Some whiskies cross borders before they're ready for the bottle. Michel Couvreur 2011/2021 VJ Maturation is one of them - Scotch malt given its final, defining maturation in a French Jura wine cask.
Expert's description
Michel Couvreur 2011/2021 VJ Maturation 10 Year Old is a Single Malt Whisky matured in a Jura Vin Jaune cask and bottled at 48 percent.
The whisky was distilled on 15 February 2011 and bottled on 22 June 2021, giving it exactly 10 years of total maturation. Vin Jaune is a distinctive, oxidative white wine from the Jura region in eastern France, and the cask leaves a dry, nutty character rarely found in Scotch-based malt whisky. Only 3,000 bottles were filled of this release.
Michel Couvreur started out as a wine merchant in Burgundy before whisky caught his attention in 1978. His fresh filling method, where sherry casks are emptied and refilled with whisky on the very same day, means the wood is still damp with sherry when the whisky arrives.
Tasting notes
Nose
The nose offers walnut and a light oxidative tang, backed by honey, dried apple and a hint of yeast - a clear sign that a wine cask has left its mark.
Palate
The palate is dry and nutty with sherry and apple, spiced with a touch of pepper and a faint bitter edge reminiscent of citrus peel.
Finish
The finish is long and dry, with lingering walnut and a hint of herbs that slowly gives way to pure malt.
Specifications
Name: VJ Maturation
Distillery: Michel Couvreur
Region/Country: France
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 48 %
Size: 50 CL
Cask type: Jura Vin Jaune cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2011
Bottled: 2021
Number of bottles: 3000
Edition: VJ Maturation
EAN no.: 3760150950361
Flavour profile
Cask-driven · Dry · Nutty · Complex
Did you know?
Vin Jaune is made under a yeast veil called 'voile', which protects the wine from oxygen during ageing - a technique reminiscent of Spanish sherry production, but unique to Jura. It makes this cask a rare and original whisky finish.
