Phenomenology of Spirits

Savanna L’Absolu 2023N: I haven’t checked information about what’s in any of these blends, if it’s even public, but at a sniff this seems like moderately aged juice with a bit of estery distillate included, but not dominant. Bourbony wood, somewhat grapey fruit, black licorice candyP: pretty syrupy in feel and fairly sweet, grape flavored…

Savanna Art of Rum by Vast (52%)N: sweet, light (yellow-orange-pink) fruited, and, well, rummy, with young fermentation character showing and yellow caramel and a kiss of oak…some gummy glue as well. With water: toothpaste showed up late to the party, and the fresh, light esters claim more ground from the berry and citrus fruitP: again…

Jean-Luc Pasquet Lot 70 – Aficionados x Fine Drams (52.1%)N: super classy old wood spice without any dark tannins in the way, the fruity caramel from inside a gourmet chocolate, golden plumP: gorgeous fruit core of yellow plum and apricot with some sharper apple, cedary spice, sweet tobacco leaf, a bit of copper, modest rancio…

Velier Providence 2019N: definitely a gluey young agricole feel, some new tire rubber, a slightly wintry-piney berry thing like holly or juniper, something sweeter like raisin cookies, mint toothpaste. There’s just the faintest fermenty weirdness here that recalls clairin, which is missing in the 2020…P: hmm, less complex here, initially. Varnish and modeling glue, quite…

Bowmore 10 year 2014 Old ParticularN: clean sweet campfire smoke, marshmallow, lavender, hand soap. So pure and pretty, this puts a big smile on my faceP: lavender soap, oats, soft sweet smoke, just a whiff of the ocean and its flora, fainter hints of lemon and of vanilla…kind of a perfect young Bowmore. Even the…

Clarendon 22 year 2000 Rum Sponge (refill rum barrel, 44.3%)N: such a beautiful mix of fruity-funky esters and maritime character. Seaweed washed up on the beech, capers, Meyer lemon, sandalwood, brine, the exterior of a pineapple…so delicate but so aromaticP: beautifully coastal, sunny without heat or excessive ripeness, the aromatics but not the juice of…