Review 132: Kornog Sant Ivy

Since I'm calibrated for peat after the last few reviews, lets try another peaty one. This time, though, it won't be from Scotland. Kornog is the peated malt whisky distilled at the French distillery Glann ar Mor, located in Britanny. Glann ar Mor, meaning "by the sea," is a relatively young distillery, but they do many things the old fashioned way, which I hope shows up in their whisky. This will be my first French whisky, so I'm pretty excited! Oh, and thanks to Steffen for the sample!

Kornog Sant Ivy

Color: Amber -2

ABV: 59.9%

Aroma Neat:
Vanilla Fudge, Fresh Peat/Boggy, Malt Spirit (very clean), Porridge/Hot Oatmeal, Lemon Zest (some pith), Malt Grist, Mashed Ripe Bananas, Butterscotch, Freshly Toasted Oak, Mild Cigar Wrapper, Sugar Cane/Powdered Sugar, Butter/Pastry (slightly).   

Prickling with youth (I suppose high ABV is a factor as well...), but full of flavor. Enthusiastic peat and chunky vanilla are the dominant players. Great American oak influence.

Aroma Water:
Butterscotch (buttery!), Toffee, French Vanilla (too apt?), Toasted Oak, Light Barrel Char, Ash (slightly), Gentle Peat (faintly mineral), Toasted Malt, Clean New Make (slightly), Fudge, Damp Potting Soil, Lemon Curd.

The wood really steps up with water and makes for a much sweeter nose than before. Lovely butterscotch is a highlight. Volume of the peat is reduced significantly.

Taste Neat:
Peat, Ash, Lemon, Barrel Char, Malt New Make, Bitter Barley, Heavy Tannins, Vanilla.

The palate is a a big surprise after the cleanly peated nose. Lots of burnt things in the mix now and quite drying, as a result.

Taste Water:
Peat Smoke, Ashtrays, Robust Barrel Char, Fresh New Make, Ground Pepper.

Getting down to the basics now: peat, spirit, and burnt wood. Perhaps a little simple, but I wouldn't read too much into that. This whole review was based on an ounce of whisky, so I haven't had a lot of interaction with this dram.

Finish:
Cigarette Ash, Charred Wood/Fireplace, Peaty and Bitter Barley, Grassy Hay, Tannic Oak.

Not a very long finish, but very flavorsome. Lots of burnt notes again are present again, like the palate.

Conclusion:
Fresh, vanilla/butterscotch nose that is vivaciously peaty neat.

Ashy, smoky palate with big wood notes that is a stark contrast to the nose.

Drying and ashy finish of short-to-medium duration.

Rating: 82/100

Young, but already good and very promising. The new make notes take nothing away from this whisky, as they are pure, crisp, and refreshing. Certainly, there's good spirit flowing off the stills at Glann ar Mor and they seem to be sourcing quality wood. I'm very interested to see how this whisky matures and to try some of the non-peated stuff from this distillery!

Josh