Discover this year’s must-sample pours, selected by the editors at Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur.
NEW-RELEASE SCOTTISH RARE MALT SERIES: PORT ELLEN GEMINI SERIES
The Port Ellen Gemini series includes two historic bottlings, both having been aged for 44 years from spirit distilled in 1978, arguably the high-point of the distillery before its closure in the 1980s. Released in tribute to the reopening of Port Ellen in March 2024 to much fanfare, these are the oldest commercial examples ever released from the distillery. The first bottling, the Original Cask, is archetypal Port Ellen, full of medicinal, peaty notes and fresh, bright fruit despite its considerable age. Aged in European oak casks, you could easily mistake it for a young Islay whisky, although the subtle complexity and over-powering finish would suggest something special lay underneath. At 55.4 percent ABV, my only complaint is the slight burning sensation after the long, energetic finish.
In contrast, the second bottling, known as the Remnant Cask, finished its life in a cask previously used to house the excess liquid from spirit runs during the 16 years when Port Ellen was distilling in the 1970s-80s. It, therefore, has garnered the nickname of the “holding pen cask”. Seasoned with sherry from Williams & Humbert Pedro Ximénez (PX), often in the form of paxarette, a sweetened, concentrated sherry wine used to season whisky casks during that period—the cask was rescued by Ian “Pinky” McArthur, the distillery manager, when he left Port Ellen for Lagavulin in the 1980s. This is a whisky full of character and power, and in many ways, remarkably different from the Original Cask despite the fact that it was matured in an identical way for 42 years of its life. It is darker in colour, sweeter in flavour thanks to the sherry influence, and lighter in smoke and medicinal aromas. It’s weightier in the midpalate, and with a more harmonious finish than the Original Cask, perhaps in part due to its slightly lower alcohol content of 53.6 percent ABV.
To fully enjoy what are the oldest ever releases from Port Ellen, the Original Cask is more suitable as an aperitif, whereas the Remnant Cask is better paired as a digestif. Just 274 sets of Port Ellen Gemini were produced, with most having already been sold. Through justerinis.com, at ¤52,000 for the pair, these whiskies are targeted strictly at whisky connoisseurs and collectors.
ORIGIN: Islay, Scotland
DESIGNATION: Malt whisky
RRP: €52,000 for both bottles
RARE COGNAC: MARTELL L’OR DE JEAN MARTELL RESERVE DU CHATEAU CHANTELOUP COGNAC
The pinnacle of the Martell range of Cognacs. This is a blend principally from the Grande Champagne and Borderies crus. It includes up to 1,400 individual eaux-de-vie, including some aged for more than a century. Matured in 300-year old French oak casks, cellar master Christophe Valtaud has created a superlative Cognac, bottled in bespoke crystal decanters. The first thing you notice is the colour: bright copper and mahogany. The nose is complex, ever evolving in the glass— orange peel, honeysuckle, furniture varnish, sous bois, sweet spices, cedar woods and more. In the mouth, the liquid is remarkably elegant and fine, more subtle finesse than power. Flavours are fruitier, fresher and brighter than expected, and the sweetness is balanced with savoury earthy, rancio notes and a lovely pistachio twist. The finish doesn’t disappoint, lingering in your mouth and warming your abdominal area for a good few minutes. Just 1,000 bottles have been released.
ORIGIN: France
DESIGNATION: Cognac (blend of local Cognac grape varieties)
RRP: €7,450 per bottle
BLENDED SCOTCH: ROYAL SALUTE 62 GUN SALUTE BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
The pinnacle of the Royal Salute range from Chivas Brothers in honour of the highest ceremonial tribute—the 62-gun salute reserved for the most important royal occasions—this super-premium bottling tips its hat to the four master blenders who have shaped Royal Salute since its 1953 founding, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. A blend of more than 50 of the rarest single malt and grain whiskies and bottled at 43 percent ABV, it is presented in a coated glass decanter, handcrafted, adorned with 24-carat gold and crowned with a crystal stopper in the style of the Crown Jewels. Golden amber in colour, it boasts a rich, complex nose full of sherried, nutty, ripe plum and marmalade aromas with hints of smoke and salt. With an unctuous, velvety mouthfeel—flavours of orange peel, sweet spices, rich fruit cake and dark chocolate—the finish is long and luxurious, complex and alluring.
ORIGIN: Scotland, UK
DESIGNATION: Blend of malted and grain whiskies
RRP: €2,900 per bottle
BLENDED AGE-STATEMENT SCOTCH: JOHNNIE WALKER 52 YEAR OLD BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
With just 200 bottles produced, the 52 Year Old is one of the rarest, most collectable and expensive whiskies released by Johnnie Walker to date; a blend of single malts from distilleries including Brora, Glenury Royal, Dalwhinnie, with the single grain whisky provided by two spirit houses, Cambus and Carsebridge, that are now closed. Bottled at 41.2 percent ABV, this is the first ultra-aged blend under the new master blender Dr Emma Walker. If you’re wondering why the bottling is specifically “52 Year Old”, the brand is paying homage to John and Alexander Walker who both lived to age 52. Biscuity, leathery notes are mixed with sea smoke and butterscotch aromas. The liquid is very oily and luxurious, with flavours of candied fruits, orange peel and sweet spices, a lovely salinity and an almost after-dinner mint chocolate taste wrapped in wood smoke. The finish is long with a peppery dryness and camp-fire warmth that comforts your innards.
ORIGIN: Scotland, UK
DESIGNATION: Blend of malted and grain whiskies
RRP: €27,000 per bottle
AGED BOURBON WHISKEY: BROTHER’S BOND STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY AGED 7 YEARS BATCH NO. 0002
Brother’s Bond is one of the more unusual and remarkably successful new bourbon stories in years. Founded by two actors who played brothers in the drama series The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, along with Vincent Hanna, this is much more than a celebrity spirit. Somerhalder and Wesley are deeply involved in all aspects of the brand, from blending to packaging, and have built a great narrative around brotherhood and the qualities that resonate. Batch No. 0002 is amber-gold in colour, with a nose of candied black cherries, sweet spices, maple syrup and floral notes. In the mouth, which is velvety and rich, you get less vanilla and sweet spice than anticipated and more dried fruits, raisins and Christmas pudding flavours, with hints of smoked meats. The finish is long, luxurious and nuanced. Although there’s a noticeable warming in your stomach from the 50 percent ABV, the finish is sweet and very smooth. Remarkably good value for the quality.
ORIGIN: Indiana, USA
DESIGNATION: Corn, rye and malted rye
RRP: €60 per bottle
BEST MEZCAL: DOS HOMBRES MEZCAL ARTESANAL JOVEN TOBALA
A small-batch 45 percent ABV mezcal made from wild Tobala agave (Agave potatorum) in San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca. Tobala agave are grown for 25 years, making them rare and only used for premium expressions of mezcal. Founded by Breaking Bad actors, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston, Dos Hombres uses traditional methods to produce this rare expression: slow-roasting agave in earth ovens, tahona milling, natural fermentation and copper-pot distillation under the supervision of Gregorio Velasco, a renowned mezcalero. Coming in an exquisite rusticly-styled bottle, individually numbered and stored in a wooden case, the liquid is highly expressive and influenced by the copal trees in the region, which impregnate and perfume the soil where Tobala agaves are grown. The nose is full of floral notes, yellow melons and hints of white chocolate. The palate has a delicate and clean mouthfeel, with herbal flavours, dried plums, chocolate and an attractive smoky note that persists on the refined and complex finish.
ORIGIN: Oaxaca, Mexico
DESIGNATION: Agave potatorum
RRP: €400 per bottle
TEQUILA EXTRA ANEJO: COMPOVEDA TEQUILA EXTRA ANEJO
Small-production, 100 percent blue Weber agave tequila from the El Arenal area of Jalisco. This is an unusual example, having been aged for more than five years in French oak barrels that previously held Californian red wines, then finished in new, medium-charred American oak. At 40 percent ABV, this tequila has a copper-golden sheen, with strong aromas of bell pepper wood lavished in sweet honeycomb, vanilla and sweet spices. On the palate, the liquid is remarkably smooth and velvety, with flavours one might associate with a dessert spirit—crème brûlée, dates, maple syrup and dried fruits. The finish is long and sweet, with touches of savoury spice and pepper notes. As the alcohol is very well integrated, this is a tequila you could sip for ages as you enjoy a cigar.
ORIGIN: Jalisco, Mexico
DESIGNATION: Blue agave
RRP: €175 per bottle
