Origin: Bretagne (Francia)
Type: Breton Whisky
Strength: 43%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Cognac and ex-Scotch
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Distillerie des Menhirs
Average price: € 80.00
Official website: www.distillerie.bzh
Vote: 84/100
A limited edition for the buckwheat whisky from the Breton Distillerie des Menhirs, which has decided to give its distillate a peated touch by adding to the five years in the usual ex-cognac casks that form the basis of the Silver another two in casks that have contained peated Scotch whisky (not specified).
Another experiment from a distillery that certainly doesn’t shy away from novelty, although it’s not the first time that heterodox methods were used to give a peaty touch.
And I am curious to see how it works with this very special distillate.
Tasting notes
The nose has that sour note that is somewhat Eddu’s signature, suspended between yeast bread, grapes, green apple, muscovado sugar and lime. At times reminiscent of a weiss beer. Peeled almonds, pear, citrus fruits. Something different is perceived in the background, a faint spicy note (cumin) that embraces a very thin thread of smoke, which perhaps would not be perceived blindly, so faint is it. But it is there, so much so that it acquires substance over time while remaining in the background.
On the palate, the peat is more evident but more evenly interwoven with spices and fruit, bringing a coastal (Islay?) smoke to caress pear, apple, grapefruit, anise, bread crust and caraway. The mix of sweet and acid appears more calibrated, supported by the peat component that seems to act as a catalyst smoothing out the excesses, with a balsamic vein running through the evocations.
The finish is quite long, reflecting the sensations on the palate but with a greater ashy incidence.
An interesting twist, adding body and depth with new intriguing nuances, in a successful marriage that reaffirms the personality of a unique distillate.