The whiskey wash logo
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website

Trending Stories

Search
World

Whiskey Review: Brenne Single Malt

We review one of France's only export market whiskies: Brenne Single Malt, which spends time in Cognac barrels before its trip across the Atlantic.

OVERALL RATING

  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
Like Conversation

Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
Clear gold with a warm cast. Relatively thin in the glass.
Nose:
Candy-sweet and ester-dominated with explosive notes of banana, bubblegum, clove, and tropical fruit. Reminiscent of a yeasty homebrewed Hefeweizen. . Its light, candy-like flavor might make Brenne a good bridge spirit for drinkers moving into whisky, but those qualities made it a challenge for my
Palate:
The sweetness continues with prominent coconut, banana, and bubblegum flavors in the entry. Canned fruit cocktail in the mid-palate is followed by a slightly drier, warming finish, underscored with a modest hint of oak spice. Overall, the palate is very soft and liqueur-like, without a lot of richness or structure. The lasting impression left by Brenne is one of intense but somehow spare sweetness, much more reminiscent of aspartame than brown sugar or caramel. There are some intriguing tropical fruit notes to explore and the oak-influenced portions of the finish are quite pleasant, but I can’t get past the cloying banana-bubblegum flavor and aroma. Its light, candy-like flavor might make Brenne a good bridge spirit for drinkers moving into whisky, but those qualities made it a challenge for my palate. While I credit Brenne for producing such a unique style of malt, ultimately it’s not for me. But, if you’ve got a sweet tooth, it might be for you. I give the Brenne Single Malt Whisky a score of 78 points.
Finish:
Comments:

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.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash

The whiskey wash logo