Rozelieures Fume Collection Review


“L’Important c’est la Rose”  

Whisky Review # 851

Country: France
Brand: Rozelieures (Fume Collection)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: NAS (Said to be 8 Years)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 46%
Maturation: Ex- Fino Sherry Oak
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price: Around US$ 60-70 (January 2020)
Sample provided by Mauricio from Brazil. Many Thanks!
Price/Quality Ratio: Borderline Okay
Buying Advice: 😐It's nice to sample but I wouldn't buy a full bottle.

Colour: Amber (Possibly Original Colour)

Nose:

Please give this Rozelieures sufficient time in the glass before Nosing as it opens quite slowly. It's a quite Young Whisky and there's still a bit New Make feel to it although at the same time it's not overly Fruity. There's a subtle Smoke Aroma around. The Alcohol is quite noticeable though. The Sherry influence is limited and I would assume that Refill casks have been used for maturation. It's not at all bad for a Young Whisky but it is a bit underwhelming.

Main Aromas:

Slightly Burnt Buttered Toast, Yeast, Dough, Malted and Toasted Barley, Sweet Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Raisins, Hay, Grapefruit, Sour Berries & Oak Char.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Caramel, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Pancakes with Syrup, Nuts & Nutshells, Lemon, Orange, Pear, Mint, Wet Stones, Espresso and a hint of Plastic/Rubber.

Picture Credit: Rozelieures

Palate:

Young and on the Thin side. A mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes. The Alcohol is rather present. Quite Spicy! The Earthy Peat-Smoke is there but remains in the background. It's a nice touch though.

Main Flavours:

Malted and Toasted Barley, Burnt Toast, Yeast, Orange and Lemon, Grapefruit, Red Grapes, Green Apple, Dirty Earth, Nuts and Nutshells, Oak Char, Leather, Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Aniseed and Soot.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Syrup, Hay, Pear, Cognac, Glue, Espresso & Rubber.  

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long. Quite Sweet at first but with a few Bitter and Sour notes towards the very Dry end. The Spicy Alcohol kicks around a bit. I find Toasted and Malted Barley, Burnt Toast, Vanilla, Cocoa Powder, Dirty Earth, Orange & Lemon Peel, Grapefruit, Green Apple, Unripe Pear, Oak Char, Menthol, Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Aniseed, Cumin, Cognac, Earthy Smoke and Soot.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and that helps to control the Alcohol a bit on the Nose. Some Fruit coming through (Apricot). Palate and Finish don't improve though. I advise you to sip it neat.

Rating: 82

Nose: 20.5  - Taste: 20.5  - Finish: 20.5  - Overall: 20.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

The Distillery Grallet-Dupic is located in the village of Rozelieures (Lorraine) and was founded in 1860 by Michel Grallet. This family-owned business has been distilling for more than 150 years and grows its own Barley. It started producing Eau de Vie but since 2002 it also distills Whisky. It's the first French distillery that works with lightly peated Malts. All Whiskies produced are Single Malts and Double-Distilled. The whole process of distilling to bottling is done at the farm.

It's one of the better French Whiskies I have tasted to date. It's a pity that it's bottled at such a relative Young age. I would really love to try a well-matured Whisky from this distillery The potential is there I feel but it's not fully exploited (yet). As it is, the Alcohol is a bit too dominant and spoils part of the fun. I kinda like this Spice mixture though. Not so strange as I am a big fan of Indian food! 

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 10, 2020

Distillerie ROzelieures
Picture Credit: Rozelieures

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