Bastille 1789

Avec accent aigu sur le "e" final. Bastille is blended whisky produced in Angouleme, France. It has no age statement and is finished in Limousin oak casks. The reviewed bottle has been open for 7 weeks and is 2/3rds full

Nose: whoooooooooaaaaa!!! Knock me over. This is one giant pungent bouquet of flowers. The nose is sweet, almost entirely very high-pitched, and somewhat delicate and ethereal. Both grain and wood influence are slight and consigned to the background. This is actually quite pleasant, so long as you don't hold against it that it doesn't smell like whisky. Score: 23/25 points

Taste: this particular bottle is very sweet with lots of grape-style fruitiness added to the bouquet of flowers. This is almost like dessert wine. You can like it a lot if you are in the mood for dessert wine. If not, well, then this is definitely something that you should not be drinking! Grain and wood flavours remain very understated in the mouth. Score: 21/25

Finish: there is just a hint of sourness to contrast with the eternal sweetness, and, nope, there is no real bitter, sour, umami, or anything else added to the mix. 21/25

Balance: this one makes a big impression, but it is very limited to sweet cum flowers and fruit. Once again, if you are in the mood for this, then great! If not....Score: 20/25

Water added: 1) increased sweetness in the nose, and 2) emphasised grapiness in the mouth

Total Sequential Score: 85 points

Strength: good strength of flavours. Score: 22/25

Quality: nice floral elements; the sweetness is a bit artificial tasting, but that particular style of sweetness goes logically with the floral and fruity flavours accompanying it. Score: 21.5/25

Variety: a bit narrow, all things considered. Score: 20/25

Harmony: the flavours work well together, but this particular bottle goes a little too far to the sweet side, unless, once again, you want to consume this as a dessert beverage. Score: 20/25

Total Non-Sequential Score: 83.5 points

Comment: this bottle is very sweet and highly unusual compared to other whiskies. This particular bottle is also quite different from the first bottle of Bastille 1789 from which I had repeatedly tasted, owned by my sister. That bottle was far drier than is this bottle and I would have rated that first bottle at 88 points. I would recommend a taste of this unusual whisky to everyone, but you might want to get that taste before you consider getting a bottle. I thought I was buying the dry version of this whisky, but I was wrong