Top 20 Whiskies of 2018

#6 • Armorik Double Maturation

  • Rank: 6
  • Year: 2018
  • Score: 93
  • Price: $60
  • ABV: 46%
  • Style: Single malt
  • Place of Origin: France

France has quietly been making some exciting whiskies, and keeping most to itself. Fortunately, Warenghem Distillery in Brittany exports a number of single malts, which it has been making for over two decades. This whisky, matured initially in local oak and finished in first-fill sherry casks, has perfumy aromas that lift up its malt-forward character. Spicy and floral, with flavors of citrus, cherry, raspberry-jam cookie, salted nuts, and savory tobacco, it is delicate with a satisfying creamy texture. This is a reformulation of the previously available Double Maturation utilizing new cask techniques advised by the late Dr. Jim Swan. —Susannah Skiver Barton