The Mother of All Whisky Reviews!
Amber Lane Distillery 2020 Vintage Bourbon Cask Finished for 20 Months in Pineau Des Charentes 700ml 61.5%
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Most whisky reviews stick to the familiar rhythm of nose, palate, and finish. Clean, structured, predictable. But every now and then, a review lands across our desks that blows that framework wide open and reminds you whisky is as much story telling as it is flavour.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS!
Enter John Atkins – a customer and enthusiast with a palate that plays in rare air. He doesn’t describe whisky… he interprets it. His words wander, provoke, and occasionally send you reaching for Google, a history book and a well-rolled, toasty maduro.
So, pour a dram, settle in, and embrace the ride. Because these might just be the most entertaining and detailed tasting notes we’ve ever come across.
"My tasting starts 2000 years ago with the Romans.
In the 1600s the Dutch traders played their part and then finally as Captain Cook set sail to find evidence of our Terra Australis Incognita, the French “fermiers généraux,” or collectors for the king) played a role in my Saturday night dram.
The story is as fascinating as the drop itself. Raise a glass and literally drink in the history.
Begin with the Finish
This is a classic ‘ordinary kid comes good’, transformation story. Think Karate Kid. Twenty extra months of seemingly innocuous waxing on and off and we get a whisky with a true kick. How can that be?
I can’t believe what a difference some extra time finished in Pineau Des Charentes (pronounced “pee-noh day sha-RAHNT” ) cask has made to the base Amber Lane. It has transformed an okay I’m going to say it….a standard dram…into a stellar dram.
Four years in a Bourbon Cask and then 20 months finishing in Pineau Des Charentes has developed a complex and labyrinthine flavour profile. If you ever want to taste how a finish can transform a spirit, try this one (it comes with a taster of the original first fill bourbon offering), it’s a priceless education in a glass (or two).
This is a Chameleon of a whisky that evolves with every sip.
The Amber Lane Pineau des Charentes Finish is ‘what-it -is’. Zero filtration – Zero added colour – Zero dilution – Zero compromise. Whisky from Australia, flavoured by a process older than Australia itself.
The History
Our story starts in 100 AD in France when the Romans planted the first grapes in the Charente region, the same area now famous for Cognac production.
In the 12th Century production of wine in Charente expanded significantly under the influence of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who promoted viticulture in the region. It soon became a centre for Cognac production.
All good until 1589 when a distracted winemaker accidentally poured freshly pressed grape must into a barrel that he thought was empty, not realizing it contained Cognac eau-de-vie. The barrel was closed and set aside. When it was opened years later, the grape juice and Cognac had married and aged into a delicious, aromatic elixir – the first Pineau des Charentes.
In the 1600’s the Dutch traders distilled the wine to help it last for the long sea voyage bringing the wine back to Europe. Then later due to high taxes of the fermiers généraux based on the volume of wine it was double distilled it to reduce volume and reduce the crippling taxes.
Pineau des Charentes as we know it was born.
The Recipe
Pineau des Charentes is traditional French vin de liqueur (fortified wine) made by blending fresh grape must (unfermented or very lightly fermented grape juice) with young Cognac eau-de-vie, typically in a ratio of about 3:1 (three parts must, to one part Cognac).
This “mutage” process stops fermentation, preserving high natural grape sugars for a sweet profile. The product is then aged in oak barrels which adds complex notes of dried fruits (I’d say ‘berries and cream’ lollies), macadamia nuts, vanilla, and subtle spice. All these flavour profiles shine through in this Whisky.
They end up with a fortified wine, then take our Amber Lane whisky after 4 years and 4 months in a bourbon barrel and French kiss it with some Pineau Des Charentes for an additional 20 months. An inspired choice by the Truth and Consequence team.
The Drinking
Anyone who has had experience with natural Psychoactive drugs can tell you that in whisky there is also a deeper dimension beyond the standard nose, palate and finish. To me the standard whisky tasting has always been too formulaic and limiting. There’s a standard drop-down menu of smells, tastes and finishes. But we all know there’s more.
One thinks of the opening words of Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching, “The dao that can be spoken is not the eternal dao” meaning language is a net with holes way too large to catch experiences that are not finite. And whisky is not finite. We all know from experience and common sense that the psychic and somatic effects of the drop is more than the smell, taste and finish. But how then do we describe it?
It’s a much deeper subjective experience. My drop-down menu would be:
- How does it make you feel?
- How is the clarity of the experience? (Note: The Pineau Des Charentes is a drop that will have you catching flies with chopsticks.)
- How do you feel next morning?
- Is there a diminishing return or does the experience evolve? (Note: Some things are made for a quick fix…. others are a journey. The favourite song on your favourite album is not the single…it’s that track that you never liked – but just grows on you until you can’t live without it.)
Don’t kid yourself. You don’t buy Whisky to just smell it. You don’t just buy whisky just to taste it. Be honest.
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” William Bruce Cameron
Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (page 13)
This quote highlights that quantitative metrics have limits. Like many valuable things in life. Relationships. Quality and Human experiences. And even what makes a whisky great, can’t be easily measured. While some easily measurable things, like the approved list of things on a Whisky flavour wheel, may not matter as much in the final analysis.
Again – Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. This is where Congeners come in. And what I call…the ‘Feel-Good Factor’ (FGF). A subjective measure beyond Nose, Palate and Finish.
The Congener Story
In this Pineau des Charentes finish specifically, congeners come from two main sources:
- The grape must – which brings fruity esters, acids, sugars, and some phenolics/tannins. Those tannins are definitely there and I love them.
- The young Cognac eau-de-vie – Cognac is known for esters (fruity notes), higher alcohols, acetals, and oak-derived flavours. The distillation process concentrates these. Because Pineau uses young Cognac it retains more volatile and fruit-forward congeners from the eau-de-vie.
Barrel aging introduces additional oak congeners like vanillin, lactones and colour compounds. This dram in the glass we’re reviewing has fantastic colour and vanilla undertones.
This sure beats Caramel colour additive E150A, which you’ll find in more whisky’s than you want to know. In the EU and UK, E150a is permitted in whisky. Full ingredient lists aren’t required for spirits – so they don’t even have to tell you they’re cheating. Not to mention…chill filtering that removes residue (taste) to make it look good – to the detriment of flavour. Removing potentially hundreds of compounds that add to the full experience.
It’s my thesis that it’s the unknown congeners that add to a totally unexplored and undescribed quality of Whisky tasting. What I’ve called, The Feel-Good Factor (FGF).
Once again, we stand boldly behind our uncompromising bottling approach, to deliver yet another formidable release. Specifically, we use only a simple 25-micron filter to catch any pieces of char or sediment from entering the bottle. That’s where we draw the line, always bottling our whiskies in their most natural form, straight from the cask.
Conclusion
The Pineau Des Charentes finish is so much more than a ‘flavour profile”. It’s a history, a journey. Time Travel in a glass. We find ourselves back in 2026, drinking an attitude. An approach to life. Care. Love. Quality. Attention to detail and uncompromised quality. Hundreds and potentially thousands of Congeners which make this a unique experience.
To quote Lao Tzu again “A good traveller has no plan and is not intent on arriving.” Maybe it’s best not to describe the experience. Just experience it.
Fellow time voyagers, it’s now up to you. Drink from this Pineau Des Charentes cask finished whisky and sup from the goblet of uncompromising passion and commitment. The directed energy to make this world a better place than it was without the effort.
It was worth the effort and worth your time”.
We love how your brain works John – don’t ever change!
Learn more – Purchase HERE.