Roborel de Climens 2016 Finition Sémillon du Château Doisy-Daëne

Aroma: Apricot, honey, and nearly overripe orange, with an earthy quality and a gentle, light peat smoke. Taste: A delicate and sweet initial impression with malt extract, honey, and ginger oatcakes. The experience evolves to reveal preserved tropical fruits, but its most remarkable aspect is the texture. It's creamy, velvety, oily, and substantial, possessing a mouth-coating richness that evokes dessert wine or PX sherry without the intense sweetness. A hint of peat smoke is also present on the palate, more apparent than in the aroma, yet still mild and restrained. Finish: Medium in length. Fruity, sweet, and malty, fading into a wisp of smoke. This is a recently established company based in Bordeaux. The proprietor is an experienced winemaker who has shifted his focus to whisky creation. The company doesn't produce its own spirit but acts as an independent bottler, sourcing new-make spirit and aging it in carefully selected, high-quality French oak barrels. The aging process involves two stages. Initially, new-make spirit (obtained from a distillery in Uberach, Alsace) is matured in a mix of new and refill French oak barrels (approximately 80% are refill barrels also from the same distillery). This phase lasts 3-4 years, imparting structure and body to the whisky. Subsequently, the whisky undergoes a finishing period of 6-12 months in ex-wine barrels, with each release matured in a specific kind of cask. This particular expression was finished in ex-Semillon barrels from a renowned Sauternes-Barsac Grand Cru Classé. It's important to note that this isn't a dry, light Semillon, but rather an oxidized sweet wine influenced by botrytis. The new-make spirit was also distilled from grain peated to 20ppm (a moderate level by Scottish standards, slightly less than the peat level in Bowmore) and bottled at 46% ABV, which has significantly enhanced the whisky’s presence. Tasted at the Sydney Whisky Show on May 15, 2021, this was my 19th tasting of the day and the final of the four expressions from this brand I sampled. I was quite impressed with this new brand and later learned they offer a broader selection beyond what was showcased at the Whisky Show, including more heavily peated expressions (40ppm) and cask-strength bottlings. At AUD$153 for a 500ml bottle, this is not a budget-friendly whisky but rather an artisan product priced accordingly. It is exceptionally well-made, but whether it justifies the cost would depend entirely on individual preference. Rating: “Very Good”: 85/100 (4 stars)