Michel Couvreur Grand Frère

From a virtual tasting of Michel Couvreur on October 21, 2021. This is the fifth whisky sampled. Nose: Bush-fire smoke and peat dominate, accompanied by medicinal brine, citrus, menthol, gunpowder, pipe tobacco, and aged leather. The alcohol is completely undetectable. An outstanding aroma. Palate: A sweet, substantial, and intensely peaty entry unfolds, with the peat enveloping stewed fruits. Notes of chocolate, baking spices, red fruits, walnuts, and chewing tobacco are present. The texture is very pleasing, and the alcohol is imperceptible when enjoyed neat. It integrates wonderfully with water, releasing a burst of flavor with just a few drops. Finish: Medium to long duration. Smoked dates and figs transition into a sherry-tinged aftertaste. I had no prior experience with Michel Couvreur whiskies, but a recent virtual tasting featuring five expressions sparked my curiosity. This particular expression was my favorite alongside another, and in my view, it was considerably better than the others, with one exception. This is a robust peated whisky with a sherry finish, yet it maintains clarity, subtlety, balance, and complexity. It is superb neat, and the high alcohol content is remarkably well-integrated, going completely unnoticed. The palate exhibits a fantastic evolution, progressing through several stages of development. This was a limited release single cask, bottled at cask strength by Barrel & Batch Whisky Co-Op. During the tasting session when the cask was being chosen, one of the Barrel & Batch partners remarked that it resembled the Candid expression's older sibling, and Jean Arnaud (the manager at Michel Couvreur) agreed, stating, "Yes! It is Candid’s grand frère!" – which inspired the name. The spirit used for this expression originated from "an unidentified Islay distillery." Speculation suggests it was Ardbeg, and indeed, it strongly resembles Ardbeg in both smell and taste to my palate – quite similar to Uigedail, in fact. This was the second Michel Couvreur whisky I sampled that I would consider purchasing, but sadly, it's no longer available. Like the Fleeting Q, it cost AUD$225 for a 500ml bottle when it was on the market, and in my estimation, it was well worth the price. A portion of the Barrel & Batch tasting aimed to gauge participants' preferences for the next special cask bottling from Michel Couvreur. The votes were evenly divided between "Fleeting Q" and "Grand Frère." I cast my vote for Fleeting Q, but I would be equally pleased to see a whisky like this one become available again. Very Good: 86/100 (4 stars)