Today, we’re taking a look at Hagmeyer, an Alsatian distillery long known for fruit distillation, but which also makes whisky since 2016. We review two of their whiskies, with the Hagmeyer Wah! Classic and Single Cask.
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Europe
Kornog Sauternes & Wu Dram Clan
After Monday’s quartet of Bowmore, we stay firmly in peated territory with two Kornog: a Sauternes Cask Finish and the 2008 bottling for Wu Dram Clan. Kornog is the peated single malt produced by Celtic Whisky Distillerie, a small coastal operation based in Pleubian, Brittany in France, that we had the chance to visit a few years ago. Their unpeated spirit is released under the Glann Ar Mor label. It is a distillery that wears its Breton identity proudly, and these two expressions promise to show just how characterful its smoky side can be.
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Kyrö Core Range & Sauna Stories N°2
We explore Kyrö’s core range alongside their Sauna Stories No. 2, tracing the journey of this Finnish distillery from what began as a lighthearted, almost drunken idea into a serious and accomplished producer. After delving into Kyrö’s history, we’ll taste the four rye whiskies from their core lineup and their second Sauna Stories release, pausing in between to test samples in the sauna and assess how the heat and environment affect the character of their whisky.
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Domaine des Hautes Glaces Epistémè R15D24
We explore how alcohol strength shapes whisky’s sensory profile through three Domaine des Hautes Glaces Epistémè R15D24 rye whiskies. Cereal type, fermentation, distillation, and wood maturation all shape the final dram you drink. But what about ABV? Water drops often transform whisky – sometimes improving it, sometimes not. Domaine des Hautes Glaces, already committed to true terroir expression (unlike Waterford’s cask-heavy chaos), bottled identical spirits from one cask at three strengths to test this. First, we unpack their Epistémè range. Then we taste the three R15D24 ryes to discover ABV’s impact.
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Bimber Underground Release No. 7
June brought us the seventh batch of Bimber’s ‘The Spirit of the Underground‘ releases, and though we’re a little behind the curve—as you’ve probably come to expect from me—it’s finally time to give them the attention they deserve. This series continues to celebrate London and its landmarks through limited edition single malts, and Batch 7 is no exception. We’ll be tasting and discussing the drams of the Bimber Underground Release No. 7 in alphabetical order, beginning with Bimber Euston, followed by Knightsbridge, Liverpool Street, and Westminster.
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London Distillery The Golden Union #1
We’re back already with the revived London Distillery, but this time not for a single malt. Following the recent Renascence release, London Distillery has already introduced something new: an English blended malt. The London Distillery ‘The Golden Union’ combines whiskies from both London Distillery and Adnams. Without further ado, let’s pour it into our glass and discover what it has to offer.
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Bimber 8yo Single Cask (and more…) & Harmony of Eight
At the close of 2024, Bimber introduced its inaugural age-statement expression, not once but twice. The first release featured an 8-year-old single cask matured in an ex-bourbon cask. For this selection, Bimber took an innovative approach by inviting approximately 20 fortunate tasters from their Klub members to blindly choose their favourite cask from three samples. I was lucky enough to be one of these tasters and, by sheer chance, I had a sample of the very cask the tasting panel selected – one of their oldest casks – from a distillery visit in April 2022.
Following the initial 8-year-old single cask, Bimber unveiled Harmony of Eight, a skilful vatting of several casks designed to produce a more substantial 8-year-old release, which we will also be exploring.
While the first four reviews below may not carry the same weight, as they pertain to unfinished and unreleased whiskies, they offer a fascinating insight into the evolution of these spirits, particularly cask 11. So, let’s delve into the review of this Bimber 8-year-old single cask (and more…) and the Harmony of Eight.
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Three Pointe Blanche French Whiskies
Pointe Blanche Distillery, located in Charente-Maritime, France, produces a single malt whisky made from French malted barley that is brewed and distilled on site using traditional copper pot stills. The whisky undergoes a minimum of three years’ maturation in oak casks on the mainland before finishing its ageing for about a year in an oyster hut on a nearby Atlantic island, where the maritime environment influences its flavour. This double maturation process is said to contribute to its distinctive profile, which includes subtle smoky and saline notes. Let’s verify that, as we review three Pointe Blanche French whiskies: their core Whisky Français single malt, the OLO Limited Edition, and their Peated single malt.
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London Distillery Renascence
The London Distillery Company traces its origins to 1807, when Ralph Dodd proposed building a distillery in Nine Elms, London. Despite raising funds and assembling a board of prominent figures, the venture collapsed following a legal challenge under the Bubble Act, which led to its disbandment before production could even start. Nearly two centuries later, Darren Rook and Nick Taylor revived the company in 2011, establishing a modern distillery in Battersea focused on producing English single malt and blended whisky. After encountering financial difficulties in 2020, the company entered administration but experienced a revival in January 2025 under new ownership by Gleann Mor Spirits. Experienced whisky maker Matt McKay, known for his currently silent whisky blog, The Dramble, as well as his role as director of communications and whisky maker at Bimber and Dunphail distilleries, now leads its renewed efforts to craft London-based whisky. The first release from this revival, aptly named London Distillery Renascence – The Revival Release, will launch on 6 June 2025, and we have it in our glass today.
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Esprit Libre 2017 Spirit Paradise
A few years ago, Philippe Gosmand, a whisky enthusiast for 30 years, founded Spirit Paradise, a young company specialising in spirits, primarily focused on collectible whiskies and limited editions. The company incorporated the ‘Rare & Collectors Whisky Club’ into its activities. Created in 2013, the club has around a hundred members and regularly organises tastings in Paris or the Paris region, and on request in other parts of France. In 2021, Spirit Paradise launched its first bottling from a single malt cask from the Texan distillery Balcones. At the end of 2022, the company released two more bottlings from selected casks at the Breton distillery Warenghem, known for its Armorik whisky. Then, Philippe selected a whisky from Maison Benjamin Kuentz stocks that we’re reviewing today: the Esprit Libre 2017 Spirit Paradise.
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