The WhiskyNerds are again – their newest launch was a Secret Islay again in 2023, proper? They’ve now chosen a 30 yr outdated brandy from France.
The truth that this spirit was bottled within the UK makes it a French Brandy as an alternative of a cognac. That is is usually known as early landed, referring to Hine cognac, which was the one model that obtained an exception to the requirement to bottle all cognac inside its origin. Grande Champagne tells us sufficient although. We’ve seen related 1993 releases from the Thompson Brothers and The Whisky Company for example.
French Brandy 30 yo 1993 – Grande Champagne (46,3%, WhiskyNerds 2024, cask #35, 159 btl.)
Nostril: a variety of juicy plums, preserved cherries and raisins, adopted by fig jam and blackcurrants. Hints of darkish chocolate and tobacco leaves, in addition to wild cherry wooden. Cigar bins. Then some cinnamon and outdated leather-based, armchairs in addition to a touch of verbena tisane.
Mouth: very beneficiant once more, with loads of rancio notes in addition to a leathery dryness and a transparent tannic layer. Plums and dates, together with toffee and darkish chocolate once more. Mid-palate a mentholated freshness comes out, together with natural tea and whiffs of brighter fruits, like bergamots and peaches. Then again to mocha, some liquorice extract and outdated wooden.
End: lengthy, fairly elegant however on the verge of turning into overoaked. Wooden oils, and cigar bins with bitter chocolate and late mentholated notes.
A really wealthy and daring fashion, hesitating between rustic notes and extra magnificence. On the one hand you might evaluate it to a PX sherry cask in whisky, however then again it has little or no sweetness and much more wooden generally. A pleasant expertise however a tad excessive. Retailers will be discovered on the WhiskyNerds web site.
88
