The View from the Golden Promise is a chance to see the bottles under the hammer at finespirits.auction in a new light. To give you this fresh perspective, we’ve called on two experts from the Golden Promise Whisky Bar, Clément Gaillard and François Piriou.
For every new sale, they will share their thoughts on their favourites in the catalogue.
Nestled in the Montorgueil district of Paris, the Golden Promise bar is split into two areas: The first a cocktail bar and the second dedicated to tasting rare whiskies. More than 1,000 bottlings—most of which are almost impossible to find elsewhere—are available in the speakeasy style cellar.
FRANÇOIS’ SELECTION
Aberlour 25 years 1964 Of. bottled 1989 43%, 75 cl :
Who hasn’t heard of Aberlour? For us, the whiskies from the distillery (owned by Pernod Ricard) are omnipresent. The most accessible versions are easy to find among large retailers and the more advanced expressions from any specialist retailer worth their salt. One of the reasons behind the distillery’s excellent reputation is the handful of outstanding bottlings that quickly promoted Aberlour to the upper echelons of sherry cask malts alongside the likes of the legendary Macallan. And what better example than this stunning Aberlour 1864? A whisky with perfectly integrated sherry that reveals notes of walnut, leather, blonde tobacco, polished wood and candied citrus fruit. Although Aberlour’s reputation is already well-established, a little reminder of what is has to offer from time to time never did any harm!
The Akkeshi Of. Peated bottled 2020 Kanro 55%, 70 cl :
What more can we say about this new bottling of Akkeshi, except that it is a wonderful ambassador for Japanese whisky! Although still relatively young (the distillery only began operations in 2016), this single malt is in no way immature. It has everything you could want and its perfect balance reflects the master distiller’s incredible dexterity and skill, worthy of the greatest clockmakers. The oily texture and aromas of red fruit, ash, salt and dark chocolate create a naturally elegant malt. A particularly successful first release that suggests a very promising future for this young Hokkaido distillery...
CLÉMENT’S SELECTION
Caol Ila 12 Year Old Ila Import 43%, 75cl :
As the good weather returns, I can’t resist the urge to write a few lines about this Caol Ila from the late 1960s. It reminds me of the beaches of northern France, on a particularly sunny day, with its notes of iodine and yuzu, and subtle smoke. Abundantly coastal, mineral and medicinal, it’s a great reminder of warm sand and summer holidays. Art enthusiasts will recognize the colours of Manet’s On The Beach painted in Berck-sur-Mer in 1873 and held at the Musée d’Orsay.
Bowmore 1956 Soffiantino Import 43%, 75cl :
I was kicking myself for a long time for not tasting this Bowmore when first offered the chance in Japan, a mistake I have luckily since corrected. It combines the exoticism and marine character of the great Bowmores with tertiary, medicinal and peaty notes. Less innocent than most Bowmore malts from the following decade which offer straightforward exoticism, its fruity character seems to have been sculpted and worked by all of these nuances to produce a whisky with boundless complexity.
