Nose:
Big vanilla thrust eventually letting through some ultra-inviting spices. Cinnamon, black peppers and anise are some that I can pick out. Moderate doses of cherry and even blueberries augment the complexity.
Palate:
Creamy and mouthfilling. Cherry interweaved with hedonistic vanilla and just a little cocoa. Spices present but a bit more subdued compared to the nose. Certainly shows its age but the sappiness is on an entirely acceptable level.
Finish:
Estery fruitiness and spicy oak. Very long.
Comment:
Alas! The last drops of this no longer available bottling (made for the French market, I believe). Unlike most Van Winkle products, this is, I understand it, not from the sleeping Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville. No matter its origin, this is a true whiskey beauty. If you happen to see it on an auction or in a dusty corner, make sure you´ll get it. Or better still, tell me so I can grab it. :) In retrospect, I should have bunkered up on this one but I have to be grateful that I managed to own two bottles.
Rating: 8,5/10
Big vanilla thrust eventually letting through some ultra-inviting spices. Cinnamon, black peppers and anise are some that I can pick out. Moderate doses of cherry and even blueberries augment the complexity.
Palate:
Creamy and mouthfilling. Cherry interweaved with hedonistic vanilla and just a little cocoa. Spices present but a bit more subdued compared to the nose. Certainly shows its age but the sappiness is on an entirely acceptable level.
Finish:
Estery fruitiness and spicy oak. Very long.
Comment:
Alas! The last drops of this no longer available bottling (made for the French market, I believe). Unlike most Van Winkle products, this is, I understand it, not from the sleeping Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville. No matter its origin, this is a true whiskey beauty. If you happen to see it on an auction or in a dusty corner, make sure you´ll get it. Or better still, tell me so I can grab it. :) In retrospect, I should have bunkered up on this one but I have to be grateful that I managed to own two bottles.
Rating: 8,5/10
I have a bottle of the same van winkle rye, except the foil is blue. It was made specifically for a french guy and some remaining bottles ended up in a whiskey shop in london. Afraid to open it now with all the van winkle craze.
ReplyDelete-Tamir