Nose: Lemon juice, herbal cigarettes, brine, peach, apricot, fruity-cereal notes, honey, vanilla and distant wood-fire smoke. A particularly crisp and sweet nose. Palate: A sweet, light entry with a trace of smoke. Stewed fruits, vanilla, fresh oysters off the rock (!), honey and some mild earthy notes as it develops. A very pleasant light texture - bright but not watery. Finish: Medium/long. Fruity, sweet and peaty with a lingering sweet smoke aftertaste. This is one of the more unusual malts I've tasted. It's crisp, light and fruity overall but for a bright profile it's not particularly spirity. At first I was not impressed, but over time I came to appreciate it. It has many aspects that bring to mind Lagavulin 8 year old - that same citrus/smoke profile and bright but assertive body. The colour is very pale and it reminded me in some ways of some sweet, bright young cask-strength Highland Park expressions I've tasted. On first taste you could be forgiven for wondering if there is any peat-reek at all. It is certainly there, but it's a sweet and gentle smoke more like mild aromatic pipe tobacco than oily peat, and it's dominated by the citrus fruit notes. This is absolutely not a peat monster by any stretch of the imagination. Even though this is called the tourbé (ie "peaty") expression, my advice is to forget all about peat when tasting it and approach it without any expectations. In that context it will present as a light, fruity malt at first, but gradually the smoky notes will become noticeable. It's a more than acceptable malt and for the money it's good value. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)
About this bottle
Clocking in around 45ppm of phenol, Tourbé (meaning "peat") is the peatiest expression in the G. Rozelieures collection. The distillery's farm grows three varieties of barley to distill: sébastian, etincel, and esterel and they use spring-fed water from the nearby Vosges Mountain. Double-distilled in classic Charentes pot stills, the whisky benefits from double maturation in ex-bourbon casks followed by a finishing in local new Lorraine oak. Note: Also known as Rozelieures Black Peated Single Malt after the black foil on the top of its bottle.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 5 parsed reviews.
“The messy break up” It’s like a previously friendly Irish pot still developed a vengeful grudge for you. Could pass for an 8-12yo but no age stated Nose: (First off pour) paint thinners and sweet fresh tobacco. Let it sit in glass 5-10mins 1tsp water Medicinal / vanilla Fresh herbal something dark in the back Baked zucchini? Mossy earth note Light Irish toffee Sweet barley (Irish pot still style) Lemon juice Floral Arrival: Gentle with only a little spice Like a concentrated white wine Syrupy Soft peat influence Toffee Development: Sour.... grapefruit pith Lemon peel You really taste the grainy barley Finish: Lingering dry Clove Warm sour dry. Great value for a very unique whiskey I like it!
Rozelieur signe encore un très bon Whisky avec cette version tourbée. Je préfère quand même la version fumée
Peated, but not overwhelmingly so, a rich fruity taste develops after the smoke. Excellent
Good frenchie reminds me of langatun
Tastes like this
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.
