Category Archives: Scotland

TBWC 10th Anniversary – Wow! 45 year Grain Blend

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Birthdays can be brilliant good fun! At Paris Whisky Live 2022, That Boutique-y Whisky Company did this in style! It was also SUCH a treat to catch up with That Boutique-y Dave at the stand. I will fully confess to happily monopolizing some of his time whilst exploring their birthday treats!

Blended Grain #1 45 year (2022) Batch #3 44.2% (TBWC 10th Anniversary) GBP 190 for 500ml

  • Nose – Buttery and creamy, subtle warm fruits (white peach?), warm vanilla custard
  • Palate – Wonderful mouthfeel, smooth and sweet… lightly fruity and fabulous, confection
  • Finish – More soft vanilla and cream

I had no idea what to expect…. and was blown away. It was absolutely delicious!

I’ve had only a few whiskies above 40 years and this was my first experience with a grain blend of such a vintage. To add to the unique and “once in a lifetime” element is this blend is from two closed distilleries: North of Scotland and Carsebridge.

North of Scotland was a  Lowland grain distillery in production only from 1958 to 1980. In its short 22 year history it was “thought to be one of the more flavoursome grain whiskies” with higher congeners in the spirit cut.

Whereas Carsebridge (aka Scottish Grain Distillers) can trace its history back to the 1790s, converted in 1852 to a grain distillery, in its heydey possibly the largest Lowland grain producer. Closing its doors in 1983, increasingly rare aged releases can still be found.

What more do we know? Here is what the folks at TBwC have to say in their official tasting notes:

  • Nose – Gentle, with vanilla, white chocolate and a touch of coconut,. Fresh sawdust, tinned peaches. Icing sugar.
  • Palate – Fresh and fruity. Kiwis, blood oranges, a touch of mango. Jaffa cakes, vanilla and soft oak tannins. Delicious, like only old grains can be!

And would I agree? You betcha! What a fabulous experience to taste this piece of history.

Their brilliant cheeky “That Boutique-y Whisky Company” 10th Anniversary special drams:

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – ATOM Brands

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My Paris Whisky Live 2022 VIP wanderings moved on to Atom Brands section – with their “fan favourite” That Boutique-y Whisky Company 10th anniversary selections then the newer Darkness range of intensely sherried whiskies.

Their brilliant cheeky “That Boutique-y Whisky Company” 10th Anniversary special drams:

From their new “Darkness” range, dedicated to intensely sherry whiskies, I tried:

As for their peaty whiskies? I knew it was too early in the day for me to explore, however, my lovely tasting companion and her exceptional chocolatier friend dipped into the smokey side and were raving about the Octomore!

Which inspired me to return just before leaving to check out the “Character of Islay” duo:

  • Ardbeg 15 year (2004) 54.9% (Character of Islay) GBP 315
  • Octomore 9 year (2011) 50% (Character of Islay) GBP 187

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – Valinch + Mallet

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What fun! Another independent bottler! This time via friends from Italy – Davide Romano and Fabio Ermoli – who founded Valinch & Mallet in 2015. I was tipped off that these guys were a “must-visit” at Paris Whisky Live 2022‘s VIP section… and while I only sampled two whiskies would certainly take more time to explore more the next opportunity!

I asked Fabio for guidance – something classic and unpeated…. he immediately knew to direct my attention to the Linkwood and Knockdu / anCnoc. What did I find with a light sniff and swish?

Linkwood 11 year (2010/2022) Sherry Cask #134 53.4% (Valinch + Mallet) 550 Bottles

  • Colour – Glowing amber
  • Nose – Remarkably heavy nose, wood
  • Palate – Burst of flowers, then juicy fruits, heavy and spicy hot
  • Finish – Sweet and sustained

This was no light, sprightly stroll in the park, it was a full-flavoured fruity, floral frolic in a hot summer garden. Nothing shy or subdued, just sheer summery exuberance bursting from the glass.

Knockdhu 9 year (2012/2022) 52.6% Bourbon Hogshead Cask #71537 (Valinch + Mallet) 376 Bottles

  • Colour – Light gold
  • Nose – Very fruit-forward, light, honey sweet
  • Palate – Fruity and fab! Balanced
  • Finish – Lovely and lingering

While young, it was fruity and joyful, a great reminder of how much I have enjoyed anCnoc whiskies over the years.

I enjoyed my wee sample and think it is well worth keeping an eye on these folks!

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The Fierce Ledaig 15+ year

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The last La Maison du Whisky’s Artist Series #12 at Paris Whisky Live 2022 I sampled was a move to Tobermoray distillery with a heavily peated whisky. I knew this was the one to close – after this, anything subtle or nuanced would be lost without a proper palate cleanser! And it didn’t disappoint!

What more do the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy of Google translate)?

  • Nose : rich, concentrated. Particularly intense and evocative, the first nose reveals a rather dry compact peat, rooty and at the same time of great elegance. Then, aromas of cherries in eau-de-vie and apricot highlight the quality of aging in sherry casks, very well integrated. Allowed to breathe, the aromatic palette becomes increasingly heady (lily, freesia), exotic (mango, persimmon) and superbly chocolaty. The whole shows a radiant harmony.
  • Appearance : orange copper.
  • Palate : lively, tempestuous. Percussive, the attack on the palate is a faithful synthesis of the nose. Very quickly, however, an increasingly chocolatey and above all more saline peat takes things in hand. In the mid-palate, it takes on medicinal (arnica), camphorated, animal (bacon) and empyreumatic (sandalwood, chimney fire) tones. The finish suggests a distillate with fruity (raspberry) and lemony flavors.
  • Overall : long, deep. Marked by notes of slightly damp earth, the start of the finish is subtly floral (poppy, cornflower, violet). The peat has calmed down, becoming more liquoricey and finely peppery. With its flavors of curry and ylang-ylang, the aftertaste is undeniably oriental. In the retro-nasal olfaction, once again very present, peat occupies the center of the palate, allowing the deliciously sweet juice of a ripe apricot to flow. The empty glass is nobly spiced (cardamom, saffron, ginger)

And this concludes my journey through the Artist Series #12 with:

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The beautiful Bowmore 20+ year

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The 5th La Maison du Whisky’s Artist Series #12 at Paris Whisky Live 2022 was an absolute stunner! What a beautiful Bowmore… read on….

Bowmore 20+ year (2001/2022) 1st Fill Sherry Cask No 102 54.8% (LMdW Artist Collection #12) 665 Bottles. Eur 999

  • Nose – Sweet marshmallows on a campfire
  • Palate – Fabulous silk, salted caramel, then chocolate, smoky and sweet
  • Finish – Delicious! More fruit than fire

Elegant and incredibly special – this Bowmore was such a treat! I truly wished I could have sat down and enjoyed this one in a much more leisurely way than a simple sniff and swish!

What more do the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy of Google translate)?

  • Nose : both rich and subtle. On the first nose, notes of particularly oily peat (olive), saline (shellfish) as well as a delicate smoke strongly imbue the taster’s olfactory memory. Allowed to breathe, fresh fruit (pear, apple), dried fruit (walnut, almond), dark chocolate and citrus fruit (lemon, grapefruit) accompany delicious spices (cardamom, green pepper, clove). Gradually, the nose evolves towards exotic tones (kiwi, pineapple, passion).
  • Appearance : intense golden yellow.
  • Palate : racy, airy. Full of dynamism, the attack on the palate is marked by a more herbaceous peat, liquorice but also drier (twigs), which has lost none of its magnificent initial maritime character. Revealing notes of vanilla and wax (lustrous wood), the mid-palate gradually becomes tenderly chocolatey and minty. Both crunchy and luscious, the finish is fruity (Mirabelle plum, pears).
  • Overall : long, refined. Wonderfully malty and iodized, the start of the finish evokes a sunny cove. Over time, the fragrant curls of a Havana cigar float in the ambient air suddenly refreshed by a sea breeze. Gourmet, the retro olfaction reveals notes of prune cake, but also lemon meringue pie. The empty glass is intensely peaty, medicinal (balm) and camphoric.

I absolutely adored this one! 

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The Bunnahabhain 40+ year

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At approx 44 years, every element of this whisky expressed its age…. it was a treat to have this wee teasing taste! All I could wish is perhaps one of these years to have a focused evening of just LMdW Artist Collection whiskies, not mixed in as mere sniffs and sips with hundreds of other experiences!

Here is what the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy of how Google translates)….

  • Nose : ample, deep. Incredibly fresh, the initial nose is at once vanilla, lemony, minty and honeyed (acacia). After aeration, a green and rural landscape emerges. Dandelion flowers, scents of buttercup and honeysuckle divinely perfume the surrounding atmosphere. Farther away from the aromatic palette remains the imprint of a diaphanous peat. Wonderful.
  • Appearance : old gold with green reflections
  • Palate : rich, concentrated. Remarkably saline, the attack on the palate is marked by flavors of glasswort and green liquorice. Slender, the mid-palate reveals an invigorating malty bitterness. Then, spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) spread voluptuously on each side of the palate. Gradually, fine particles of soot and dust appear.
  • Overall : long, fresh. Adorned with a delicate exoticism (pineapple, plantain), the start of the finish recalls the liquorice stick glimpsed on the attack, which closely links these two tasting sequences. Infused with plants (chamomile, sage), the aftertaste takes on bright green hues. Resplendent with maturity, the retro-nasal olfaction evokes blocks of dry peat rich in silt and algae. From the empty glass escape aromas of precious wood, hemp and dark chocolate.

Curiously I didn’t mention much peat influence in my notes, however, with a quick sniff and swish, this isn’t surprising to miss certain elements – particularly when in a “mass” tasting environment.

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The glorious Glenrothes 25+ year

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Glenrothes 25+ year (1995/2022) 1st Fill Sherry Cask No 6983 55.5% (LMdW Artist Collection #12) 448 Bottles. Eur 795

  • Nose – Delicious older fruits, rich dried figs – a clear full sherry, chased by chocolate and red currents
  • Palate – Heavy, mature, tobacco, slightly imbalanced
  • Finish – Resinous

This was a heavy, dark, rich dram… at approx 27 years, it packed a punch. With a simple sniff and swish, I wouldn’t even presume to have captured all the facets of this whisky so, instead, turn your attention to what the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy of how Google translate)….

  • Nose : Rich, unctuous. With a pure classicism and radiant beauty, the initial nose reveals notes of dried fruit (date, fig), chocolate, black liquorice and camphor. Allowed to breathe, orange zest, heady flowers (lily, iris), caramel and sweet spices (cinnamon, ginger) form an olfactory sequence of great depth. As a highlight, red fruits (strawberry, raspberry) nuance the aromatic palette with their scarlet tones.
  • Appearance : Orange copper
  • Mouth : Rich, very balanced. Marked by a very nice apricot and roasted rancio (coffee), the attack in the mouth is very much like malted barley. Gourmet (porridge, coffee éclair), the mid-palate invites you to revel in juicy white peaches. The slightly rough skin of these peaches brings a lot of smoothness to the taste palette. Radiant and mature, on the chromatic level, the end of the mouth has taken on very beautiful brown hues (tobacco, carpet of dry leaves).
  • Overall : Long, finely tannic. At the start of the finish, flavors of currants go perfectly with malted barley grains. Juicy (squeezed orange) and at the same time caramelised, the aftertaste lingers on with notes of curry and grated ginger. Finely woody, the retro-nasal olfaction also reveals a subtle fruitiness (wild strawberry). The empty glass is empyreumatic (burning cigar), cocoa and floral (hyacinth, peony).

What an interesting experience however I had no idea this Glenrothes was retailing for Eur 800 – yikes!

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The intense Benrinnes 10+ year 58.1%

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Benrinnes over 10 year (2011/2022) 1st Fill Sherry Cask No 307205 58.1% (LMdW Artist Collection #12) 660 Bottles EUR 198

  • Nose – Heavy dates, prunes, such a clear sherry influence!
  • Palate – Intense, almost too much – at least for so early in the day! Resinous, nutty, very active
  • Finish – Curious….

Overall this was a tough one for me… I’ve had mixed experiences with Benrinnes, however mostly very positive – such as the remarkably rustic 19 year, an earlier Artist Series 20 year with its rusty metallic and sweet character, and the less interesting 24 year.

I strongly suspect this is the kind of whisky you don’t want to have just a quick sniff and swish…  it was such a short brush I honestly didn’t discover even a fraction of what was described in the official tasting notes.

What more do the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy google translate)?

  • Nose : rich, deep. Very complex, the initial nose reveals an endless amount of apricot rancio, notes of beeswax, linden honey, heady flowers (hyacinth, pansy), toffee, Turkish delight, chocolate milk, sweet spices (cumin, ginger), fresh coriander, candied orange, melon, camphor, verbena, toasted walnuts, carnation, malted barley grain…
  • Appearance : orange copper with mahogany reflections
  • Palate : ample, unctuous. With a very pleasant delicacy to the touch, the attack on the palate is apricot, chocolate, tertiary (mushrooms, mousse) and balsamic (cough candy, pine). Gourmet, the mid-palate oscillates between flavors of mocha, gingerbread, salted butter caramel and melon ice cream. Then, gradually, dried fruits (chestnuts, chestnuts, walnuts) rub shoulders with fermentation notes (grist) as well as exotic fruits (mango, banana, pineapple).
  • Overall : long, full of liveliness. At the start of the finish, the notes of cough candy and pine resin come back in force and bring a very pleasant freshness to the taste palette. Then, flavors of candied apricot, geranium flower and ginger bring both a lot of smoothness and dynamism to the aftertaste. On the retro-nasal olfaction, notes of still-warm brioche and Paris-Brest emphasize the delicious character of the finish. The empty glass is liquoricey, oily (sesame, sunflower) and cocoa.

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LMdW Artist Series #12 – The delightful Clynelish 30+ year 47.7%

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Clynelish over 30 year (1990/2022) Ex Bourbon Cask No 3477 47.7% (LMdW Artist Collection #12) 137 Bottles. Highlands. Eur 350

  • Nose – Citrus perfume, then orchard fruits of pear, lightly waxy, sweet vanilla, delicate and nuanced
  • Palate – Lovely with a surprising depth, delicious and beautiful
  • Finish – Clean and fruity

An enchanting dram, classically styled. Perfection!

What more do the folks at LMdW have to say (courtesy of how Google translated)?

  • Appearance : Deep gold.
  • Nose : Fine. Magnificently herbaceous (hay, cut) and fruity (pineapple, banana), the first nose opens quickly with notes of wax that instantly plunge into the “Clynelish” universe. Allowed to breathe, new fruits (pear, apple) appear as well as particularly subtle aromas of vanilla and green liquorice. Increasingly creamy (semolina, rice pudding), the aromatic palette is also peppery, saline almost medicinal (balm, camphor) and lemony.
  • Palate : Dense, balanced. Overflowing with naturalness, with its malty and lemony flavors, the attack on the palate is intimately linked to the aromatic palette. Haughty and luminous, the mid-palate reveals extremely delicate floral notes (lily of the valley, white lilac, rose petal). Very pleasantly saline, the end of the mouth evokes a rural seaside landscape. Thus, at the bend of a bend, we can see the Clynelish and Brora distilleries.
  • Overall : Delicate, serene. Just as marvelously green and saline, the start of the finish shows a honeyed sweetness (acacia) of incredible smoothness. Exotic (coconut, pineapple) and praline, the aftertaste invites you to savor succulent courgette flower fritters. On the retro-nasal olfaction, noble spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) bring a lot of energy to the finish. At once milky, fruity (banana) and rooty (gentian), the empty glass restores the ethereal character of this venerable version.

How fabulous to have a chance to try such a gem!

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – Artist Series #12 Intro

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A few years ago, I was introduced to La Maison du Whisky’s Artist Series at Singapore Whisky Live‘s VIP section – what a treat! It was experiences like this that convinced me to purchase a VIP ticket for at least one day at Paris Whisky Live was the way to go!

So I knew it was well worth braving the crowd around this booth to sample the different delights on offering – ranging from Eur 198 to Eur Eur 2,395 per bottle!

So, what is the Artist range all about? Was there a theme this year? And what about the guest artist?

La Maison du Whisky created this series to explore special Scottish vintages – from 10, 15, 20, 25 to 30 years… with this year adding a 40+ year to the mix. Started in 2011, 2022 introduced the 12th edition.

As for a theme? LMdW described it as “Andulasian Tropism“…. unlike previous editions where there was a split ex-bourbon and ex-sherry, this year focused almost exclusively on ex-sherry casks – with the Clynelish the one exception (hence why it was clearly the place to begin!)

The guest artist selected was Gesine Arps, who is a painter, sculptor and poet born in Hannover, Germany in 1964. As they explain:

Guided by a dreamy and sensual meditation, her works in luminous hues, enhanced with natural pigments, crystal powder, gold and silver leaf, combine with all the freedom of dreamlike plant motifs, animal figures, human silhouettes and multiple symbols. From her colorful and shimmering canvases emerges a peaceful, warm vitality, which invites you to take a voluptuous poetic stroll.

My journey through the Artist Series #12 took the following order:

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