Category Archives: European

Bellevoye Trio – Blue “French Oak” 40%

Posted on by
Reply

Living in Europe means I’ve sought out new and different European whiskies to try. However I don’t always want to commit to a full bottle! Enter this pretty trio of 200ml whiskies from Bellevoye.

What are they? Single malts? Nope! They are instead a “triple malt” – meaning a blend of single malt whiskies from three different whisky distilleries – possibly from Brittany (Distillery Clauessens de Wambrechies?), Alsace (Maison Ledai – Distillery Hepp) and Cognac (Maison Brunet – better known for Brenne).

I earlier tried their peated “Black” as part of a Whisky Advent calendar so it was a perfect chance with the Blue, White and Red trio to try the balance.

We kicked off our tour of France’s Bellevoye “Flag” trio with the Blue – “fine grain” finish in a French Oak cask.

Bellevoye Blue 40% (French Oak Grain Finish)

  • Nose – Started with a hint of prune from the fresh cork after it popped open! Then in the glass – sweet hay, faintly floral, a dash of black peppercorn, some cherry chocolate with red chilli, followed by pear and charan
  • Palate – Warming on the surface, terribly easy to drink, imagine have this to spike your pani puri!
  • Finish – Certainly lasts in the mouth

Not such a bad start…whilst it isn’t complex, it makes for a nice pre-dinner malt. Simple and pleasant.

On the revisit, the aromas added a lovely vanilla flowers and spice… really quite nice!

What more do we know? The different single malts started their life in French oak casks, maturing for three to eight years followed by nine to twelve months post-blend in French new oak fine grain casks. No peat is used.

Here is a rough translation of their tasting notes:

  • The nose reveals notes of cereals, sweet spices, honey and white flowers.
  • The mouth is round and balanced with aromas of yellow fruit, cooked apple and gingerbread.
  • The finish is long on fresh notes

So what’ll is in the Bellevoye range?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Bellevoye Trio – Blue, White, Red

Posted on by
Reply

In our quest to delve deeper into European whiskies, I stumbled across this trio online in Germany. Having tasted the Bellevoye Peat (Black) in December, I was curious to explore further. This trio reflects the national flag with Blue, White, and Red.

Founded in 2013 by Alexandre Sirech (Bordeaux wine group) and Jean Moueix (spirits brands, production of Saint-Estèphe and Pomerol vintages), Les Bienheureux (“the blessed”) is a company formed for playing around with French whiskey, releasing malted blends under their brand “Bellevoye.”

Aleandra shared in an interview with “Toast” his view of French whiskies regional ‘styles’:

In Alsace, producers use Holstein stills, which produce very fruity and refined spirits. In the Nord region, the column still used there produces light, easy-drinking spirits. And in Charente, the onion-shaped pot still produces powerful, full-bodied spirits. Having three different cultures of distillation in regions so geographically close to each other is unique in the world. It’s also an excellent illustration of the cultural nuances of France.

So they set-up out craft a “triple malt”, bringing together single malts from different French distilleries already aged between 5 – 8 years, before blending together in their facilities, then finished in their casks for approximately another nine to 12 months.

Providing further insights in the same Toast interview, Alexandre explains:

We make a triple malt because we’ve noticed that, in the same way as Bordeaux wines blend different grape varieties, when the best spirits from the Nord, Alsace and Charente regions come together, the end result is significantly superior to the sum of its parts. It’s every blender’s dream! All the more so, since we always wanted to create a ‘patriotic’ whisky, like a synthesis of the three styles of French whisky I referred to earlier.

So we selected three from the thirty-five French whiskies we tasted in a blind tasting – one from each of the major whisky-producing regions – so that we could draw on the special features of each. Then, we got down to the heart of what it is we do: the blending. Then we allowed the whisky to mature.

So what did I pick up in the Bellevoye Trio?

We have three contrasting yet complementary expressions:

I bought this tasting set of 200 ml bottles online in Germany for EUR 55 with plans to share samples with tasting companions in Paris. Yes… you read that correctly… my thought was to send a French blend bought in Germany back to France.

Thankfully greater sense prevailed! As this trio happens to be readily available in Paris, my tasting companion did the logical thing and bought another set in France!

So I decided instead to loop in our London whisky afficiando handing over samples when we met up in Berlin. And with that – this trio was tasted by folks in three countries – UK, France and Germany!

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Maison Benjamin Kuentz – Le Guip 55%

Posted on by
Reply

With Maison Benjamin Kuentz whiskies, we were introduced first to their core trio with (D’un) Verre Printanier, Fin de Partie, Aveux Gourmands then during a trip to Paris explored their limited editions of Aux Particulares Vines 1, 4 and 5.

A lovely Euro Whisky Lady picked up a bottle of “Le Guip” which is a single cask limited edition which was crafted to reflect the character of her family home – Brittany. Picture a slightly gruff fisherman with the bracing spray of the sea – loads of saline notes and hint of peat… at least this is the idea…

What did we find?

Le Guip 55%
  • Nose – Sharp and salty, moss and sea spirit, then it slowly started to curl open… with hints of sweet vanilla and toffee – like a toffifee treat
  • Palate – Salty, spicy – mostly peppery, nutty…. as we sipped, started to reveal some toffee cream and fudge, salty sultanas
  • Finish – Long and strong

Quite direct in character with a truly bracing style. We imagined it would really hit the spot – coming in from the wet and cold… pour yourself a dram and instantly warm up! The salty sea breeze quality certainly brought a feel of wind and waves.

While most MBJ whiskies don’t need water, we thought to give it a whirl with this one… and I’m so glad we did!

The initial reaction from our Parisian was “Hmmm” not entirely convinced water helped, with the sense it took the whisky from interesting to… well… normal.

Whereas for me, I loved how it brought out a nice buttery “fat” feel in the mouth, with fruitiness coming to the fore with quince, vanilla and nuts… and yes sea salt! Whilst the aromas were slightly subdued, the way the flavours rounded out on the palate was reward enough! And the finish? A light tobacco leaf twist just added to the appeal. In truth, this was the only hint of peat we found.

A debate ensued – as to how generous the water needed to be to achieve optimal effect! However the verdict was clear – a dash of water transformed this dram from a rough around the edges swarthy seaman into something more like smooth sailing into the sunset!

What more do we know? Alas the online content has been removed as this edition is no longer available. I believe it is about 8 years and from Warenghem distillery – the folks behind the Amorik brand.

Curious about other forays into whiskies created by Maison Benjamin Kuentz :

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whiskey Lady on:

St Kilian ‘Four’ Peat, Sherry 48%

Posted on by
Reply

After St Kilian’s inaugural “One“, and their Franconian “Six” we shifted gears to explore their “smoky” Fourth Signature Edition.

St Kilian describes their whisky as:

Surprisingly intense, spicy and smoky: With a phenol content of 54 ppm in the malt, the “Four” is not only the smokiest one to date, but also the most aromatic and strongest bottling of St. Kilian thanks to its full maturation in sherry casks.

What did we think?

St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Four’ (2016/2020) 48% 10,700 bottles

  • Colour – Dark  gold
  • Nose – Sweet smokey meats, Nordic wood sauna, jerk pork, honey glazed ham, smokey marinade, pine, herbal, cigar tobacco, fudge and chocolate, hint of coffee, dark caramel, even better the 1st sip
  • Palate – Savoury, a bit sharp, peat and sweet, initially imbalanced, a bit bitter, charred wood…
  • Finish – A nice fat finish, thick with flavours – smoke and sweet, long peat….

We found with all three, that water is a great addition – in this case an absolutely must!

  • Nose – Mmmm sherry, maple bacon, cinnamon, buttery salted caramel, malted milk chocolate
  • Palate – Tempers the peat, took out all the sharpness, completely balanced the elements so could setting into its smokey sweetness
  • Finish – The flavours remain – dilution didn’t dampen the full finish

Could absolutely see the Sherry cask influence on this one. If you are in the mood for a full-bodied whisky with a smokey sweetness, well worth checking out. With each sip, it grows on you more and more.

What more do we know? Well the good folks at St Kilian are open about their recipe:

  • 51% ex PX Sherry
  • 49% ex Olorosso Sherry
  • Mix of German unpeated early with Scottish peated barley (54 PPM) from Glenesk Maltings

As for their official tasting notes?

  • GERUCH Kräftiger, warmer Lagerfeuer-Rauch lichtet sich für fruchtige Sherry-Aromen mit süßen Rosinen, cremigem Butterkaramell-Fudge, frischem Apfel und feinen Anklängen von würzigem Tabak und Leder
  • GESCHMACK Vollmundig-intensiv mit aromatischem Torfrauch, begleitet von einer Melange aus getrockneten Pflaumen, Datteln und Rosinen, abgerundet von einem Hauch Vanille und dunkler Schokolade mit Fleur de Sel
  • NACHKLANG Lang und würzig-warm mit feinen Sherry-Noten und sanft ausklingendem Rauch

With a rough translation:

  • Nose – Strong, warm campfire smoke clears for fruity sherry flavours with sweet raisins, creamy butter caramel fudge, fresh apples with hints of spicy tobacco and leather
  • Taste – Full-bodied and intense with aromatic peat smoke, accompanied by a melange of dried plus, dates and raisins rounded off by a hint of vanilla and dark chocolate with sea salt 
  • Finish – Long and spicy warm with fine notes of sherry and fading smoke

What else was included in my wee St Kilian quartet?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

St Kilian ‘Six’ Rye, Pinot Noir, Bourbon 47.5%

Posted on by
Reply

After a promising start with St Kilian’s 1st Signature Edition – One – we fast forwarded to their 6th Edition with a strong “Franconian” bent:

The Signature Edition Six is ​​a real Franconian! The special barley malt comes from Upper Franconia and the barrels of fine Pinot Noir from Lower Franconia.

Signature Edition ‘Six’ (2016/2020) 47.5% 6,500 bottles

    • Colour – Dark  gold
    • Nose – Cherries, grapes, an almost rye-like spice, licorice, after time it was a bit malty, fresh grass and hay, tobacco leaf, apples
    • Palate – Sour cherry, lots of spice, bitter and dry, strong red wine elements – dates, raisins, woody grain….
    • Finish – Spicy with sherry sweet Christmas spices – very dry and long
    • Water – Oh nice! Much fruitier, juicier, softer with the grapes and cherries coming back both in the aroma and palate, a nice tannin came out and the finish was even better too – long and warming

We found both with the One and this, that water really made the malt! It started a bit acrid without but really came together with water.

While certainly not a ‘classic’ style, it had an interesting character – could certainly see the Rye and also Pinot cask influence on this one.

We also thought it might go well in an Old Fashioned – something to try one of these days!

This one was a bit of a departure shifting from malt whisky into rye with a recipe of:

  • 45% ex Rye (American Oak from Early Times)
  • 30% ex Franconian Pinot Noir (French Oak from Fürst winery in nearby Bürgstadt)
  • 25% ex Bourbon (American Oak from Old Forester)

As for their official tasting notes? Here’s what the folks over at St Kilian have to say:

  • GERUCH Feine Gerbsäure, reife Trauben
  • GESCHMACK Im Antritt eine feine Süße gefolgt von Weinaromen sowie Aromen von Getreide
  • NACHKLANG Feine Würze, süß, trocken und langanhaltend

With a rough translation:

  • Nose – Fine tannic acid, ripe grapes
  • Taste – In the beginning a fine sweetness followed by wine aromas and grain
  • Finish – Fine flavour, sweet, dry and long-lasting

I found a bit more about this expression from Whisky.com.

What more did we try from St Kilian?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

J.B.G. Münsterländer Single Grain Whisky 42%

Posted on by
Reply

J. B. G. Münsterländer comes from Geuting – a small distillery in Bocholt, in the north-west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany near the border with The Netherlands. They began producing whisky in 2013 with both single grain and single malts.

J. B.G. Münsterländer Single Grain Whisky 6 year (12 Nov 2020 / 20 Mar 2017) Cask 26, 27, 28, 42% (Bottle 161/1000)

  • Nose – Coconut, chocolate, caramel popcorn, fresh and creamy, marshmallows and cotton candy, bananas, light sweet spices
  • Palate – Very sweet, smooth, really quite nice in an uncomplicated friendly style
  • Finish – Nothing much to speak of.. but that’s OK

A nice “sniffing” whisky, one you can sit back, sniff and sip in a relaxed companionable way. A great discovery and one that prompted interest in exploring further… perhaps next time one of their single malts.

What do the Münsterländer folks have to say?

Our Single Grain Whisky from the Musterland region has received a slow and careful double distillation. Entirely aged to maturity in new casks crafted from American white oak our whisky is reduced to the sought alcohol content with our own well water fresh from source. This way you receive a mellow, well-balanced and full-bodied Single Grain Whisky.

Official tasting notes:

  • Nose – Rich aromas of vanilla, cocoa and nutmeg, harmonious
  • Taste – Sweetness of cocoa and vanilla, fine wooden notes
  • Finish – Mellow, nutty and long

My tasting companions had picked up this bottle on sale for around Our 30, however you can still find it online for approx Eur 45.

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Black Forest Wild Peated Single Malt 42%

Posted on by
2

Imagine tromping through the wilds of a deep dark Black Forest and coming upon a distillery and winery that is both new and has linkages back to 1855.

These folks at Black Forest seem to be into producing a wide array of spirits and wines – from Riesling and Chardonay to hazelnut eggnog and rum, brandy, vermouth and gin…. including a peated single malt… a sample which made its way to my hosts home and our whisky glasses!

Black Forest Wild Whiskey Peated 42%

  • Nose – Fish oil – think cod liver oil, old cellar – musty and damp, hint of metal or mechanical grease, finally started to shift a bit – granary, dusty hay, dirty socks, then a bit saline
  • Palate – Metallic, wet motor, sharp yet at the same time insipid
  • Finish – None
  • Water – Really doesn’t help

Living in Germany has opened up a whole new world of whiskies – some interesting, some perplexing and some that…. well… are definitely not my ‘style’. I suspect you can already tell which one this fall into!

I get the concept of local pride and appreciate small distilleries taking a gamble to venture into whisky making. However not all offerings work for all palates.

wild-brennerei.de

What more do we know? The folks at Black Forest shared they use summer barley, dried under a peat fire, double distilled and then age for 6 years in three different (unspecified) barrels.

Rough translation of their tasting notes:

  • Smell: Salty, light aromas of iodine, subtle peat notes, nuances of smoke and seaweed, slightly fruity
  • Taste: Very soft, strong body, a lot fo character, slight sweetness, caramel, nutty
  • Finish: Long smokey aftertaste, lots of body and powerful finish without losing finesse

As for what it would set you back, should this appeal to you, Eur 40 for 500ml.

Chalk this one up to the category of “you don’t know til you try…”

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

St Kilian Signature ‘One’ Bourbon, Rum, Sherry, Bourbon, Chestnut 45%

Posted on by
Reply

The “First Drops” of a new distillery are always exciting though sometimes shaky. There is always the temptation to get your inaugural batch “out” yet also it may take a few experiments til you hit your stride.

What about Germany’s St Kilian Distillery? For their 1st batch, they went bold with 18,500 bottles. My first bottle was a treat from the fabulous “Whisky und Frauen” from our time together at The Village – whisky festival in Nurnberg in Feb 2020.

I knew that this was one to share with friends in India. The perfect opportunity arose late October 2021 however whilst the bottle could make its way to Mumbai, I could not. The perfect solution came in acquiring a 2nd bottle for myself in Germany – which is thankfully is still available!

With the “One”, St Kilian describes it as a whisky which is fruit-sweet with notes of tropical fruits and vanilla, matured in an individual composition of excellent barrels (five in total – more on that later!).

And what did we discover in our wee “hybrid” virtual / physical tasting bringing together Nurnberg and Mumbai?

St Kilian Signature Edition ‘One’ (2016/2019) 45% 

  • Colour – Bright caramel
  • Nose – First a bit acetone and sharp, then quickly shifted to heavy honey, Williams pear, mashed bananas, rum and caramel, malt, roasted apple and a touch of fresh grass
  • Palate – Initially a bit sharp, then delicious… Sweet, spice… went down easily, imminently easy to drink. The pear we found on the nose was initially lost on the palate
  • Finish – Wood and malty

We found it tasty and an interesting 1st venture…  as we considered it further we decided to see the impact of a dash of water.

Our conclusion? Well worth  trying that way! It brought balance, fruitier with the wood elements even more pronounced. The finish was even spicier – in a good way.

Overall we quite enjoyed it with water – made it more accessible without diluting the interesting elements – particularly the aromas.

What more do we know? Well the good folks at St Kilian are open about their recipe:

  • 37% ex Bourbon
  • 37% ex Martinique Rum
  • 18% ex PX Sherry
  • 5% Chestnut
  • 3% ex-Bourbon quarter cask

We found the experimentation with different casks worked – particularly after adding a bit of water which brought the influence of each distinct cask into balance.

Here are the official tasting notes:

  • GERUCH Süße Fruchtnoten von Birne, karamellisiertem Apfel und Mango mit sanften Aromen von Malz und Sahnebonbons
  • GESCHMACK Weich und mild-fruchtig, dann eine ausgewogene Würze und ein malziger Abschluss

With a rough translation:

  • Nose – Sweet fruit notes of pear, caramelized apples and mango with gentle aromas of malt and cream candy
  • Taste – Soft and mildly fruity, then a balanced spice and malty finish

An excellent start to our evening exploring whiskies from St Kilian!

What else did I include in my wee St Kilian quartet?

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

St Kilian Signature Edition One, Four, Six and Seven

Posted on by
Reply

A year ago I was supposed to be en route to St Kilian distillery for a weekend of discovery. When the plan was set-up it was at a time when optimistically we thought the worst was behind us and it would be possible to bring together a collection of whisky appreciators, vloggers and bloggers from around Germany.

Alas plans had to be changed to an online event which I unfortunately missed. However undeterred, I thought to create an evening of exploration myself – ordering the “Four” and “Six” to join my “One” from the Messe whisky festival. These bottles made their way to Berlin then London then Mumbai. In the meantime, I ordered another set – this time adding the “Seven” to round out the collection, with samples sent to Paris for another tasting company.

The date was set and we were primed to explore what St Kilian has to offer.

St Kilian is approx 1 hour drive from Frankfurt in Rüdenau and has been in operation for approx 6 years. Their inspiration is clearly Scotland – using pot stills – hence their pot still styled whisky bottles. They use both German and Scottish barley and play around with approx 200 different types of casks – not just your typical Oak but Chestnut as well.

The black labels are for the non-peated line and the white labels use peat. All but “Four” is currently out of stock direct from the distillery however I was able to find them from a German distributor.

As for who are the folks behind this distillery? The founder is Andreas (Andi) Thümmler partnered with Irish Master Distiller David F. Hynes, joined by Master Distiller Mario Rudolf. The distillery was built on an old factory site (Meixner textile dye)  with a ‘mere’ Euro 15 million.

I’m curious to see how their expressions and explorations evolve… particularly the unpeated ones!

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Der Weinladen im Schwarzwaelder Store, Munich

Posted on by
Reply

Once upon a time I had planned a series of places to find interesting whiskies on your travels. From 2008 to 2019 I was criss crossing around the globe – from Canada to Europe to many parts in Asia. With my travels, I enjoyed exploring curious and quaint places to purchase an interesting dram or two. So it seemed logical to share such discoveries with friends and family in case their path crossed such locations.

Here is one from Munich – Der Weinladen im Schwarzwälder (Black forest wine shop) conveniently located on Hartmannstrasse 8, not far from Marienplatz. Truth be told I was looking for Tara Whisky, but then stumbled across this place and found it utterly charming with very helpful staff. It was during one of my first (of many!) trips to Munich back in November 2017.

Seeing these images today with all the restrictions that life with COVID has brought, I look back on my adventures with a twinge of envy. And at the same time, am quietly amused that was once “novel” is now “normal” as I find myself (mostly) calling Bavaria / Franconia home – with its remarkable forests and easy access to long enjoyable hikes. Even the offerings that seemed at the time “exotic” are now familiar so it was fun to come across the photos I took with great enthusiasm (and little focus) some four years ago.

What whiskies have I picked up there?

  • DeCavo NAS Batch 10, Cask 92 46% – Such an interesting whisky… yet every effort to track down another has been impossible!
  • Forty Three Swiss Highland Single Malt Whisky 43% – An easy going enjoyable dram
  • From Ziegler distillery, I picked the “basic” Aureum Single Malt 43% rather than their experiments maturing with guitar wood in barrels, ex plum brandy or cognac barrels…
  • I also picked up a Finch whisky that I never did get a chance to try… instead it made its way into another Mumbai home to be consumed during the most extreme lockdown when all booze shops were also closed

And beyond whiskies? A few gins and more!

I noted the beautiful bottles of Schnapps – a proud floor to ceiling display of Ziegler specialities. Who could imagine just a few years later I would have the pleasure of going to the distillery and be blown away by their remarkable attention to their craft – be it their schnapps or whisky!

Just in case you happen to be in the area, do check it out:

Want even more Whisky Lady posts? Follow this blog on: