones territory. Even the maize doesn’t seem to be overdoing it on the sweetness front, at least not on the nose. In short, it’s rather likeable. Mouth: nicely done, the French oak brings along a fair share of spices but that actually creates a rather smart style here, re-toasting the casks was clearly a shrewd move. Cherry tart dusted with cinnamon and grey pepper, although the texture is just a tad on the light side. No idea whether they’ve used their Armagnac stills (this is the Samalens house pulling the strings here) but it works a treat. We’re veering more and more towards kirsch and even guignolet. Finish: medium in length, still spicy, with a touch of woodiness persisting. Comments: no doubt about it, this is well crafted and doesn’t go off in all directions. You couldn’t even call it ‘winey’.
SGP:541 - 82 points.

Let’s head to Brittany and Burgundy while we’re at it...

Eddu 'Carnet de Voyages – fûts de Bourgogne’ (46%, OB, France, 650 bottles)

A finishing of buckwheat whisky in Corton Grand Cru casks. That said, we’ve never been able, empirically speaking, to establish a direct organoleptic link between the prestige of a wine and the quality of a whisky finished in its casks. Frankly, between a Corton and a passetoutgrain, you’re unlikely to notice a real difference if the cask quality is comparable. Now admittedly, it rarely is… Colour: gold. Nose: this is distinctly earthy, slightly gamey, a touch madeira-like, with even a faint foxiness that’s not necessarily out of place in this context. The much-anticipated blackcurrants and stewed cherries only make a late appearance. Mouth: we’re well off the beaten path of malt whiskies here, edging closer to certain cask-aged gins in fact, with some quite unexpected citrus notes layered with wild mushrooms. It’s jolly amusing and even rather good, if one is game for an adventure. Finish: long, spicier, again mostly steered by citrus and forest floor. Comments: I’d say this sits more or less in the same league as the previous one.
SGP:551 - 82 points.

Tanaka (40%, OB, Vietnam, +/-2025)

Here we have a rice whisky, produced by a Japanese gentleman in Vietnam. Hooray, it’s our very first Vietnamese whisky! Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s exceedingly light, leaning on vanilla, green tea, herbal infusions, a touch of rock sugar, and a little more vanilla… As it’s all very gentle, it can’t possibly offend – and indeed it doesn’t. Mouth: it’s sweet, light, lacking in texture, with faint hints of roasted hazelnuts, corn syrup, then a few tea-like tannins. Finish: very short. A dash of grey pepper. Comments: it’s likeable enough but I’d say it absolutely calls for ice. Which, of course, we didn’t use.
SGP:320 - 65 points.

The Chuan (40%, OB, China, Pure Malt, +/-2025)

Here’s the general release from this splendid distillery in Sichuan (courtesy of Pernod Ricard), which we had the pleasure of visiting in May. We’d already enjoyed two special editions, and here comes the most widely available version, probably the most approachable too, bottled at a friendly 40% vol. Beware, there’s Chinese mizunara oak inside! Colour: gold. Nose: we’re getting that Far-Eastern Speyside character again, a broadly classic malty structure uplifted by rather ‘Chinese’ notes, such as dried citrus peels (chen-pi), which we’re rather fond of, especially in older versions twenty years and up. There’s also a peculiar fermentary note that instantly recalls the place itself, notably their plum wine. Salted butter toffee ties it all together nicely. Mouth: very smart. The saline, resinous oak brings fir trees to mind, the plum comes back with gusto, as does the toffee, then a well-mannered array of spices joins in. That said, this is miles away from the hyper-spicy Sichuan cuisine style – of which we sampled some quite... remarkable examples, let’s say. As the locals put it, ‘it punches’. This pure malt, however, is much gentler… Finish: back into more classic territory with coffee, chocolate, prunes and richly malty dark beer. The 40% vol. never posed a problem. Comments: one often avoids using the term ‘entry level’, and in this case, that would’ve been a mistake indeed.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Let’s fly to Australia…

Amber Lane 4 yo 2020/2024 (61%, Truth & Consequence, Australia, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #94, 107 bottles)

Naturally, they took home gold at the IWSC. They use a pot still and practise double distillation, so a rather intermittent process, let’s say. Angus tried an Amber Lane a while ago – and quite liked it – but I’ve never had one in my glass, I’m afraid. The distillery is located in New South Wales. Colour: gold. Nose: inevitably a bit hot at this strength, the ethanol is quite forward but nothing out of the ordinary. Wee liqueurs, sugar-coated eggs, sweet African bread… We’ll be needing water. With water: quite a bit of saponification at first, then it settles down and heads towards fresh ginger, after which the whole thing begins to improve steadily. Orange cake, baklavas, various other Levantine pastries… Mouth (neat): a bit eau-de-vie-like at first, with a plum core and citrusy flashes on top. I believe water is essential here, as it so often is (well done, S.) With water: very nice now, chiefly on citrus zest, still with some fresh ginger clinging on. Finish: medium length, pleasant, with plum jam and ginger. Comments: I think this is a proper success, even if the youth is showing.
SGP:641 - 82 points.

Hellyers Road 21 yo ‘Peated’ (52.5%, OB, Australia/Tasmania, cask #20FO5c01, 2025)

This one’s a double maturation with four years spent in peated whisky casks. So it’s not a peated distillate per se but do note the second maturation took place in casks that had held peated malt also produced by Hellyers Road. So it’s self-double maturation, if that’s even a term. Colour: pale gold. Nose: just picture this, you’re smoking mango and cassata in peat smoke, then adding grapefruit juice and white Sancerre. Or Australian sauvignon blanc if you prefer. With water: in come the wilder touches, mud, raw wool, bread dough, grist, but the mango and banana still keep the place in order. Mouth (neat): absolutely pure and precise, the smokiness is assertive yet glorious (must’ve been a very heavily peated cask) while a myriad of white and yellow fruits, both grand and humble, frolic in the background. The oak is ever so slightly noticeable. With water: excellent stuff, saline, perfectly poised, with once again the character of a fine white wine. With oysters! Finish: long, on lemon, ashes, smoked fish and focaccia. Comments: nothing particular to add, this is classic Hellyers Road right where we expect it. That said, achieving such a peaty profile from a mere finishing, however extended, shows once again just how dominant, and even invasive, these molecules can be. But that’s just how we like it…
SGP:645 - 90 points.

Since we’re in the Commonwealth, here’s another one ‘peated by the cask’…

Spirit of Yorkshire 6 yo 2018/2025 (57.1%, Decadent Drams, England, 2nd fill ex-Islay Barrel, 249 bottles)

In other words, this is Filey Bay, which we’ve already sampled several times. We had great fun earlier this year with their rather good ‘Orange Wine Barrique’. Colour: white wine. Nose: clearly, unless you’re a seasoned Filey Bay expert, it’s tricky to determine what comes from the distillate and what from the ex-Islay barrel. In any case, we’re near bread, grist, oil, chalky white soil à la albariza, and even, I kid you not, Alsatian flammekueche (flatbread, fromage blanc, bacon, onions). Hints of paraffin, wet chalk... With water: edging even closer to cereals and ashes. Mouth (neat): precise, peaty, lemony, yeasty. There are, albeit with less depth and complexity of course, certain resemblances to Tasmanian whisky. With water: the whole becomes more integrated, citrus stands out, there’s even a medicinal side (ha-ha!) and, shall we say, a touch more gentleness. It’s very well done. Finish: fruits and a few drops of crème de menthe take over, almost pushing out the Islay peat. Comments: to be honest, we had our doubts, but as we went along and kept adding a little Vittel (Nestlé, we didn’t find the cheque) this lovely composition came together beautifully. No, no politics.
SGP:655 - 88 points.

Go on then, one last one, let’s head back to the Far East…

Nantou Omar 2015/2024 (53.8%, OB for HNWS, The Antelope & Kanpakai, Taiwan, virgin oak, cask #01180385, 187 bottles)

Just a reminder that these Omars are produced by TTL, a Taiwanese state-owned company. We’ve already tasted some cracking ones and in fact, we’re planning a full ‘Omar’ session soon with a good dozen or so. God willing… Colour: gold. Nose: this is all about barley purity and heavily charred oak, so think croissants, vanilla, banana and the like. In short, it’s simple yet rendered in high-def. With water: fresh herbs emerge, basil, mint, oysterplant, lemongrass, watercress… Mouth (neat): in my humble opinion, Omar leans closer to the Japanese in style when compared to its compatriot Kavalan (which we’re also rather fond of) whose approach is arguably more ‘international’. Anyway, this opens with a lovely, forthright attack, extremely close to yeast and barley, and therefore beer. It follows that same line. With water: notes of ginger, turmeric, ginseng, along with yellow peaches. Finish: fairly long, on herbal infusions, vanilla and fresh oak. Comments: perhaps not ultra-distinctive, but the quality remains very high in my most humble opinion.
SGP:561 - 87 points.

World malt whiskies just keep on improving, I get the feeling fewer and fewer fall into the sub-75-point category these days. Unless it’s the state of the world with its numerous predators that’s making us want to paint everything in a rosier light.

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