Benriach 1991 Artist #13 Over 30 yo

 

 

 

51,2°

Distillery : The BenRiach - Speyside

2d Fill Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By La Maison du Whisky

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Already the 13th year that we have the opportunity to discover exceptional casks thanks to the Artist Range. This year, we're dealing with a number of very old products, brought together thanks to the Taiwanese independent bottler Hua Yang, founded in 2008, which provides here its finest treasures. Among them is this BenRiach, aged for at least 31 years in a 2d fill Sherry Butt. It's an opportunity to discover the most secret sides of this distillery, which I hold so dear. 564 bottles of this nectar have been produced and sold more or less exclusively at La Maison du Whisky as part of the New Vibrations collection, stamped Spirits Shop Selection and adorned with a painting by Wang Yung Chiu entitled Moira Obscura.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is both jammy and earthy, orange and mirabelle plum jam, very fruity, rather red fruits, blueberries and cranberries, blackcurrant, but also exotic, lychees, papaya, with delicate touches of liquorice and varnished wood, orchard fruits and a few drops of lemon and vanilla. Slightly damp fertile earth, rich in vegetation, almost chocolaty. On the palate, cakes, vanilla custard, apple pie, far aux prunes, with bursts of ginger and cinnamon. The spices are light, giving way to lime blossom and verbena in the background. Very respectable finish, long and satiny, black tea, grated nutmeg, chestnuts and dark chocolate, earthy hints, heather. Nuts, butternut.

 

In Short, 

Yes, you can recognise the distillery, with its earthy, fruity, pastoral and vegetal notes. Yes, it bears its age well, it's silky and subtle, refined and very well made. Well done to all those involved in making this whisky. And yes, the price is outstanding, as expensive as you might fear. So, no, it's not for me, nor for 97% of the population.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Robert Cray - I Shiver

Blanton's Single Barrel La Maison du Whisky 2023 River Edition c. 11

 

 

 

64,4°

Distillery : Buffalo Trace - Kentucky 

Charred American White Oak Barrel

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Barrel Bourbon

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

In 2016, to mark the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky, Buffalo Trace offered some of its Blanton's casks for exclusive sale in the Paris shop. And the working relationship has been going strong ever since. Every year at Whisky Live, we have the opportunity to taste a few casks of Blanton's Single Barrel, which are then sold exclusively by La Maison du Whisky. This year, there's no change, except that this time it's a tribute to the rivers, the Kentucky and the Seine in Paris. The new batch of Blanton's Single Barrel made available to La Maison du Whisky will therefore be subtitled River Edition. I tasted a drop of cask 11, of which 200 copies are being sold under the New Vibrations collection.

 

Lets Taste It  :

Sticky caramel, icing sugar, almost iodised. Honeyed freshness. Beautiful fullness of wood. Sugar cane, with something slightly boggy about it. Grooves in the wood. A hint of vanilla. On the palate, quince purée, toffee, spongy wood, intense spices, grated nutmeg, pepper and cumin. Melted butter, shortbread biscuit. Barley sugar. The finish is long, deep and woody, autumn leaves, gingerbread, a touch of liquorice and warm earth, brown sugar, candied fruits.

In Short, 

The alcohol is perfectly integrated, and the intensity of the flavours is impressive. It's the same thing every year, and it's different every time. Here we have a certain freshness, and at the same time a depth of sweet fruits that is very pleasant. That said, I think I preferred the 2022 batch, at least the ones I tasted. A question of taste, no doubt. Otherwise, the price is really outrageous, but if there are people willing to pay that price, so much the better, or too bad for them.

Score : 90

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           The Nortons - Married to the Blues

Version Française 2003 Blavier 20 yo

 

 

 

55°

Distillery Officially Unknown - France

Jura Yellow Wine Cask 

Independent Bottling 

By La Maison du Whisky

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Let's turn now to this strange bottling that caused such a sensation at the last Whisky Live. Distilled in 2003 in a Blavier-type still designed by a cauldron-maker of the same name at the beginning of the 20th century, the liquid then spent 20 years in a Jura yellow wine cask, before being transferred to 219 bottles. The distillery is unknown, but we know from the label that the whisky comes from Burgundy. And we have two distilleries in Burgundy, the famous Rouget de l'Isle, and a much less well-known one, the Brûlerie du Revermont. This Brûlerie du Revermont, also known as the Tissot distillery, has a Blavier still, and needless to say, these are very rare. This still is unusual in that it has two rectification columns, one of which has ceramic rings. It was originally designed to distil perfume, in particular lavender, and was diverted from this function by the distillery, which bought it in 1923 or 1934 (sources differ). And this almost unknown Brûlerie du Revermont produces Prohibition, a whisky aged in barrels of Jura yellow wine. So I think I've found the origin of the juice, except that, according to one source, it didn't start distilling whisky until 2006. So the enigma is not quite solved, but you can still taste the whisky.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It feels like I've fallen into a bottle of Sherry, but it's very well done. Red fruit purée, with charcoal wood and slight oxidative notes, rust, paprika, curry, tomato pulp. Cranberry jam and a few raspberries. On the palate, it's all the same, with malty hints, some cereals in the background and a nice woodiness, but the main thing is very expressive fruits and some charcoal and earthy hints. The finish is long and languorous, with forestry touches, almost bloody, duck à l'orange, very slight bitterness, cashew nuts and cardamom.

 

In Short, 

Yes, it's very original, saturated with yellow wine that's very similar to Sherry, and many people don't like it, I understand, it's nothing like a typical whisky. But that's precisely why I love whisky, this possibility of varied and extreme flavours, and in this case, I really enjoyed this thing, which I find quite exceptional, whether you like it or not. I wasn't the only one, the public flocked to it despite the high price. There are still a few bottles available on certain sites, but you'll have to hurry. As for me, I decided to resist the temptation, because at that price I'd rather have a really good Scotch whisky, from Bruichladdich or Laphroaig, sorry.

Score : 90     

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Boards of Canada - Everything You Do Is a Balloon

The Arran Malt 14 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Lochranza, Isle of Arran - Islands 

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel and Sherry Hogsheads 

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2014

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

The Isle of Arran distillery was founded in 1995, and the 14-year-old was produced in 2010. Made from a blend of Bourbon Barrels and Sherry Hogsheads, the distillate has yet been given pride of place. The design of the bottle was completely changed in 2014, without necessarily changing the recipe. In 2019, the distillery's range was completely overhauled, and unfortunately this expression disappeared.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It's malty, mellow and slightly spicy. Whole walnut, waxed floor, chestnut in its bug. Ripe fruits, greengages and cherries. Green wood, like a shadow of smoke. Lime and lychees, fresh cardamom. Fruity, leafy palate, ginger and mint jelly, crunchy pears, quince jam, white gooseberries. Light spices, pepper and nutmeg. Long, powerful finish, liquorice stick, amadou wood, farmhouse bread and fig pulp, candied angelica. Oats sprinkled with flour. A zest of lemon.

 

In Short, 

What a shame they stopped producing this little delight. The influence of the cask is very slight, it just enhances the fruit, and we have a very pure distillate, quite country-like and pastoral. An old school whisky. It's very pleasant and light, with discreet lemon and vegetal fragrances. I'll have to taste the bottle carefully, as there will certainly be no more.

Score : 86 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Bill Withers - Harlem

Armorik 2008 Single Cask 2023 Collection New Vibrations 14 yo

 

 

 

58°

Distillery : Warenghem - France 

Spanish Sherry Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Founded in 1900, the Warenghem distillery is a pioneer, since it was here that the first drop of French whisky was distilled in 1983. Here we have a 14-year-old Sherry single cask, which is not bad for a French whisky. The result numbered 450 bottles, which were quickly sold out. However, there is no indication of whether or not the whisky has been chill-filtered.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A heady, iodised nose of bitter chocolate, macerated cherries and blackberry liqueur. The freshness of the sea air, gooseberries and cranberries, walnuts galore. Damp wood, with an ounce of charcoal, liquid liquorice. Blueberries. Malted cereals in the background. On the palate, caramel and sherry, melting toffee, dripping honey, chocolate and fig cake. Expressive spices that blend well with the fruit, paprika and nutmeg, a hint of mustard. Quite a long, well-crafted finish, the iodine returns a little, but above all the jammy red fruits, soft caramel, wood juice, humus and decomposed plants.

 

In Short, 

It's a good sherry, admittedly a tad overpowering, but it gives a nice effect. I found a woody, malty character in the background that is closer to the distillery's personality. The price is decent for a 14 year old, so it's already sold out, as overpricing has become the norm. It can still be found in Singapore, but delivery is a long way off.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Kiefer - Superhero

Vilanova Cask n°346

 

 

 

49,2°

Distillery : Castan - France

Ex-Maury Wine Cask

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Heavily Peated

 

 

 

France is full of little-known distilleries that produce even less, like this one, Castan, founded in 1941 and producing whisky since 2010. This jewel in the crown of Occitan agriculture produces an entirely organic spirit, using barley grown on site, because it is first and foremost a family farm. Here we have a rare bottling, aged in a single red wine cask, also an Occitan wine, known as Maury. There are 324 bottles in all. The only drawback is that it is not vintage or even aged. But the relatively low alcohol content for a cask strength reassures me a little. It is being sold exclusively at La Maison du Whisky, under the banner of the New Vibrations range.

Let's Taste It : 

Sweet prunes, dates and candied blueberries, the wine leaves its mark. Then the peat rises, warm and earthy, strong smoke, meaty as you wish, beef jerky, chorizo, with a hint of raspberry coulis. There's an air of autumn too, with dried fruits and dead leaves. It's a bit creamy. On the palate, the meat becomes rare, a nice layer of peat, steak with a pepper sauce, but I also find some cereals. Morello cherries, cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. Quite a long, well-crafted finish, earth again, oak bark, heather and forest berries. Pureed fruit.

In Short, 

I was a bit suspicious when I saw that it was ageless, but it's good, really. It's right up my street, both peaty and very fruity. The price is a bit high though, otherwise I'd be tempted.

Score : 88

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           UFO - Love to Love

Bunnahabhain Staoisha 2014 Cask Strength Collection 5 yo c. 10409

 

 

 

60,5°

Distillery : Bunnahabhain - Islay

Refill Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 40 ppm

 

 

 

There are two types of peated Bunnahabhain, Moine and Staoisha. There's no difference between the two, it's just that Staoisha is always reserved for independent bottlings, while Moine is used primarily for original bottlings. But there are also independent bottlings of Moine, so there isn't really a rule. Signatory Vintage released two 5-year-old Staoisha in 2020, one aged in a Bourbon cask, the other aged in a Sherry cask, this one. 640 bottles were sold.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

At the same time mineral and pastry, mille-feuilles, vanilla custard, rocky sediments. Ginger and frangipane. Croissant with cream filling, white chocolate. A touch of salty iodine. Sea spray and foam. Dirty, dusty peat. Coarse sand. The palate is fruity and vanilla-flavoured, with sweet almonds, but very quickly the spices become fierce, with cumin and pepper. Quite long, powerful finish, watermelon and lemon. Full-bodied. Chestnut purée. Very slight hint of woody bitterness.

 

In Short, 

Really pleasant, and you can't feel the product's youth. Built on contrasts, between sweetness and powerful peat, enthusiasts will appreciate. It is now completely sold out, but can still be found at auction for a fair price.

Score : 88

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           John - Trauma Mosaic

Kornog 2011 Ex-Libris Une Île en terre 12 yo

 

 

 

58,2°

Distillery : Celtic Whisky Distillerie - France

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By La Maison du Whisky 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 50 ppm

 

 

 

Last expression in this new series inaugurated by Ex-Libris, the highly selective range launched by La Maison du Whisky in 2021, this Kornog has been aged for 12 years in a first-fill Bourbon cask. Its name comes from a collection of poems by Yvon Le Men. The number of bottles produced remains a mystery.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is more iodine-based, fairly full-bodied, with a nice breadth, and it moves towards cereals, with cracked wheat, porridge, vanilla and white fruits. Peat in the background, rather discreet but pleasantly subtle. Pastry cream, sea air and a touch of salt. On the palate, the salt takes on greater importance, coating the fruits and with milk chocolate. The spices are powerful. Slightly acidic candy, it's a little syrupy. Successful finish, suitably long, woody, coffee, slightly bitter cocoa, muddy earth. Chestnut cream, pan-fried mushrooms. Parsley.

 

In Short, 

It's obviously more mature and well-balanced, but I preferred the youngest of the three, which showed a lot of character and a purer expression of the distillate. Especially as the difference isn't huge, only 4 years between the three. This one goes off a bit in all directions, with pastry elements, sweets, cereals, iodine and, of course, peat. I don't find it the most interesting. And the price is the highest, as if it were a 25 year old, it's really disproportionate.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Zaho de Sagazan - Dis-moi que tu m'aimes