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Whisky Review: Bastille 1789 Blended Whisky

We review Bastille 1789 Blended Whisky, a French whisky aged partially in Limosin oak casks.

OVERALL RATING

8
$35.00
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Tasting Notes

About:

French-made blended whisky with no age statement, aged in a variety of casks, including Limousin oak, and bottled at 40 percent alcohol by volume. A 750-milliliter bottles is priced around $35 or so.
Appearance:
Poured into a glass, a dram looks like a bright, golden amber, much lighter and more transparent than the average whisky, but still within the range of conventional.
Nose:
An initial sniff carries a wave of what generally smells like a finely spiced citrus tart, with an undercurrent of sweet, slightly tangy orange overlaid with notes of cloves, cinnamon and a touch of ginger and lilac. Sniffing a little longer yields a more earthy combination of vanilla, clove, pepper and oak.
Palate:
The first sip settles on the tongue like intensely sweet, yet smoky vanilla syrup. Within those basic flavors, notes of ground pepper and clove steer the combination in an earthier direction, while hints of sweet apple and pear balance things the other way. The spiciness grows a bit, but overall the sweet and earthy flavors maintain a relative balance until swallowing. At that point, the sweet vanilla with a hint of oak and smoke seems to wash over the mouth, but that’s slowly eased aside as tingles of clove and pepper gradually begin to tingle toward the back of the mouth. That tingling sensation gradually builds in intensity for an unusually long minute or so, hits a crescendo of a dull roar, and then fades back the way it came to a syrupy vanilla coating on the tongue.
Finish:
Comments:
I’ll acknowledge that Bastille Hand-Crafted Whisky is remarkable and unlike anything I’ve tasted before. While it is intensely sweet to the point that it might qualify as a dessert all its own, it does so with a complex blend of flavors. I’ve had other whiskies that are similarly sweet, but I have not sampled many that are able to incorporate spices and earthier elements so that it tastes like more than woody liqueur. rnrnThat said, Bastille 1789 Blended Whisky is still a rich, sweet whisky. Those looking for something spicier, smokier or more robust may want to save this for another time. Or try it as part in one of Bastille’s suggested cocktails.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Aaron Knapp

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