The Hearach 2018 Single Cask N°1789 Collection Foundations 5 yo

 

 

 

59,7°

Distillery : Isle of Harris - Islands 

1st Fill Bourbon Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edtion 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 14 ppm

 

 

 

In my opinion, the 5 most promising young distilleries are Ardnamurchan, Lagg, Torabhaig, Raasay, and Harris, one of the least known, built on an island in the Outer Hebrides, with a population of less than 2,000. Their first expressions were released at the end of 2023, and were not totally convincing, as the juice is still a little immature, though interesting, the profile is costal, but also light and airy. Somewhere between Talisker and Highland Park. To deepen this discovery, the distillery invited us to taste some Single Casks in 2024, to focus on the purity of the distillate. This one is the Single Cask reserved for France, and of course La Maison du Whisky has made it its own, including it in the Collection Foundations designed for Whisky Live Paris 2024. 247 bottles were extracted from the cask, which comes from the American Bourbon distillery Heaven Hill. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very airy nose, a few cumulonimbus clouds in a clear sky, slight influence of the cask, wood woven around a jar of honey and grapefruit jam. Fresh iodine, almost minty, with a touch of sea spray and seaweed, which washes up on a beach lined with cereals, pine resin and rye biscuits. candied lemon, sprinkled with cinnamon and cocoa powder, almond milk, light peat in the background, the spices gradually become stronger, cloves, nutmeg. a hint of blood orange, crushed walnuts and chestnuts. 

 

In Short, 

This is exactly what was needed to really appreciate this distillery. It's fine, subtle, airy, and at the same time there's a wilder, costal, peaty, even medicinal background. I really like it, and here we can see what this distillery could become if given enough time. The same whisky with ten more years could be exceptional. Unfortunately the price is high, and what's more, now that it's sold out, it's doubled. It's no longer worth buying, so perhaps it would be better to wait for the next Single Cask edition. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           JFDR - Instant Patience