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Sampled a French whisky... Amaethon single cask.
French barley, French barrels.. Very bread-like.. pastry and cereal notes. Enjoyable and felt quite 'french' in spirit somehow.
I somehow suspect that it wouldn't taste "French" in a blind tasting! 😜
It's amazing what things the mind can evoke when promoted.
I'd be curious to try this.
It initially tastes like it hates you, but then you realise it's just its character and it's quite nice underneath
Its just silly as now I wouldn't dream of buying Black Barrell at RRP. Or Three Swallows. Definitely not Rebreast 12 which has sneaked up to 70 quid…
My local offie, which has a great selection, has pushed Yellow Spot up to 110…not a chance.
Before MUP they used to discount the entry level to €17 or 18. These are the best sellers. After MUP that's €4-5 of a discount that they were willing to offer but can't; so to make up for it they offer better discounts on the rest of their range. That's my take on it anyway, the discounted prices of 3 Swallow, Black Barrel etc have never been better than the last year or two. The RRP is going up with inflation but the discounts get better.
What is Foxes Bow like? What would it be comparable to value wise?
The power of branding! If they were trying to do a peat monster it would be a more uphill struggle.
Reminded me of Cotswold whisky.
Foxes Bow is a Grand quirky drop at €25-30 but not a hope at €36-39 .Its got a different edge due to Rye or something ? I’d normally avoid ‘American ‘ but I think its meant to be a bit less of an ‘Irish’ Irish possibly aimed at ‘younger’ market .All sounds pretty ghastly but turns out well in the end .SuperValu has it for €25 a few times a year .From same crew as Proclamation and Grace OMalley .Same price / value point as Three Swallows and a host of other 35-45 euro offerings like Three Earls ,Writers Tears , Dubliner etc etc etc I reckon .Lots of competition at the price but worth a shot
Couple more French whisky tastings before I head home.
Brenne single malt: All bottles from a single cask, and this is - as seems the norm here - french barley, from Cognac, and then a finish in ex Cognac barrels. Slightly regret not grabbing a bottle, would recommend this at the price point (40-60 euro) and compare it to Lambay Island, if anyone's a fan of that.
Evade: Tried their non peated and also peated. Double distilled, French barley again, non chill filtered and youngest juice here is 3 years, oldest 5 I think. The non peated is aged in a real medley of barrels, everything from ex bourbon, red wine to Cognac. Pleasant but somewhat jumbled. The peated is ex bourbon, Heavens Hill, and mildly peated. Think Dark Silkie levels. Lower price point than the Brenne, 35-40.
Came home with a Maison Kuentz whisky that's an unknown quantity but was well recommended by the lovely lady facilitating my tasting. "Monsieur Kuentz" will be evaluated at a later date.
I didn't know it was connected to the Grace O'Malley people. I thought it was a few younger people trying to develop a brand themselves.
I was extremely wary as I hate Paddy
But my God tis a grand drop 😁
Is the Paddy’s Share on offer now in SV ? It is smashing stuff at 47% and all Sherried up !
is the new Aldi Ardfallen triple cask much different from the standard stuff at 25 vs 23 euro ? West Cork I presume ?
If it's stocked and stock left yeah… offer runs until 25th. Dunno if all Super Valus actually stock it, so watch out for that.
https://shop.supervalu.ie/sm/pickup/rsid/309/product/paddys-share-irish-whiskey-47-70-cl-id-1813905000
25.97 at moment
So, the Maison Kuentz Fin de Partie.
Cognac, PX, ex bourbon and sherry finish. So another mish mash, but this carries it off very well.
Jim Murray scored this 94 out of 100, I see from his 2025 whisky bible. Commented on the exceptional balancing act here of maltiness and sweetness. Guess my French host really knew her French whisky after all.
I opened a Takisker 10 for the first time last night. Very impressed with it actually.
The new one is from Old Carrick Mill I believe.
That's a bit of a change. I might check it out. I really enjoyed their triple wood single malt (which was sourced, of course).
It's €50 in Tesco until mid October, keep in mind for when you need to restock :)
There's a 10 y/o Ardfallen launching in a month or two also. Not sure where that is coming from
Yeah, I noticed that in one of the weekend magazines.
Tis grand. Fierce cheap with a nectar card from Sainsbury's think it was €27
Bushmills 15 Year Old currently £40 on Amazon. Anyone tried it?
No idea but at that price I couldn't pass up on it. Thanks for the heads up.
Can't get Amazon to deliver whiskey to kildare. How are you managing it
16 year old?
Actually have you a link to this can't find it on Amazon
UK or NI delivery only on alcohol though. You need to change your delivery address to a UK/NI one for it to show.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bushmills-Single-Whiskey-Bourbon-Finished/dp/B0D1SKG7BV
