Clément Gaillard
Yamazaki 1995 The Owner's Cask
54.9%, 70 cl, 2010, Spanish Oak Sherry Butt #5J 3020, 56-S-8-10, For La Maison du Whisky - 420 bottles
Sherry fans will be in heaven with this Yamazaki. It performs a faultless score based on the theme, with notes of leather, walnut, liquorice, clove, pepper and aged balsamic vinegar. Although dry, it does have a certain richness, revealing intense and concentrated dark chocolate. These variations create a slightly extreme but very pleasing experience for those who enjoy the charms of a sherry wine.
58.4%, 70 cl
Rhum Rhum is something of an oddity in the world of rhum agricole. I love its notes of fruit jam (apricot, peach) and citrus (orange) as well as its salty aspect, which will bring Liberation 2012 to mind for fans of the distillery. The palate is a little more woody and spicy, with notes of cinnamon and dried fruit. This is a rum that has no lack of richness and complexity, and reveals a style that is very unique in the Caribbean.
Salvatore Mannino
Hanyu 22 ans 1986 La Part des Anges Closed Distilleries
58,4%, 70cl, Refill Hogshead #2812 - 305 bottles
This outstanding bottling of Hanyu is the work of a small French independent bottler. Part des Anges was founded in 2005 and, with the Closed Distilleries range, has honoured us with a handful of beautiful bottlings from, as you might have guessed, closed distilleries. These include a Port Ellen 1982, a Dallas Dhu 1981 and a rare bottling of Kawasaki 1981 (grain distillery). Released in 2008 when Hanyu was still relatively unknown to enthusiasts, this bottling was an early indicator of Japan’s ability to produce whiskies whose facets and profiles were not always easy to grasp and yet equipped with incredible complexity. It is essential to take your time with this version which continually evolves and reveals a seemingly endless palette of aromas and flavours. The nose is refined and takes us through a bouquet of fruits (exotic and citrus), spices (ginger) and herbs. The palate is more complex than implied by the nose. The fruit is accompanied by more pronounced spices and a rooty, tertiary aspect, with artichoke even appearing when given a long time to breathe. The finish is long, staying with very ripe fruits, spices and the same notes of tobacco. This isn’t just one whisky you have in your glass but a dozen!
62%, 70cl, 2012, Refill Butt #101127 - 517 bottles
Miyagikyo is the Nikka group’s second distillery, founded by Masataka Taketsuru in 1969. While Yoichi is the pinnacle of tradition (coal-fired stills), using a style that echoes that of the Scottish isles, Miyagikyo—which was created at the peak of an intense period of modernization in the world of whisky—is equipped with cutting-edge technology (indirect steam-heated stills, computer operation, etc.) and produces a style more reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. This version takes us to the crossroads of these regions and, while reaffirming the unique characteristics of this single malt that harmoniously combines elegance and character, it also offers surprising saline notes. These are found throughout the tasting, on the nose alongside dried fruits and white florals, and also on the palate, alternating with very ripe fruits and malted barley.
