Shizuoka Pot Still K 100% Imported Barley

 

 

 

55,5°

Distillery : Shizuoka - Japan

Ex-Bourbon Barrels and Quarter Casks, Ex-Sherry Hogsheads

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Pot Still

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

 

 

 

The Shizuoka distillery was founded in 2017 by Gaia Flow, an importer of Blackadder, Asta Morris and Mackmyra, among others. What's really exciting is that they have recovered the 3 stills from the legendary Karuizawa distillery, which was dismantled in 2011, as well as all the distilling equipment. In a way, we have a new Karuizawa in operation, and it seems that the resemblance between the two distillates is striking. This Pot Still, which we read is the first edition, was distilled in Karuizawa stills, which is why the initial K appears on the label. The barley used comes from Scotland, 45% is peated and the rest is unpeated. 3000 bottles have been put on sale. The peat content is not specified anywhere, but I estimate it to be around 25/30 ppm. 

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Well-balanced nose, mineral, limestone, quartz, slate, evanescent white fruits. Nice depth of iodine, damp peat that gives it breadth. Gypsum, chalk, jasper. A few hazelnuts. Rough cereals, corn, puffed rice, wheat germs. A hint of vanilla. Softer on the palate. The fruits are a little more present, the peat takes a back seat. Very measured spices, rice pudding. It's young, and it can be felt, even if it's well done. The finish is quite long and explosive, the minerality returns, it's rocky, pebbles in the river, stalactites. Vanilla bean, white chocolate with dried grapes.

 

In Short, 

This is a distillery with an enormous potential. The distillate is deeply original, very radical and typically Japanese. On the whole, it's very well made, very balanced and measured, with nothing standing out. However, it's very young, and you can feel it on the palate, and when I see the price, I wonder if they're not fooling us a bit, it's far too expensive in my opinion.

Score : 88 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Brian Eno - 1/2

SMWS 2013 128.25 Radical Juice 8 yo

 

 

 

62,6°

Distillery : Penderyn - Wales 

2d Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Founded in 1983 by Pip Hills, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an enthusiast club and trading company with an excellent reputation, producing a wide variety of bottlings throughout the year. This one is a Penderyn aged in 2nd fill Bourbon casks, which allows the distillate to blossom. 214 bottles were released and quickly sold out.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Right from the first nose, it surprises with its robustness, but also with the variety of its fruits. Peaches, melons, pineapple, ripe pears, coniferous forest, heather earth. On the palate, as fruity as ever, but more exotic, mango, guava, passion fruit, but also a bit herbaceous, tall herbs, candied angelica, rhubarb. Explosive spices, cloves, cumin. Intense and powerful finish. Coal, black bread, hot chestnuts, rich, damp earth, humus. A touch of limestone.

In Short, 

Another astonishing and delightful expression from the Welsh distillery, a flood of fruits and conifers. Quite different from the other Penderyns I've tasted, but you can expect anything from SMWS. Now unobtainable, I'm afraid we'll have to make do with a future bottling.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Tame Impala - Runway Houses City Clouds

Imperial 1983 The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. Ltd

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Imperial - Speyside

Independent Bottling

By The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. Ltd

Limited Edition

Single Malt

Bottled in 1995

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

This Imperial, bottled by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. Ltd, is a piece of history. At the time, the distillery was still in operation, and The Vintage Malt was a very young trading company, founded three years earlier by Brian Cook. There was nothing exceptional about this expression; it had to be sold at a low price and opened in the evening. Now that it has come down to us through the decades, it is a reminder of a bygone era, when whisky was something very different. Cold-filtered, probably, but prepared in a much more traditional way. The ageing is not specified, but a blending of Bourbon Casks is very likely. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Yellow fruits and vanilla, mirabelles and plums, banana, it's quite generous on that side. But it's also slightly costal, iodine, buttered bread, sea spray and tide. Behind, I could smell candle wax, paraffin. All well-balanced, without being fantastic. There's also the patina of old whiskies, like old varnish and a touch of naphthalene. A shade of peat, but very discreet. On the palate, fairly smooth, but the fruits stand out, it's a bit more than pleasant, between the orange and the pear. Not very pronounced spices. Fairly long, decent finish, where the tide comes through, a pinch of salt, beach sand, silt.

 

In Short, 

I was prepared to bet it was a Clynelish, when I was told it was indeed an Imperial. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it, as it has everything I love about Clynelish, the candle wax, the costal character. It also has the taste of a whisky from another time, and that has its charm. Of course, it's very hard to get your hands on it, and it certainly costs ten times as much as the release price. But frankly, for any enlightened whisky enthusiast, it's worth the effort. You really feel like you're travelling back in time when you drink a sip of it.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Dean Martin - For The Good Times

Glen Keith 1992 Thompson Bros. 29 yo

 

 

 

46,2°

Distillery : Glen Keith - Speyside

2 Refill Bourbon Barrels

Independent Bottling

By Thompson Bros. 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

Glen Keith is a little-known distillery, for the simple reason that it has no regular range. Almost all of its production is used in blends, particularly Chivas. Independent bottlings are the only way to discover it, and those of 29 years are rare, so this one is a great opportunity, a blend of two Bourbon casks that produced 437 bottles, with a beautiful label designed by KMG.

Let's Taste It :

Very dense and varied nose, robust in alcohol, yellow fruits and citrus, grapefruit, a slice of pineapple, but also melon, pear, beautiful minerality, finally a bit astringent, and floral. Buttered bread, heather honey, a touch of iodine. Vanilla, but in the background. Still very fruity on the palate, but more peach and prune, fig and dried grape. More cereal on the second sip, buckwheat, spelt. Very discreet spices, nutmeg, cloves. Lovely and long finish, woody, chestnut bark, herbaceous and tangy, dates, milk chocolate.

In Short, 

I was not at all familiar with the profile of this distillery. I'm not a great fan of Speyside, but I really liked this one. It's very fruity, buttery and creamy, nuanced, and the palate is very complex. The release price was quite decent for a 29 year old, but now it's gone up a bit, which is a shame, because I was very close to snapping it up.

Score : 89

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           D Man - Ain't Enough Whisky

Ben Nevis 1998 Hidden Spirits Selected by La Maison du Whisky 22 yo

 

 

 

54,4° 

Distillery : Ben Nevis - Highlands 

2d Fill Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

Released around three years ago, this bottling, limited to just 208 bottles, is still the talk of the town. Distributed exclusively by La Maison du Whisky, it has flooded the French market. And, like many other Hidden Spirits works, an Italian company launched in 2013 by Andrea Ferrari, it provoked astonishment and enthusiasm.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Perfectly balanced nose, fairly sweet quince jam, candied lemon, barely perceptible smoke and peat, sandalwood, dead leaves, humus, moss, birch bark, caramel and figs, which carry through to the palate, with cinnamon, precious wood, cola, dried banana, leather and rubber bands. On to perfectly integrated spices, nutmeg and saffron, a pinch of pepper, black tea, and a long finish that shows just the right amount of strength, earth and charcoal, chocolate, chestnuts, a touch of menthol. Throat candy.

In Short, 

Living up to its reputation, this expression is truly phenomenal. No flaws, just quality and originality. Three years later, it's really hard to get your hands on it, and the price has soared beyond reason, but if you have the opportunity and the means, go for it.

Score : 91

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Black Pumas - Colors

A Highland Distillery 2008 The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks 12 yo

 

 

 

48°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Highlands

3 Ex-Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Elixir Distillers

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

As part of Parcel n°7 of the Reserve Casks sub-range within The Single Malts of Scotland, this Highland is stingy on information. The distillery is unknown (according to rumours, it could be Blair Athol, or perhaps Clynelish, but I'd be surprised if it's the latter), and there's nothing on the number of bottles produced. What we do know is that it's not chill-filtered, and that's the main thing.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A drop of Sherry, but it's very measured. Woody, earthy, figs, dates and wild strawberries. Chocolate fondant, a pinch of cinnamon, some walnuts. Lots of dried fruits on the palate, from apricots to apples, grapes of course, but also bananas and pineapple. Crushed quinces, slightly candied. Foresty, with holly leaves and moss. Rises to rich and various spices, nutmeg, pepper, cloves. The finish is slightly shorter, quite long, but not very explosive, wood and chocolate, earth, humus.

In Short, 

As always with this collection, this is top quality. A foresty, fruity profile, a daily dram of choice at a decent price. The only disappointment is not knowing the origin of this pleasant liquid. That's why it's not suitable for a blind tasting.

Score : 87

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                            Buster Benton - Money is the Name of the Game

Amrut 2014 Special Limited Edition Ex-Caroni c. 5143

 

 

 

60° 

Distillery : Amrut - India

Ex-Caroni Rum Cask

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

Amrut and Caroni, who thought of it first? This bottling, launched exclusively on the French market by La Maison du Whisky via its French Connections label, is a fine marketing operation. It's aged entirely in a Single Cask from the legendary distillery, which closed in 2010. Only 156 bottles were produced. It is highly likely that the juice is 6 years old, but this is not absolutely certain, as both the distillation and bottling took place in August. On the other hand, this is not a Cask Strength, as all Amrut Special Limited Edition casks are 60°. They are single casks, so it is impossible to modulate the alcohol content by crossing the casks. So water has been added. Not to be confused with the Cask 5144, distilled the same year, but bottled in 2021, also aged in a Single Caroni cask.   

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The sweetness of rum. Icing sugar, reeds, beetroot, vanilla bean, exotic wood. Behind, the character of Amrut, spices, tinder and mahogany, Armenian paper, clove. Grassy and satiny, earthy, with roots, tubers, cucurbits and a hint of chalk. Rougher on the palate, frosted lemon, a chalky hint of iodine and peat, fairly strong spices, cumin and cloves, a long, punchy finish, cinnamon and parsley, honeysuckle, chlorophyll. Humus. Dark and damp earth.

 

In Short, 

The influence of the Caroni cask makes a very beautiful nose, so magnificent that at first I thought I was drinking real rum. The Amrut identity then emerges, and is more prominent on the palate, which remains young and not very complex. The finish, on the other hand, is deep and rich. It's a little more than a curiosity, it's really interesting and enjoyable. There are a few minor flaws, though. The price is too high in my opinion, that must also be the influence of the Caroni cask.

Score : 88 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Anoushka Shankar - Bhairavi

Glenglassaugh 12 yo

 

 

 

45° 

Distillery : Glenglassaugh - Highlands

Bourbon, Sherry and Red Wine Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

The launch of this 12-year-old is a small event, there hasn't been a Glenglassaugh with an age statement in the Core Range since the 1980s. A symbol of rebirth and renewal, it is the work of Rachel Barrie, hired in 2017 by the group that owns the distillery, Brown-Foreman. Triple maturation for the occasion, to delve into the complexity.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Rather Oloroso, this Sherry. Bark, elastic, quince jam, candied apricots, raspberries, gooseberries, cranberries, cinnamon, heather in the background, lovely exotic woodiness. The palate is a bit light but very fruity, with plums of all colours, morello cherries, sultanas, figs and dates, tannins, spices with a certain breadth, nutmeg, cardamom, white pepper. The finish is grand and long, with caramel and charcoal, dead leaves, black earth and warm chestnuts. Cola. 

In Short, 

I didn't smell much of the red wine casks, but the Sherry was clearly present. Perfectly mastered as usual, fine work by Rachel Barrie, reminiscent of Benriach's 12 year old, but even fruitier. One small reservation: I felt that the distillery's hallmarks were a little lost in this complex maturation. It's a shame. However, this remains a very good bottling, at a very competitive price, and a purchase would be wise.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Current Joys - A Different Age