Bastille 1789 Blended Whisky

This is a really surprising whiskey. It starts off fruity, but quickly develops some peat and smoke flavors that pervade the drink. It's still definitely sweet. This drink is amazingly rich and balanced at its reasonable price. It's on the sweet side for sure, but its balance of incredible. I recommend this whiskey above most others on the ground that it hits most targets with success. Beyond the peat, smoke, and sweetness, there is richness (which is in part due to the other categories) and a surprising amount of variety. Some fruity notes like banana come through, but they can't overwhelm the honest and true representative flavors here. This is proof that the regular order can be disrupted. At its price this whiskey is a tremendous bargain. It's like a sweeter and fruitier Highland Park 18 with a bit less unification of character. So maybe an Oban? The mineral notes are very strong here. They come with some fruity sweetness and are backed by peaty smoke. There isn't enough sweetness though and the flavors are not sufficiently balanced. There is a lot going on here, but the flavors are less then brilliant. There isn't any gross alcohol flavor that causes problems, but the mineral and floral flavors combine with a celery-like vegetal flavor in a way that makes it taste a bit like Scotch mixed with gin and tequila. I don't love this wiskey, but it isn't bad; it just is confusing. Floral, mineral, and fruit are strong in this. It's sweet, but does have some depth and richness to it. It's good if you drink gin or tequila first, but compared to almost any Scotch, it tastes young and ill-conceived despite its balance of Highland Scotch flavors. There are some notable flaws here, but for $25 you could do so, so much worse. In the right context, there is actually a supreme amount of balance here, either with sweetness when compared with a rich Scotch or with smoke when compared with a mild gin. What's weird about this drink is that when it tastes good, all of the flavors taste good. When it tastes bad, there is just mineral flavor everywhere. There is some depth here and there are also some good flavors, but all that can be confirmed is that in some cases the net flavor of this drink is quite good. When the net flavor is good, this drink is quite good.

A strong nose is here, contrasted by a very soft palate. I'm noticing a smokiness with orange on the nose. The orange note is pretty sweet, similar to a candy. I'm instantly reminded of a scotch. This continues on the palate. The flavor on the palate is not as evident. Whats on the nose is there but it continues with some nuttiness and quite a bit of leather. The flavors calm down until the finish where the oak and leather come though. It's thin. Could be considered smooth with a very low proof. Nothing about this is necessarily bad. But as mentioned, it's thin. It cam be described as similar to a scotch. Not super flavorful, but can be easy to sip. An average pour. Middle of the road would work as a description.

I like this French blend of malted barley and wheat whiskies. It comes across much like a lightly smoked blended Scotch whisky---nothing like an American bourbon or rye, or a Canadian. (I don't mean to imply they are copying Scotch, just giving you a notion of what you are getting.) Using a variety of second fill casks from both wines and spirits gives hints of ripened fruits, honey, spice, a touch of smoke, and a definite cognac edge. The finish is medium and slightly astringent on the end. This is well worth trying if you can find it. It isn't overly expensive, but does not seem to be very widely distributed.

French whiskey — who knew? Kind of sweet, kind of fruity, kind of medicinal, kind of unique whiskey profile. It leans more toward Canadian whiskey with a touch of brandy. It’s a lighter cousin of Sexton, the Irish brandy. Definitely nice chilled and shared with a couple of friends. Not bad, not great. The fruit taste does remain. Maybe mix with a light ginger ale. Goes well with California rolls.

Quite unique nose, it’s a woody sweetness that apparently is characteristic of French oak. The palate is slightly less interesting, it has more of a fruity sweetness with the French oak taking a back seat. The finish is really nice, and sweet but a bit short. Finish sweetness is reminiscent of vanilla cake

Smells mostly like fruit and sherry. Super light and sweet. Tastes like it too. Flavors are okay, but if you blindfolded me and told me this was sherry I'd believe you. It doesn't taste cheap, which saves it, but I don't care for it at all.