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| Hello, that is considered one of our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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January 13, 2025
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All over the world for the primary time in 2025 |
We’re maintaining with good traditions—beginning in France, then heading to China, India, Australia, and London.
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Moon Harbour ‘Signature’ (41.2%, OB, France, +/-2024) 
A really younger single malt from Bordeaux, naturally matured in Bordeaux casks. Everybody’s doing it worldwide, so it will be fairly ironic if the Bordelais didn’t comply with swimsuit. One imagines the stills used could be both cognaçais or Stupfler. Color: pale gold. Nostril: closely influenced by woody spices and candy wine, Sauternes, pencil shavings, lychees, rose petals, apricots, pink peppercorns… It’s fairly exuberant and much faraway from basic malts, nearly veering in direction of rye. Mouth: the woody spices and candy wine instantly take centre stage. Cherries, blackcurrants, pepper, apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg, and barley sugar. Very fruity. End: pretty quick, fairly centered on the candy wine, with a return of pencil shavings within the aftertaste. Feedback: fairly much like different ‘wine inside’ malts produced within the south-west. Not precisely my model, however it’s very younger but nicely made.
SGP:730 – 75 factors. |
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We’re sticking with some signatures…
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BM Signature 8 yo (42%, OB, France, +/-2024) 
BM is Bruno Mangin, from the now sadly defunct Distillerie Rouget de Lisle within the French Jura. The nonetheless used was an Armagnac-style column, and the casks have been largely native wine casks (in France, it’s virtually a convention). Color: gold. Nostril: a fairly nice fino-like edge, with acidity and recent walnuts layered over damp earth and winery peaches. The walnuts dominate, however who doesn’t love walnuts? Mouth: nonetheless that barely bitter edge, these walnuts, dry wine (Madeira), plus a salty word that actually makes it take off, and it retains enhancing because it goes. Fairly Jerez-like, if I’ll say so. End: medium size, with tart little apples and extra walnuts. Impeccably dry. A drop of gentian within the aftertaste. Feedback: I used to be a bit sceptical at first, I need to admit, however it received me over in the long run. There can be different BMs.
SGP:361 – 85 factors. |
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We’re altering continent…
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Laizhou ‘Inaugural Version’ (46%, OB, China, single malt, +/-2024)
One other younger Chinese language distillery, this time from Szechuan. There are increasingly more of them in China, and I can’t assist however really feel this might play out very like the automobile trade—everybody desires of promoting their whiskies to our Chinese language buddies, however now they’re beginning to produce their very own, and doing it nicely (we’re removed from Purple Labial or Chinas Regal right here). In any case, what I’ve already tasted was fairly a bit spectacular! Furthermore, Laizhou seems to be using some ‘wooden know-how’ that may make fairly a couple of individuals in Tain (Scotland) resentful. Color: gold. Nostril: wow. A extremely uncommon smoke, resinous, empyreumatic, wrapping round candied citrus fruits and a contact of top-notch yellow curry. A really fairly nostril, compact and extremely participating. Mouth: creamy, nonetheless smoky (eucalyptus wooden), saline, nearly mustard-like, adopted by roasted nuts of all types—pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts, almonds… That little yellow curry makes a welcome return, which we fairly love. End: lengthy, fantastically dry, and ever so barely charred. Feedback: what impresses me is that they haven’t tried to ‘copy’ (OK, maybe take inspiration from) Scottish malts. It’s genuinely completely different, with what appears to be wonderful cask work. Actual new world. This malt too, we’ll be seeing extra of.
SGP:362 – 85 factors. |
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Paul John 2016/2023 (58.5%, OB, India, peated, Madeira cask, cask #14363, 186 bottles)
Straight from India by means of our expensive buddy Krishna who can also be a fantastic oyster connoisseur. Color: golden amber. Nostril: fairly sulphury (no prob) and camphory at first however this side step by step provides option to overripe mangoes and fudge, with some fairly surprising background touches of sport birds and tobacco. This creates a extremely dramatic profile total, let’s press on… With water: barely tamed, extremely fragrant, with hints of rose petals and sugar-coated caraway. Actually stunning and it actually takes you on a journey. Mouth (neat): it’s nearly like mango jam with spices and honey, to be trustworthy. Oily texture. With water: an absolute indulgence. Honey, mango, apricot, rose, jasmine, cardamom… A contact of leather-based and tobacco, probably from the Madeira. End: lengthy, spicy, now drier. Notes of chocolate, espresso and pink peppercorns. Feedback: what an journey!
SGP:761 – 87 factors. |
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Amrut 2016/2024 ‘Virgin Oak Refilled’ (60%, OB, India, Foundations, cask #915, 102 bottles) 
Let’s tackle the query immediately—does ‘virgin oak refilled’ not sound like an oxymoron? In all probability not… Nicely, we get the thought; it’s neither refill bourbon nor refill sherry, and so forth. In any case, we’re not solely positive, however it’s amusing—a lot love for Amrut. Color: amber. Baltic amber (certainly). Nostril: ultra-compact and sensible. Mango liqueur, parsley, bay leaf. Barely loopy in its precision. With water: all types of mint, particularly peppermint. Mouth (neat): medicinal mango! Somebody needed to invent that. With water: nonetheless mango, but in addition banana and a touch of truffle mud. End: lengthy, with related notes however ultimately leaning in direction of citrus (oranges). Feedback: this tasting word could be a bit far and wide, I’m sorry, however the whisky is ideal.
SGP:651 – 89 factors. |
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Kinglake 2018/2021 ‘In The Blood’ (49%, OB, Australia, 93 bottles)
Talking of ending, these loopy Australians matured this single malt in an ex-Buffalo Hint barrel earlier than transferring it to a Purple Gum barrel (no thought what that’s—although I suppose one may look it up) seasoned for six months with Moondog stout and one other six months with barley wine. Proper then, let’s take a deep breath and dive in… Color: reddish amber. Nostril: it’s all about chocolate. Chocolate crammed with a contact of raspberry liqueur, a mix that feels distinctly… Alsatian. Mouth: completely bonkers. Nonetheless loads of chocolate, but in addition very younger Pinot Noir and pink grapefruit. The flavours are so explosive that the 49% ABV feels extra like 60. Actually. End: very lengthy, with extra loopy nuances—raspberry making a return, darkish beer, cloves, malt extract, cumin, black cherry, and so forth. Mad stuff. Feedback: it’s so explosively fragrant that in the event that they bottled this at 60% ABV, it’d simply shatter your tasting glass with out hesitation. Mad, I adore it.
SGP:771 – 87 factors. |
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One final cease, that is sufficient of the colonies… (S., watch out—as a French particular person, you won’t grasp all of the nuances these phrases entail) …
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Bimber ‘Witkievicz the Artist’ (58.7%, OB, England, Shoulders of Giants, for Poland, oloroso, cask #460, 285 bottles, 2024)
I word that, for now, there hasn’t been a bottling on this sequence devoted to Elon M. Color: gold. Nostril: a mix of ripe bananas and roasted nuts, adopted by barely burnt cake. Gentle hints of concrete mud within the background. With water: oh, very pretty—lighter, nearly floral. Blood oranges and wisteria. Mouth (neat): that is clearly very nicely achieved—raisins, strawberry liqueur, pink peppercorns, chocolate cake, and a drop (only one) of banana liqueur. With water: light spices emerge, including a stronger impression of darkish chocolate. End: pretty lengthy, chocolatey. Notes of darkish tobacco. Feedback: we are likely to favour ex-bourbon, however I need to admit this ex-oloroso has been crafted with nice consideration to element and, above all, freshness. Freshness issues. Na zdrowie.
SGP:661 – 87 factors. |
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