Whiskyfun June 2025 - part 1 - Glentauchers, Tamdhu...

June 2025 - part 1 <--- June 2025 - part 2 ---> Current entries


June 18, 2025

WF’s Little Duos, today Glenkinchie OB vs IB ex-sherry

We haven’t often had the chance to enjoy Glenkinchie, except occasionally as a ‘secret Lowland’ over the past two or three years.

Glenkinchie ‘Distillers Edition’ (43%, OB, +/-2022)

A rather recent non-vintage release, yet still finished in American oak casks ‘seasoned’ with amontillado. We do love a good amontillado, of course. Colour: gold. The amontillado has barely marked the colour here. Nose: it feels as though the wine is less dominant than in some of the vintage batches, as if the finishing has been shorter this time. It’s lovely, all on barley and withered apple, rather natural, also showing fresh brioche, then white chocolate with bits of fruit, a trendy little thing seen here and there. There’s muesli too, the whole showing a nice brightness. Mouth: much more expressive on the palate, with caramel, vanilla fudge, a faintly earthy and smoky aspect probably coming from the sherry, then those walnuts we were expecting. Honestly, it’s rather enjoyable. Finish: medium in length, a touch more bitter, with notes of brown ale and salted butter caramel. Comments: truly pleasant, well put together and well balanced, though it’s lost a bit of the ‘lightness’ found in classic Glenkinchie.
SGP:541 - 82 points.

Glenkinchie 16 yo 2008/2025 (51.9%, The Whisky Agency, sherry hogshead, 300 bottles)

Very intrigued by this bottle, and pleased they didn’t label it as a ‘Secret Lowland’. Colour: deep gold. Nose: the sherry and oak are doing much of the heavy lifting here, there are lovely varnishes, fresh fir wood and roasted nuts, quite a bit of nutmeg and ginger, and a surprising bourbon-like character we hadn’t anticipated. Touches of baked aubergine. With water: it folds back a little onto conifer wood but remains most enjoyable. Mouth (neat): ah indeed, I’m loving this, it’s powerful, full-bodied, not very ‘Glenkinchie’ truth be told but we’ll get used to it. Lovely caraway, cinnamon rolls, wormwood, juniper, honey, maple syrup, grey pepper. I really do like this a lot. With water: what’s more, it swims beautifully, only becoming a tad sweet, though I can’t quite place the source. Finish: long, still a little ‘bourbon’ for a sherry cask but it’s American oak after all, with some coconut notes. Still that lovely varnish in the aftertaste. Comments: surprising and, to my palate, excellently modern.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Check the index of all Glenkinchie we've tasted so far


June 17, 2025

World Whiskies: three French
and three Chinese malts

The Chuan

At The Chuan Distillery in Sichuan, China. A saying goes like 'If you can
see Mount Emei, it will bring peace and good fortune.' In fact, the famous
mount is just off to the left of the photo, but we chose to show the still
house instead. Some things will never change at Whiskyfun. (May 2025)

So, this time, we're setting off from France, as usual, heading straight to China—Sichuan, to be precise—where the teas are splendid, the food delicious though rather spicy (cough, cough), the people absolutely lovely, the pandas truly in their element, and the local whiskies... well, you'll see for yourself!
But first, three French malts...

Bellevoye ‘Triple Malt Finition Grand Cru’ (43%, OB, blended malt, France, +/-2025)

This isn’t a distillery, rather they’ve blended malts from three French regions—Alsace, Lorraine and the Nord—before finishing the whole lot in Saint-Émilion Grand Cru casks – although there are 220 ‘Grands Crus’ in Saint-Émilion, not to be confused with the 85 ‘Grands Crus Classés’, including the famous 14 1er Grands Crus Classés. So then, what could possibly go wrong with this ‘pure malt’ that’s widely distributed across France? Well, thanks to modern whisky, we get to keep brushing up on our wines. Colour: gold, so nothing pinkish. Nose: very dry, dominated by sawdust, with no real presence of distinctive distillate character, clearly very young malts. Unexpected wafts of brine and anchovies... Mouth: again, marked woodiness, very dry liquorice, unsweetened black tea, and once more this odd saline edge. Finish: rather long, still strikingly saline. A right bank effect, perhaps? Comments: a tough one for me, the Saint-Émilion influence doesn’t seem to have brought it all together.
SGP:261 - 50 points.

Moon Harbour ‘Dock 3’ (45.8%, OB, France, single malt, 2023)

A cracking pedigree, as this youngster was distilled in Bordeaux from French barley smoked—not malted—with seaweed from the Arcachon basin, then matured in Sauternes casks before being finished in La Louvière casks from Pessac-Léognan. At any rate, it’s quite the lark! Colour: straw. Nose: what leaps out is warm rhubarb and apple compote, followed by a light yet rather intriguing smokiness, with notes of caraway, mead, and an odd touch of eucalyptus and vegetal tar that might well stem from... seaweed. Amusing stuff. Mouth: the smoke is far more assertive on the palate, leaning towards a salted lapsang souchong with a twist of lemon zest. Rather curious, not unpleasant at all—in fact, quite the opposite—but one does need to come to terms with the vegetal notes from the seaweed. Yes, peat is vegetal too, but the peat used in Scotland has aged over several millennia. Finish: long, still rather tarry and eucalyptus-led, then drifting towards myrtle and saltiness. Comments: fun and rather charming! Should the peat supplies ever run dry, we could always fall back on seaweed.
SGP:465 - 78 points.

Vilanova ‘Rivesaltes Finish’ (49%, OB, LMDW Foundations, cask #396, 2024)

Another smoky one, by Distillerie Castan in Albi in the Tarn, this time peated, matured for two years in Chardonnay and one year in sweet Rivesaltes, so once again this is rather a wine affair. I would be curious to know the proportion of French whisky that isn’t aged or finished in wine casks. Colour: gold. Nose: very light soapy and paraffin-like notes to begin with, but the sweet wine character soon takes over in intriguing fashion, mingling with the peat over cooked apricots, orgeat, ‘medicinal’ fig and camphorated orange. In fact, it works rather well on the nose. Mouth: this is really quite nice, highly unusual but surprisingly coherent this time, rather rich, with a blend of cough syrup and citrus marmalade that works remarkably well. Even more surprising, the peat is beautifully integrated, never feeling ‘tacked on’. Finish: long, increasingly tarry and resinous. A touch of coriander seed and juniper. Comments: it’s been quite a while since I last tasted it, but parts of it do remind me of Caol Ila Distillers Edition.
SGP:556 - 84 points.

Let’s head to China now—first to Hunan, then on to Sichuan…

Goalong ‘Single cask’ (46.5%, OB, China, bourbon whiskey cask, cask #51L306, 370 bottles)

I suppose the issue when presenting a whisky from a country as identity-rich as China—particularly if you aim to export—is finding a way to add something distinctive, something intrinsically Chinese, rather than offering something overly international. Just my humble opinion. We’re in Hunan here. Colour: pale gold. Nose: vanilla, sawdust, underripe bananas, cake batter, then apples and pears. In fact, it’s not bad at all. Mouth: very decent, rather aromatic, with banana and orange, vanilla, pear, acacia honey, then white pepper—it’s somewhat in the Glenmorangie style, though not quite as deep. A pity the American oak stands out rather plainly. Finish: good length, with a nice honeyed and malty profile, a faint earthy/resinous note appearing as a late signature. Comments: nothing to fault, really. A very good young malt which, in my view, I say it deserves better than some of the remarks seen here and there in Europe.
SGP:551 - 79 points.

Let’s move on to The Chuan, a Pernod Ricard venture we visited in mid-May. It’s worth noting that here at WF, we’re quite fond of China—our first trip there was back in 1987! But it was a completely different country back then, and people were more likely to be drinking Baijiu at $1 a litre... In fact, in 2025 Baijiu still accounts for 97% of all spirits consumed in China by volume.

The Chuan ‘Travel Retail’ (48.6%, OB, China, Pure Malt, 2025)

This is the traditional blend from The Chuan, combining ex-bourbon casks, ex-sherry casks, and Chinese oak casks (Danling oak, Quercus mongolica). This is still a ‘pure malt’ rather than a ‘single malt’, as the distillery is very young and only began distilling in 2021, so some of the spirit here comes from Pernod-Ricard’s thoroughbred stock in Scotland, using a blending system also employed in a number of recent high-profile Japanese ‘pure malts’. Naturally, The Chuan single malt will come later, and given the very high potential of their newmake (which we’ve tasted), that’s something to look forward to. Importantly, theirs is not one of those generic newmakes made simply to be bolstered later by active wood, far from it.

Colour: gold. Nose: starts out floral, with broom, dandelion, and perhaps some Chinese yellow flowers we, ahem, don’t quite know by name. Then the Danling oak steps in, never overtly ‘woody’, bringing caraway, sandalwood, spruce buds, and teak deck oil, with also obvious touches of this chen-pi we love so much (aged mandarin peel; we’re currently using some 20 yo at WF Towers – that’s right). Also wild carrot, and fennel lurking in the background. Lovely structure, with the spruce and sandalwood leading the rhythm—that Danling oak clearly in play. Mouth: finely wooded but not at all pushy, showing green banana and pine buds, wrapped in just a whisper of sweet wine, tangerine, honeys, and maple syrup. The woodiness gets gradually absorbed by these softer, rounder elements—it’s fun to follow on the palate, like a little film—just add Gong Li and bring it to Cannes next year. Elsewhere, the reverse often happens, with tannicity gradually dominating. Finish: good length, with more pine bud liqueur and verbena, a spoonful of citrus jam, this aged citrus peel we’ve already mentioned and a signature on sandalwood, caraway and liquorice.

In the finest of the experiential
rooms, with Dr YANG Tao, Master
Distiller The Chuan Malt Whisky
Distillery, Pernod Ricard.
(photo Tim Hartfield)

Comments: I really liked this one on site at the distillery, though I always take distillery tastings with a pinch of salt, especially when the place and people are rather exceptional. The retsina effect, you see. So, I made a point to revisit this at WF HQ in peaceful surroundings—and found it… even better, honestly. Well done The Chuan, well done Pernod Ricard, this is genuinely ‘distinctive’ despite the still (partly) Scottish provenance, the ratio of which we don’t actually know. Not that we didn’t ask, mind you. In short, this lands more or less in the same cluster as the new, personality-rich and pretty posh Japanese malts.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Right then, have you ever noticed how tasting notes always seem longer when you've just visited the distillery? Could we call that an experiential bias? Go on then, a second The Chuan—we’ll save the rest for another session, like a squirrel stashing its nuts…

The Chuan ‘Distillery Only’ (61.3%, OB, China, cask #003, hand-filled May 2025)

In the heat of the moment, we didn’t ask about the pedigree of this cask. Incidentally, we were able to taste a 2021 ‘single malt’ drawn straight from its Chinese Danling oak cask in one of the warehouses, and it was an absolute beast! But it seems they’re guarding that one like a treasure and aren’t planning to bottle it just yet, which is a pity… Colour: gold. Nose: lemony, with the same spruce and sandalwood note as in the previous dram, a hint of chartreuse, quite a bit of dill, and naturally, a good dose of power. Faint notes of banana foam and vanilla. With water: the signature I discovered in that now-fabled 2021 cask comes back through clearly—this is unmistakably ‘The Chuan’, with no ‘blending’ effect whatsoever. In fact, it’s packed with bergamot, tangerine, and honey, with a small touch of celery lending some structure. And always those little hints of Christmas tree. Mouth (neat): very creamy, very good, honeyed but not cloying, balanced by the liveliness of the lemon and that coniferous side. With water: if there’s a Scotch malt this vaguely calls to mind—not that it’s similar—it would be Aberlour A’bunadh Alba. At this stage, the malty side comes through: dough, muesli, vanilla, ripe banana, and Sichuan meadow honey, I’d wager… Finish: long, fresh, lemony, textured without going over the top. The chen-pi is back, loud and clear, in the aftertaste. Comments: almost worth trekking to the foot of Mount Emei just to fill your own bottle of this ‘distillery only’ edition.
SGP:661 - 88 points.

To wrap up, here’s a quick personal summary about The Chuan:

Located in Emeishan, not far from Chengdu, in a truly stunning landscape—a UNESCO World Heritage site
A 13-hectare estate deeply integrated into its surroundings: Mount Emei, forests, and local wildlife and flora are strongly highlighted
Strong cultural and artistic identity: contemporary architecture, artworks including a fractal piece by Zhan Wang scattered across the site; a sophisticated atmosphere rich in Chinese, particularly Sichuanese, symbolism
On-site Michelin-level restaurant and top-tier customer experiences with an ‘immersive’ approach
Entirely Chinese staff, some of whom trained in Scotland—highly skilled
Distillery Manager: the renowned Yang Tao
First distillation: November 2021
Pair of traditional Forsyth pot stills
Capacity capped at 1.5 million LPA (compare with Glenlivet’s 21 million LPA)
Uses both traditional international distilling barley and Chinese barley with higher protein content and lower yield
Maturation in a mix of bourbon, sherry, and Chinese Danling oak (Quercus mongolica) casks
Storage capacity for ten years of production
Currently producing pure/vatted malt, transitioning towards single malts
The new make and young single malt still maturing in cask already show a strong personality, with similarities to cutting-edge Japanese distilleries (Shizuoka, Chichibu, Wakatsuru…)
Genuinely Chinese in character, it’s Chinese malt, not an international-style malt made in China
First export outside China is imminent, but limited to travel retail (APEC countries only)
At WF, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on the release of The Chuan’s first single malts!

The Chuan at night (WF)

A final little smile: before stepping into the distillery, you’ll spot signs warning you to watch out for… snakes.

And one last anecdote: on the evening of our visit, we went out with the very charming Pernod Ricard China team to a trendy bar in Chengdu, whose owner—by complete coincidence—had been inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich on the very same night as I was, a few years ago. Quite the coincidence indeed! We then tasted a few of Pernod Ricard’s Scottish jewels (Aberlour, Longmorn, Glenlivet—all 18 years old, if memory serves), which, far from outshining The Chuan, actually made the distillery’s early success stand out even more by contrast. Very clever—and so diplomatically done! (deep smile)

Here it is , Mount Emei, also known as Emei Shan, in all its glory
and serenity, as seen from the Distillery. (WF)

Final Bonus: I've always dreamt of a tasting glass made of terracotta or porcelain — but not too thick, unlike the ones you often see here and there. Especially one for blind tastings, something a little less grim than those black or blue ISO glasses that have been de rigueur for so long. So I'd like to warmly thank the awesome Amber, The Spirit Hunter, for this genuine little Chinese gem!
Naturally, I’ll also be trying it with tea, which it will no doubt showcase far better than those traditional tiny little ‘gung-fu’ style cups, all while avoiding the rather too delicate Riedels or Spiegelaus. So thanks again, Amber!

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


June 16, 2025

WF’s Little Duos, today Tamnavulin ex-wine OB vs IB

Let’s see what gives, Tamnavulin is one of those malts that are now mainly finished in wine…

(Those who love wine, love life. French poster, 1960s)

Tamnavulin ‘Red Wine Cask Edition – French Cabernet-Sauvignon Finish’ (40%, OB, +/-2021)

The line goes something like: “Through our Wine Cask Editions, we bring typical flavours from grape varieties around the world to enrich our Single Malt.” Well, at least that’s clear. Worth noting, we’d found the more recent ‘German Pinot Noir’ edition merely passable (WF 75).
Colour: gold.
Nose: blackcurrant, cherry, bay leaf, cherry beer (Belgian kriek), pink grapefruit, kirsch-soaked marzipan, a few fruit pastilles, even a bit of jelly—this smells like a pretty decent winesky, or so it seems to me.
Mouth: things start to clash here, with a bit of red wine, a salty note, bell pepper, minestrone, cherry cake, cassis liqueur, green pepper…
Finish: medium length, herbes de Provence, bay, cherry and blackcurrant liqueurs, and those purple jelly beans…
Comments: a blend that doesn’t crash entirely, to be fair, although the wine influence is arguably more dominant than the malt whisky itself. Still, remember the old adage: “Trends, like horses, are easier to ride in the direction they are going.” And when it comes to malt whisky, the trend seems increasingly to be adding wine…
SGP:751 - 77 points.

Tamnavulin 11 yo 2013/2025 (57.4%, James Eadie, Exclusive to Germany, first fill European oak oloroso butt, cask #373071, 315 bottles)

Colour: amber.
Nose: dominated by hazelnut cream, damp earth, black tea and liquorice wood. Nothing to complain about here, it’s very well put together. With water: stock broth, juniper and clove, along with puffs from a very damp old wine cellar. The best kind.
Mouth (neat): creamy, very spicy, heavily peppered and mustardy, plus bitter orange and strong dark ale. With water: the bitter orange leads the dance. Lovely pepper notes and a spoonful of chestnut cream.
Finish: very long and once again increasingly spicy. Always those lovely peppers, bitter chocolate, and then mocha without the slightest trace of sweetness in the aftertaste.
Comments: a beautifully spiced sauce, quite exotic as a whole. Well, I’m afraid it wasn’t much of a contest.
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Tamnavulin we've tasted so far


June 15, 2025

Today we're having a few more cognacs and armagnacs just for fun

In short, a cheerful mix of grape-based drinks, starting with an old cognac as an apéritif, since we’d really enjoyed the Rémy Martin Centaure last Sunday. And then we’ll have a bunch of malternatives...
By the way, since more and more people are now using the term 'malternative', I’d like to remind everyone that originally, Michael Jackson—followed by the Malt Maniacs and thus Whiskyfun—used it to describe aged spirits of sufficient quality to rival top Scottish malts. It was never meant to refer to just any cognac, armagnac, rum or tequila!

Camus ‘Grand V.S.O.P.’ (40%, OB, La Grande Marque, cognac, +/-1980)

This expression was said to be 100% Borderies, although such a claim is nowhere to be found on this old square-shouldered bottle. On its website, the still-independent house boldly declares, ‘We produce the finest cognac in the world, for those who savour the most refined things in life.’ We’re more than happy to take their word for it.
Colour: deep gold.
Nose: it’s certainly charming, rather natural too so no egregious adulteration, with a pleasant trio of soft apples, oranges and peaches, rounded off with the expected raisins and some rather fetching honeyed touches. It’s genuinely fresh and appealing, and it has held its own splendidly in glass these past 45 years.
Mouth:: a very faint caramelly note this time, along with more raisins than on the nose, a slightly syrupy corn sweetness, hints of coffee and orange liqueurs… Still quite attractive but it does seem a tad ‘boosted’. Who knows…
Finish: rather long yet still carried by caramel and those liqueur-like tones. A little aftertaste of pear lingering in the distance.
Comments: Perhaps a touch ‘too much’ by today’s standards, but it’s still genuinely good.
SGP:641 - 78 points.

While we're at it...

Camus ‘V.S. de Luxe’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2005)

Camus ‘V.S. de Luxe’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2000)

A blend of Borderies and Fins Bois this time around. Despite the ‘De Luxe’ moniker, it was more of an entry-level offering, so expectations remain modest.
Colour: gold.
Nose: well, this isn’t bad at all, more on the herbaceous side, somewhat akin to a marc or grappa, with a marked vivacity leaning towards lemon and orange. Quite nice!
Mouth: the mysteries of old bottles! I actually prefer this one, it’s livelier and tauter, still on lovely citrus notes, a few touches of lime blossom, green tea, and even a slightly mineral edge. And it does feel distinctly stronger than the stated 40%.
Finish: rather long, almost a touch aggressive, would you believe. A bit chalky and still pleasantly grassy in the aftertaste.
Comments: a charming little surprise.
SGP:551 - 80 points.

Let’s get back to our usual malternatives…

Maison Prunier 1992/2024 (56.4%, Art Malts, The Vintage Reserve, bons bois)

What’s featured on the label bears more than a passing resemblance to a McLaren F1 from the same year—here’s hoping this little Bons Bois neither veers off track nor breaks down (S.!).
Colour: gold.
Nose: lovely tension straight away, varnish, lemon juice, cider, white peaches, with a faintly mashy yet curiously minty edge… With water: oh, the glorious medley of all kinds of mint…
Mouth (neat): I’m smitten! A flawless combination of strong liquorice, cider apples and grapefruit, with a bit of white nougat in the background adding a touch of softness. A superb Bons Bois. With water: truly magnificent, still with that vibrant tension, now on dainty, precious citrus fruits. Precious indeed…
Finish: long and just right, almost refreshing, which makes this little number all the more dangerous if you’re not careful (like that F1 I suppose). A return of varnish, even a touch of old kirsch in the aftertaste.
Comments: but crikey, only 36 bottles? Life can be terribly unfair…
SGP:561 - 91 points.

Garreau 32 yo 1992/2025 (52.6%, Liquid Treasures, Bas-armagnac, Collection du Chai Doré, Bar Arrangé 5th Anniversary, Korea)

Splendid label, most soothing in these turbulent times (truly).
Colour: deep gold.
Nose: oh bother, we’re flying very, very high again, with splendid varnishes and oil paint right off the bat, then an orchestration of peaches and apricots to make the botanical gardens of any European capital turn green with envy. Sort of. Well, you get the picture. Deeper down, faint notes of game and woodland mushrooms with a splash of balsamic remind us we are indeed in armagnac territory. With water: we drift towards manzanilla-like notes, quite incredible.
Mouth (neat): the oak is very pronounced but most glorious, assuming you’ve no quarrel with tobacco, buds, leaves, nuts, citrus peel, even a few salty touches. With water: what structure!
Finish: long and gently pastry-like. Butter cream with walnuts, and always that gorgeous old oak.
Comments: we bow down, this is eminently and thoroughly malternative.
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Jean-Luc Pasquet 29 yo (49.9%, OB for Balkan Whisky Club, 28 bottles)

The joy of micro-bottlings. We do come across quite a few JL Pasquets in our cognac sessions, but as I often say, there are quite a few Porsches at Le Mans too. Oh, never mind… (and never drink and drive). I’m told this is a Fine Champagne.
Colour: deep gold.
Nose: rather oily on the nose, more elegant than showy, starting with sesame and grape seed oil, then unfolding into a fairly protracted fruity expansion—small apples first, then the expected apricots and peaches, followed by fresh almonds, orgeat, stone kernels and so on.
Mouth (neat): an amusing start on pear and rowanberry eau-de-vie, even something like undiluted marc de gewurz, before it shifts towards something a touch more honeyed and waxier. It hasn’t quite shed its youthful vigour. With water (just to see): a light touch of Swiss apricotine, still with that persistent stone kernel note. Beware apricot stones! (we digress) …
Finish: rather long, still quite ‘eau-de-vie’, which of course is a virtue if you’re Alsatian.
Comments: superb once again, just a tad more restrained.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Domaine de Mouréou 1988/2025 (45.8%, Authentic Spirits, Bas-armagnac)

100% Baco. We previously encountered a young and rather funky Mouréou 2011 from Authentic Spirits that was nothing short of a firecracker (WF 88). This one should—could—be a little more civilised.
Colour: amber.
Nose: I don’t mean to go all bargain-bin poetic on you, but the entire landscape fairly leaps out at you. Hay, mushrooms, pine, bark, the odd hedgerow fruit, especially plums… And then there’s a faint echo of rustic local white wine, the sort one downs by the hectolitre every evening in South-Western cafés—even in the capital.
Mouth: a proper country armagnac, rough-hewn, robust, almost tart (but delightfully so), still close to the grape despite all these years, and brimming with orchard fruits straight from the Gers. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine anything more ‘authentic’.
Finish: amusingly, it’s here that it starts to mellow out a touch, with even a few notes of vanilla and soft liquorice, beneath the thick plum jam. Buds and sprigs lingering in the aftertaste.
Comments: the extra 23 years make no difference—it stands shoulder to shoulder with last year’s 2011 at the same (very high) level.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Marquestau 25 yo 1998/2024 (51.7%, Grape of the Art, Bas-armagnac, cask #225, 310 bottles)

Marquestau 25 yo 1998/2024 (51.7%, Grape of the Art, Bas-armagnac, cask #225, 310 bottles)
100% Baco once again, and yet another domaine new to me (though I remain an eternal newcomer). They’re based in Hontanx, Landes.
Colour: amber.
Nose: it’s rich and woody, in a proper traditional style, what one might call ‘restaurant armagnac’. There’s a vinous edge to it, almost Pauillac-like in some respects, and heaps of prunes with little earthy touches throughout. Pine forest after the rain. With water: damp soil, woodland, pinecones, humus. And honestly, how could one be against any of that?
Mouth (neat): still rich, powerful, woody and traditional, very close to pipe tobacco, orange marmalade and coffee. You’d swear there were even garlicky cèpes in there. With water: a miracle! The clouds part and suddenly you’re handed a fantastical cocktail of chartreuse, Bénédictine and Verveine du Velay.
Finish: long, aromatic and herbal (with water).
Comments: the impact of just a few drops of water here is both maximal and spectacular.
SGP:461 - 90 points (only 87 without water, so do try it with!)

Hontambère 45 yo 1980/2025 (45.4%, OB, Selected by RAC Spirits, Ténarèze, cask #A10, 80 bottles)

A Pouchégu 100% Ugni Blanc with textbook ageing—starting in new Limousin oak before moving to ‘roux’ or ‘red’ oak, meaning refill. Exactly what our friends in whisky ought to be doing as well, rather than the other way round. I know, I know, here I go again…
Colour: dark red amber.
Nose: sublime balsamic notes, tinned prunes, black truffle, ripe banana and pipe tobacco. A marvel of compactness and coherence (indeed, even the ripe banana), not much else to add at this stage.
Mouth: ah, the old Ténarèze when they decide to seize control of your palate and your tastebuds! The oak is prominent again, but bolstered by soy sauce, crème de menthe glaciale, of course fir sap and bud, before it ventures into the realms of old oloroso, ancient madeira, mature Catalan rancio and even those very powerful black teas. This is all fairly explosive and we do advise a ‘drop by drop’ approach to tasting. Thank me later.
Finish: long, dry, concentrated on tea tannins and bitter chocolate, but rounded out with a splendid minty liquorice and a little orange marmalade to sign off.
Comments: a proper time machine, straight back to the days of The Stranglers, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, and since we’re in France, Gainsbourg and Bashung… Excessive and completely mad!
SGP:571 - 91 points.

It's time to bring this celestial ride to an end (wait, what?).

Aurian 1930 (42.5%, OB, selected by Spheric Spirits, bonbonne #D8)

Aurian 1930 (42.5%, OB, selected by Spheric Spirits, armagnac, bonbonne #D8)
It goes without saying how moving it is to taste such an old Armagnac.
Colour: reddish amber.
Nose: sheer delicacy from the outset, all on stewed fruits, medlars, apples, quinces, plums of every persuasion, peaches too, interwoven with old sweet wines, Marsala, Port, honeys and gentle resins, followed by faint yet elegant inklings of ham and mushrooms, though always with decorum and gentleness.
Mouth: I dare say whoever decided to house this venerable Armagnac in glass demijohns knew exactly what they were doing. It had begun to whisper somewhat, with a fruitiness leaning towards herbs, broths, a touch of hay, ancient waxes, the faintest suggestion of brine, and just a wisp of paper and cardboard… Yet it remains thoroughly beautiful, with an increasing profusion of raisins of all kinds, as though it were stirring anew after its long slumber.
Finish: not exactly protracted, but rather exotic nonetheless, reminiscent perhaps of a Thai broth laced with fruit. One even detects a little coriander and Thai basil.
Comments:: these very old spirits become utterly charming as age takes its rightful hold. Quite moving indeed… By the way this baby spent 70 years in wood and 23 years in a demi-john.
SGP:451 - 88 points.