GLEN GRANT 18 ANS 43°

Ah! Speyside is still a beautiful place and beautiful whiskies.

What are you going to tell me? A Glen Grant! He's laughing at us!

Well, no, because the 18-year-old is worthy of the name with his gold color.

Like all good Speyside, it sends flowers, fruits and vanilla into the nose. Then come the scents of wood and spices that announce a sweet whisky.

This smoothness is found in the mouth. The palate is full of sweet sensations with flavours of grapes, caramel, almost vanilla pastry.

The walk in the forest continues when the aromas return slowly but persistently in the mouth with a base of spices and wood.

In the end, after the apprehension of drinking a Glen Grant (certainly at over 110 €) the pleasure is there. It was nevertheless voted best Scottish single malt in the Bible whisky in 2016 and 2017.

ARDBEG KELPIE 46°

Would you like some peat?

Take a little dram from Ardbeg.

Do you want strong peat?

Take a little dram from Ardbeg Kelpie

With its beautiful straw colour, this whisky has a very complex and multiple nose. First of all, it goes from a light sea breeze to a large peat bog. Like the impression of a smoked fish that has returned to the sea amidst seaweed. You can even find a dark chocolate base there.

Once in the mouth it is a peat festival. We're taking it on our own. A mixture of fish but also smoked bacon with the bitterness of dark chocolate and coffee. When it is kept longer in the mouth, it is the sweetness of the peach that appears.

The finish is worthy of the name. It is long and leaves in the mouth all the power of peat (a little as if you had just swallowed tar). But for all that it looks sweet and creamy!

Nice trip in the middle of a burning bog.

BOWMORE 18 ans 43°

This version of Bowmore is complex. The 18 years spent in bourbon barrels is a success and will delight lovers of this single malt with its full and medium peaty character.

 Amber in colour, it has a rich and subtle nose.

 It opens with the woody notes of an autumn forest (dead leaves and oak from the barrel). Then come the white fleshed fruits, the citrus fruits (lemon). A third nose passage finally brings out the iodized character and the peat that is so dear to the brand.

 If the nose takes time to open its mouth is it expressive. It takes up the notes of the nose, with a marked dominant on sherry. Is made more and more floral, with gourmet notes of chocolate and lemon.

 Here again the Bowmore character returns at length to the finish with smoke, salt and dried flowers.

GLENROTHES SELECT RESERVE 43 °

GLENROTHES whiskies, known for their sweet and fruity taste, are gathered here in a blend of several vintages.

Like the brand's whiskies, the nose of this select reserve brings out cereal, fruit and vanilla notes. You can even find coconut flavours on a second pass.

When it is in the mouth, the flavours are well pronounced. It gives the impression of having an orangette (chocolate and slightly spicy bitter orange).

The finish is quite long and leaves a vanilla taste in the mouth.          

KIRIN FUJI SANROKU BLENDED SIGNATURE 50 °

No, Kirin doesn't just make beer. Its Fuji Gotemba distillery even produces a very good blend.

The signature comes from the blend of whisky made from corn, rye and barley and especially from 4 different types of stills, which gives it great complexity.

Once the strength of 50° has passed, its nose evolves on fruits (pear, pineapple, and citrus fruits).

Its complexity is found above all in the mouth with smooth, sweet biscuit flavours.

The finish is quite long and leaves a vanilla taste in the mouth.

CHITA SINGLE GRAIN 43°

Single Grain from the Suntory brand initially used to make blends. Aged in American white oak barrels.

Nose: Notes of crème brulées, cardamom, acacia honey and rose blossoms.

Palate: Soft and smooth with notes of dried fruit and mint. Then come the aromas of spicy oak and exotic wood.

Opinion: very good whisky, very soft and sweet.

THE BALVENIE PEAT WEEK 14 ans

This Single Malt has a special character because it is one of the first Balvenie to be made from 100% peat barley. A week before the annual cleaning of the stills, the distillery's craftsmen take the opportunity to distil peated barley in order to produce a whisky of a very different style from the one known at The Balvenie.

This week is called Peat Week. At the end of this week, the stills are cleaned and the peat smell disappears and gives way again to the classic profile of the Single Malt The Balvenie... until the next one! This

Single Single Malt is singular and aged for 14 years, hence a certain sweetness that balances the notes of smoke, peat, vanilla and honey.

The palate is velvety and woody and the finish is creamy and honeyed with smoke.

Balvenie which will surprise many people. 

CROFTENGEA LOCH LOMOND DISTILLERIE

Oh, you want some peat? This smoked whisky from the Loch Lomond distillery opens with fresh asphalt, roasted almonds, dried heather and caramelized bacon.

All these are very pronounced flavours linked to a malt spent 10 years in Bourbon and Madeira casks.

Normally used by the Loch Lomond distillery, this highly peaty malt is normally used as a blend component but is in the form of a single malt in a single barrel (drawn at 120 bottles).

MORTLACH DOUGLAS LAING PROVENANCE 8 ANS

A delicious Mortlach. It is an 8-year-old single malt from the distillery's "Beast of Dufftown" range but here bottled as part of Douglas Laing's Provenance range. It is matured for 8 years in Hogshead barrels.

There are hints of lemon taste mixed with plum. The second nose leads us to a grain whisky. In the mouth you can clearly feel the malt, the hops and a little bit the grapes. The finish is long and leaves a vanilla taste in the mouth.

This Speyside is a great success.