59,7°
Distillery : Highland Park - Islands
American Whiskey Cask and Palo Cortado Sherry Finish
Independent Bottling
By Swell de Spirits
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2021
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 20 ppm
Swell de Spirits is a very young French bottler which is on the rise, they
mainly make Rum but also Whisky. This new product is renowned for its
extreme youth. Only 4 years, and there is still a double maturation, it's bold. First in an American Whiskey cask, then in a Palo Cortado
Sherry cask, a fairly rare white Sherry. The cask used is an Octave, whose particularity is to be small (about 80 liters), which
allows more interaction with the wood and faster aging. Only 102 bottles
were produced, which of course are already sold out.
Let's Taste It :
Light and vinous nose, sweet red fruits, clafoutis, fruit salad,
between papaya, mango, pineapple, kiwi and lychee. Soy sauce, discreet
smoke a little charcoal-like. Noble wood, orange and quince marmalade,
polish. Mineral and fruity palate, peaches, pears and other orchard fruits, then the spices rise,
black pepper, nutmeg, ginger. More wood, a hint of salt and mint,
gingerbread. Fairly long and juicy finish, slight bitterness, heather,
cola, bark. Brown sugar.
In Short,
When it was released, Serge Valentin and Ruben criticised this bottling for being too young and not to their taste. I find that a tad cruel. There are certainly some minor flaws, some spices that are a little strong, and a minerality that does a poor job of hiding the youthfulness. But on the whole, it's not bad at all. It's original and enjoyable. My criticism is that the distillery's hallmarks are somewhat lost, which is a shame. The price is also exaggerated given that it's a 50cl bottle. It's an interesting experience, but I'm not sure it justifies a purchase.
Score : 87
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Nils Frahm - Says
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