Origin: Bretagne (France)
Type: Single Malt Breton Whisky
Strength: 46%ABV
Ageing casks: Breton Virgin Oak and ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Distillerie Warenghem
Average price: € 46.00
Official website: armorik.bzh
Vote: 84/100
There’s a lot of talk these days about terroir, a concept used predominantly in wine but which some are beginning to apply to whisky as well.
In a nutshell, it embodies the territorial peculiarities of the raw material linked to the microclimate and soil in which it’s cultivated: grapes for wine, barley (or in any case grains) for whisky.
More than a few believe this to be a stretch, given the profound difference between the two products: vineyards remain in the soil for years if not decades, while grains are sown and harvested season by season.
Be that as it may, for whisky terroir is seen above all as the territoriality of the product, in a more peculiar way than the simple subdivision of Scotch into regions: here the influence of the specific harvesting and/or production area is sought, if not of the individual farm.
This bottling represents the Warenghem distiller’s sense of terroir. They aged the whisky for several (unquantified) years in Breton oak casks acquired from the region’s last cooper, before refining it in former Oloroso Sherry casks. Whisky made, of course, from local barley.
It’s therefore their most representative bottle, even more so than the Classic, a true calling card (or bottle) for the distillery.
Tasting notes
Gold with copper highlights in the glass.
An initial herbaceous inflexion on the nose soon opens the door to a sweeter, fruitier profile of apples, pineapple and mango, with vanilla, caramel, a drop of maple syrup, and lemony inflections. Malt and a hint of spice in the background. Delicate and pleasant, it tends to become warmer over time, with more spicy tones (nutmeg, sandalwood).
Very creamy in the mouth, with a good spiciness (chilli, ginger) which stands out on the notes of malt and fruit (cooked plum, orange, sultanas), honey, vanilla and hints of liquorice and cocoa. It tends to become sharper over time, with a touch of rhubarb and a certain savouriness. Wood.
The finish is quite long and salty with caramel, liquorice and gingerbread.
Interesting double maturation, the characteristics of both casks can be perceived in a solid and structured whisky, perhaps with a few too many edges, but which shows good balance and personality at a price that can only be an invitation to taste.
Other perspectives:
The Whiskey Jug