Évadé Peated

A while back I remember reading that France had recently gotten into the single malt game, and sure enough it turned out they made a peated one. It was something on my wishlist for a while and eventually Fine Drams had enough whiskies in stock that I wanted but didn’t want quite enough to just go ahead and order on their own so I ordered this. Looking forward to seeing what France has to offer, specifically the different stills (apparently the kind used for Congnac distillation), and the peat evidently being from Hamburg.

Évadé Peated, France Single Malt, 43% ABV

Minutia: Double distilled in Charente stills and aged four to seven years in ex-bourbon (Heaven Hill) barrels and American oak. It’s unclear if that means bourbon AND other casks made of American oak or just American oak bourbon casks. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale straw; 0.2.

Nose: Smoky, light and floral in nature.

Taste: Sweet like honey, some spice.

Finish: Smoke, ash, earthy. Shorter. Bubblegum on the tail end.

It’s neat. It has an overall lighter feel which is a nice change of pace, but not lacking in flavor, specifically on the rather enjoyable finish. Mostly what I like is a surge of smokiness, but thene when it fades into the bubblegum it’s quite nice and not a cloying sweetness.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation: Alcest – “Là où niassent les couleurs nouvelles”