Travelling to Italy, France and … Taiwan!
Europe is on the brink of summer holiday and so we gathered some exotic world whisky samples to have some liquid fun, before we shift to a lower gear with this blog as well. During a four week break, we will publish some summer blogs about this or that, until we return to our regular schedule in August. Today we conclude our final week of regular publications. Where are you going this summer? To Italy perhaps, or France? We will take you there and beyond, to Asia, and clean out our sample drawer!
Puni, no age statement, bottled at 52,8 % abv by Keeble Cask Company
First things first: Interesting to note: this Puni Pot Still Italian Whisky was made from malted barley, malted oat and malted wheat. Some 88 bottles were released. Initial maturation is unknown to me, but the whisky did receive a finish in a PX Octave cask # 1005. Released in 2024.
Upon Sipping: A myriad of smells, the PX influence up front, but also all kinds of grains, which is very logical considering the mash bill. Lots of vanilla, some hints of glue. It also feels a bit spicy, as if the abv is still a bit in the way. We will take care of that, first a sip. Oh, it is incredibly sweet, the PX put a big stamp on it here, and after that mostly alcohol hotness. Waterplay is needed so let’s whip out the pipette. The nose remains more or less the same, like a good American bourbon actually, but the taste becomes all the more accessible. On the finish, it displays an interesting wooded note, but the taste is very sweet. It is of course a rare sight to combine a very American style with the PX-influence. Bourbon is all about vanilla, but this Puni offers more, and makes it an interesting hybrid between what you would be used to from Scottish and American producers. Is there an Italian soul in there? That I could not say. With lots of water, nice floral notes arise, but the main ingredients are dominant and that is good. On the taste, okay, let us agree that it is not too far removed from a nice grappa actually. So, Italian after all.
Word to the Wise: Puni is doing its own thing, so much is clear, and Fragrant Drops were wise to pick up a cask of this to spread to the masses. My sample was not large enough to try, but this mature and rounded whisky would be ideal to pour over ice. Thanks for the sample, Marcel!
Score: 81 points.
Fontagard 2020, single malt Whisky Francais, bottled at 45 % abv
Upon Sipping: Young whisky, matured in a combination of new French oak char 3 and ex-Cognac casks. The series is called “TORB 9121-1” The distillery operates 12 stills and started making whisky in 2018. Now production is increasing. This expression opens nice on lemons, whiffs of smoke and the strong influences of the cask, very reminiscent of the cask program used by the Irish Waterford. Some sour notes but all in all quite impressive for such a young single malt. The tasted is rather sweetened by the cask influences, but light peating has put on an extra layer. The finish is strong and mature, with warm bread, poppy seeds and smoke, yet at the same time smooth as silk. On repeated sipping, I pick up more chocolate notes from the wood, but that feels very pleasant. A lot more mature than the young age would suggest. With water you can release more fruitiness, where some grapes and apples talk the loudest. Highly recommended stuff!
Score: 84 points.
Home Distillers, Distillerie des Bughes, bottled at 46 % abv
Upon Sipping: Most information about the distillery in French here. The product we taste here is a “la gare” edition and 3 years old French single malt matured in new French oak. I like the nose straight off the bat. It has a charming red fruit vibe to it, strawberry yoghurt comes to mind. Sweet mash, corn, grains, but a very bright character. I expected a lot more vanilla from the new wood treatment, but not on the nose. The taste is thin and the sawdust from the new wood is more noticeable, and the whisky crawls closer to an eau-de-vie here, but judging by the pictures I see on the website, the stills used might create this effect. All in all, a very friendly malt, that is close to French distilling heritage like Cognac and Calvados. Less robust than the Fontagard, but equally interesting. (Thanks for these samples, Robbert.)
Score: 80 points.
Freed Malt, Le Young Malt by The Parigny Hills Distillery, bottled at 50 % abv
Upon Sipping: The entire distillery is not entered in the Whiskybase yet. My whisky buddy Rowald did a share of this … stuff. By all the information I can gather about it, I am not sure this is even a whisky, or a spirit drink, or something else entirely. A scheme of maturation in wine casks, former whisky casks and new French oak is mentioned. The smell from the glass is rather grainy, very close to the core ingredient at least, and that has a certain charm. The palate is covered with a strong caramel and praline note, before moving on to a Genever like finish. Not bad at all, but indeed young malt and a far cry from something you would like to drink a bottle of. Still, fun to taste, and it certainly offers a nice range of flavours, but let us end our trip through France here.
Score: 72 points.
Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask, bottled at 40 %
First things first: Kavalan matured in Oloroso, PX, Moscatel casks. The last one is the odd one in the cask make-up, as it is not the type of dessert wine I categorize as a sherry. Bottled in March 2022 at a rather meagre abv.
Upon Sipping: The nose is expressive though, and comes off as a classic early 1970s Scotch single malt, not unlike old Longmorn or Strathisla. Rich in red fruit, lots of cherries and strawberries, and the slightest meaty note. If it is like this at 40 %, it must have been a beast at any higher abv. The taste cannot keep up with the promising nose. A little rough around the edges, with lots of rubber and dry wooded notes. Somehow, this breathes the soul of old, mold infested single malt from Speyside. The dry note is a bit too much, but that won’t stop it from getting a high score. I added a little water and that seems to make the nose even more complex and generous, but I am looking for an effect on the palate. It stays just a tad to dry, but the whisky did suck the soul out of the casks and it makes for an impressive ride. With Kavalan, this might well be a 6 years old, as the maturation goes super quick in Taiwan.
Word to the Wise: One of the world’s best single malt outside of Scotland and Japan. It is a pity that the palate could not keep up with the nose, otherwise this would have been scary good.
Score: 87 points.