Vicomte 8 YO

Vicomte 8 YO, 40 %

A French whisky from Florida, you say? Hmm, what's going on here then? Let's have a closer look at the French single malt Vicomte 8 YO from Florida based company Venturi Brands. The company behind the whisky has this to say about themselves:

Venturi Brands is primarily focused on brand development and ownership, either in whole or part which would fit the premium market sector. Venturi looks to develop unique, category specific products with line extension potential to create value for our distributors to market with pride and confidence.

The whisky is produced at a century old, small French distillery, using 100% organic natural barley, grown and harvested from the Poitou-Charentes region of France. Then it is matured for six months in Limousin French Oak barrels (fresh oak)  before being aged 8 years in ex-Cognac barrels.

Since I have never heard of this whisky brand before, I am assuming the distillery making this whisky is mainly distilling other types of spirits and that whisky is just a side project. I might be wrong though...

The Vicomte 8 YO was launched during the summer of 2015. You can pick up a bottle online at around GBP 40.

Nose: Fruity and malty with an interesting sweetness to it. A bit earthy. Mild spices. Honey, leather, cinnamon and fresh apples.

Taste: A bit thin mouthfeel. Caramel, wet planks, ginger and light fruit juice (grapes and apples). Slightly sour and bitter.

Finish: Relatively short finish. Watery, with caramel and tinned pears.

Comments: A bit lacking in balance. The nose is pleasant enough, but to taste it is too raw and immature for my palate.

Score (74/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas