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 They’ve now chosen a 30 yr outdated brandy from France.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 commonly known as early landed, referring to Hine cognac, which was the one model that bought an exception to the requirement to bottle all cognac inside its origin. Grande Champagne tells us sufficient although. We’ve seen comparable 1993 releases from the Thompson Brothers and The Whisky Company as an example.
French Brandy 30 yo 1993 – Grande Champagne (46,3%, WhiskyNerds 2024, cask #35, 159 btl.)
Nostril: a number 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 containers. Then some cinnamon and outdated leather-based, armchairs in addition to a touch of verbena tisane.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 Then again to mocha, some liquorice extract and outdated wooden.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, moderately elegant however on the verge of turning into overoaked. Wooden oils, and cigar containers with bitter chocolate and late mentholated notes.
A really wealthy and daring type, hesitating in the direction of magnificence however all the time taken over by the extra rustic aspect. On the one hand you might evaluate it to a heavyweight PX sherry cask in whisky, however alternatively it has little or no sweetness and much more wooden on the whole. A pleasant expertise however a tad excessive. Retailers might be discovered on the WhiskyNerds web site.
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