WhiskyNotes » glann ar mor

Glann Ar Mor ‘Taol Esa’

Ruben — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 07:10:19 +0000

After the peated Kornog Taouarc’h Kentan and Kornog Taouarc’h Eilvet , let’s try the non-peated expression from the artisan distillery Glann Ar Mor in Bretagne, France. Contrary to the peated version, which uses malt from Scotland, this version uses French malt.

Taol Esa (which means “the try-out”) was first released in 2008, but I’ve tried the 2009 release. All of the Glann Ar Mor releases are limited and unfortunately hard to find.

Glann Ar Mor ‘Taol Esa’ – 1ãn Gwech (46%, OB 2009, second release December 09)

Nose: malty and very fruity, albeit a candied and slightly artificial kind of fruitiness (due to the young age I guess). Full of tinned pineapple, citrus, fragrant peaches and orange blossom. Guimauves. A lot of vanilla as well and hints of cinnamon and mint. Marzipan to round off, and a faint waxiness. Reminds me of the Our Angel bottling (Irish whiskey) Mouth: quite a sweet start again (banana, peach, apple) although it’s a little more spicy now (soft ginger, more cinnamon). Almonds. A little too grainy for my taste. Growing grassier towards the end. Finish: quite long, less sweet. Waxy and slightly resinous finale.

A curious young whisky which combines profiles of certain Irish whiskey and some young Clynelish. Promising. Difficult to find.

Score: 83/100

Glann ar Mor – Kornog Taouarc’h Eilvet

Ruben — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:00:44 +0000

You may recognize the name of this bottling, which is very similar to the Kornog Taouarc’h Kentan reviewed before. It’s the 2009 release of the peated Glann ar Mor whisky (30-35 ppm) – the French Ardbeg so to speak.

This second release comes from two ex-bourbon barrels and one Sauternes cask and is brought down to 46%. It’s again very limited and virtually impossible to find.

Glann ar Mor ‘Kornog Taouarc’h Eilvet’ (46%, OB 2009, second release)

Nose: not as fresh as the previous release. The citrus is almost gone and replaced by hints of very ripe (rotten?) fruits. After a few moments this fades out and the whole evolves back to the profile of the previous version. Light smoke. Less bubblegummy but also less of the marvellous vanilla cake of its older brother. More grassy, slightly more maritime and bigger medicinal notes. Overall less complex and a tad less appealing. Mouth: basically the same remarks. The fruitiness is not as fresh and the lower strength seems to take away some of the complexity as well. First a creamy wave of peat, then sweeter notes (pears, peaches), then back to fat peat and hints of tar. Nice coffee in the end. Finish: medium length with hints of moccha and spices.

For me, this Kornog Taouarc’h Eilvet is a small step back from the first release. I guess this is due to the Sauternes influence which I usually like (as a finish) but doesn’t seem to work that well here (as a vatting). There’s a noticeable increase in maturity but also a decrease in complexity (even after the previous release was brought to the same strength).

Score: 80/100

Glann ar Mor – Kornog Taouarc’h Kentan

Ruben — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:29:38 +0000

Kornog is the peated version of the Glann ar Mor whisky. This French distillery is located in Brittany, a region which has quite a lot of Celtic influence.

This is the first cask ever bottled of the peated spirit. Their (Scottish) malt has been peated to 35 ppm and matured in ex-bourbon barrels for three years. It’s very limited and hard to find with prices ranging from € 35 to € 75 for the same bottle!

Glann ar Mor ‘Kornog Taouarc’h Kentan’ (57,1%, OB 2008, first release)

Nose: very fresh, citrusy peat with light smoke and big notes of marzipan. A nice fruitiness as well (pears on syrup, pineapple sweets), slightly bubblegummy but very nicely so. There’s also a noticeable medicinal side (iodine, bandages) which gives it kind of a young Ardbeg profile. Hints of seaweed, rather faint but I hope this will become stronger after a couple of extra years in the maritime Breton climate. Give this dram some time and you’ll even notice some farmy notes and some garage smells. Mouth: interesting flavours of marzipan again, with some pear and kiwi. Definitely more smokey than on the nose. Lemon. Hints of vanilla. Growing saltier towards the end. Finish: very ashy with a big woody kick. Lots of peat.

Compared to other young peat bottlings like Kilchoman 3yo, this is more balanced (read: less peaty), more complex and surprisingly mature. Very enjoyable.

Score: 84/100