Heaven Hill 8 Year Old 2009 Valinch & Mallet

Our friends from Valinch & Mallet – Italian bottlers that I’ve come to know quite well, both personally and their whisky releases – were able to put their hands on a cask from Heaven Hill from 2009. It is their first and so far only outing to the States.

Well, the nose is quite atypical. Do not expect a sweet bomb. This is mostly fresh oak. Wood shavings with a mild sweet edge is the only way to describe it. Hardly any fruit, but that does not make it any less interesting. Au contraire. After a few moment, something quasi tropical shines through. Peach from a can! A pinch of cinnamon in the back, along with some cloves. A mix of icing and brown sugar finally turn this nose somewhat sweeter.

Soft on the palate, but the peach has a hard timing competing with the feisty spiciness. Some brown bread shines through, while the cloves evolve toward chili powder. Powerful!

The spices fade gently in the medium long finish, the peach returns for a stint, but it’s vanilla that has the final word.

Lovely experience, but totally different from what you’d expect from Heaven Hill.