After the tour I did of the Warenghem Distillery, we went to the tasting room upstairs in the visitor centre, to taste two drams: the Armorik Sherry Cask reviewed here, and the Armorik Double Maturation.
This single malt, the Armorik Sherry Cask, is matured in first fill ex-oloroso casks made mostly from American oak. It is bottled at 46% abv, non-chill filtered and natural coloured. It is vatted from casks holding whisky being 5 to 8 year-old.
The whisky is deep gold in colour, with heads and legs very slow to form after a swirl.
Nose
Very fruity, with figs, prunes, and red fruits, but not very expressive.
Palate
The first hit is spicy, with cinnamon and a slight touch of ginger. The mouthfeels gets really creamy over time. Notes of dried fruits appear mid-palate and it evolves towards the bitterness of dark chocolate. The sherry is quite strong and maybe a bit overpowered.
Finish
Medium long, the finish is slightly drying, on peppered chocolate.
Comments
A nice entry level single malt in the Armorik core range, but it lacks a bit of complexity due to its young age, the cask may have had a bit too much influence over the spirit.
You can find in French supermarkets an Armorik Sherry Finish, chill-filtered and bottled at 40% abv, but this is not the same whisky, so be careful if you want to buy one!
