Michel Couvreur 16 Year Old "Mrs Couvreur" Single PX Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml)

Name: Michel Couvreur 16 Year Old "Mrs Couvreur" Single PX Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml)
SKU: 1366346
Price: 299.99 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 0 (3 reviews)

$299.99

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David Othenin-Girard

K&L Buyer

This no hiding the fact that I'm completely in love with what Couvreur is doing. The quality and complexity of each offering is reshaping how we look at blended whisky, but occasionally they'll put together a product so superlative and over the top that we just can't resist even if the prices are high. Yes on paper this whisky seems crazy. 16 Year old Malt Whisky from a single cask for $300? We've had high end offerings from Couvreur before and they're often met with skepticism, but as soon as you taste them all disbelief is suspended. The initiated usually know right away that this is something they should strive to acquire, but for the uninitiated it can seem almost farcical. Why would we pay a French man extra for Scotch that I can get from the Scottish for less? But the truth is, you CAN'T get this from Scotland. There are so many reasons why these whiskies are so unique and this particular bottling doubly so. Mrs. Couvreur's choice represents the absolute best evidence that little house in Bouze-les-Beaune's hypothesis is correct: the old ways were BETTER! Yes entry into their highest level isn't cheap and on paper you might find better values from the Scots, but in the glass no whisky on the market today will deliver what this special whisky offers at this price. Not to mention that the US release is sold exclusively at K&L and is two years old than the European version which sells the same price. Beyond it's incredible rarity, the idea that exemplifies this whisky most accurately is the word balance. Yes it's from one of Scotland's peatiest distillers -my money is on Laphroaig or Ardbeg although Couvreur won't come close to confirming those suspicions - but the peat is not out of control. Instead it melds and mingles so perfectly with the sweet nutty sherry character and provides backbone against which the rich maltiness unfolds. The nose is one of the most complex things I've ever come across; reminding me of some of the true ancient legends I've had the incredible privilege tasting. On the nose fresh plum preserves, ozone, dried yuzu peel, ripe pear, crushed oyster shell, roasting nuts from afar. Entry is surprisingly peat driven but not at all rugged. It proceeds to open up to the sweet stewed fruits of the sherry tamped down by an invigorating briny sea spray. More yellow plums build to a long smoky ultra pleasurable finish. It feels like a privilege to be selling this whisky and I can already see the future of me nursing my last bottle in terrible fear of never tasting this wonderful whisky again. That terrible feeling is well worth with it considering the pure joy the rest of the bottle made me feel.

Staff Reviews

Will Blakely

The phrase "one of a kind" gets bandied about excessively these days, but it truly applies to this bottling from Michel Couvreur. The elusive Pedro Ximenez cask finish alone should have single malt aficionados clamoring for a dram of this nectar, and the juice does not disappoint. Elegantly complex, it starts on the nose with salty smoke that gives way to honeyed sweetness of candied dates kissed by sea breeze. The malt itself leans toward the savory, with hazelnut and smokey bacon adorned by tropical nuance and a lingering fire. All the elements are perfectly integrated, displaying a deft balance and creating a voluptuous texture that is not overbearing. The finish is full, maintaining the exquisite character of the sherry and the richness of the malt but offering a touch of toffee and spice as a final farewell. I implore, if you have the opportunity, to taste this bottle immediately - you will not regret it.

Keith Mabry

It's not often that we get to try something this extraordinary and for those who even deign to read this far down the page have probably already made their commitment to this whisky. Let me be the first to tell you, you are right! The Couvreur whiskies are a reflection of a time long gone when whiskies were aged in pure unadulterated sherry cask and that may be hard to wrap our modern heads around these days. You already know that so much sherry cask is rushed to market with inferior Sherry aging in it and though it imparts some character it is seldom that we see something like this. An authentic Pedro Ximenez barrel that had been part of a long aging solera intensifying and sweetening its charge. Again, you already know the story about this crazy French guy, Mr. Couvreur, driving to Jerez to buy his casks, settling for nothing less than the real thing and loading them on his little truck and driving them back to his cellar. So much detail in the procurement alone was enough to peak your interest. The added fact that it is aged in a cave in the middle of France instead of the salt caked island of Islay makes the malt even more transparent and adds to its mystique. The whisky itself was expressive barley first on the nose but as you dive further in, the smoke builds in a subtle way As a first fill PX Sherry cask, it rounds out the flavors allowing the malt to shine through with a nose of toasted spelt, candied dates and sweet tea. The cask frames the smoke, not the other way around. It is complex and detailed on the palate and has a long savory finish. The Couvreur is top tier and worthy of any collector's shelf. One of the best peated styles I've tasted this year. Thanks for reading, now enjoy that bottle.

Notes

The ultimate offering from Couvreur was selected by the late Master's wife. Her involvement with this special whisky house is generally fiduciary in nature, but in this case she's put her personal approval on one of the most extreme and delicious single casks to come out of the magical Couvreur cellars. Starting with Golden Promise that is peated to 45 ppm, Mr. Couvreur filled a very old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Butt from the famous Bodega Malaga Virgen. These ultra mature American Oak Sherry butts have spent decades being impregnated with sweet PX sherry and while they're not as dark and rancio as those from Bodega Toro Albala, they provide the perfect frame for the powerful peaty malt. After years in the deepest dampest part of the Couvreur's cavernous cellars this exceptional whisky was bottled by hand without any filtration or dilution whatsoever. Couvreur has drawn from this cask a total of 3 times and the final batch of the Mrs' special cask is a full 16 years of age. Only 60 bottles (45 liters) of this unprecedented offering for exclusive sale in the U.S. While the price is not inexpensive a single cask of whisky from an islay distillery of this quality at this age and full strength would easily command a similar price point had it been bottled in Scotland. Add the impressive vessel, Couvreur's magical cellars and the incredible rarity of this old glory and the price makes perfect sense. A one of a kind specimen from the wizard in Bouze.

Details

Origin	France
Type/Varietal	Scotch
SKU	1366346