Armorik Again: 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky Breton, Port Cask No. 8054, Yeun Elez "Jobic"

I've already made two other Armorik reviews over the past year (a Sauternes cask at • Armorik 9yo Sauternes ... and the 15yo at • Two Malts from Brittan... ), but the gods of the Binny's End of Bin shelf have decided that I need to produce far more. Which I'm happy to do, because absolutely everyone is sleeping on Brittany and Armorik's Warenghem distillery in Lannion is by far the oldest and most available producer of the region. Today we've got a very snazzy port cask version (which is apparently the sister cask of that Sauternes one I already reviewed), a heavily peated release which I didn't even know about until I was reading the fine print on said End of Bin shelf, and the standard ten year old - a bottle I've been staring at anyhow ever since the 15 rocked my world. And here we go:
- Armorik "Single Cask" Single Malt Whisky Breton, Port Cask No. 8i054 for BC Merchants (Warenghem distillery; distilled 2008, bottled circa 2018; unchillfiltered, 46% ABV), 83+/100
- Armorik 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky Breton, 2019 Edition (Warenghem distillery; 2000 bottles; unchillfiltered, natural color, 46% ABV), 87+/100
- Yeun Elez "Jobic" Single Malt Whisky Breton (Warenghem distillery; na age statement, peated to 50ppm, aged in ex-bourbon, bottled circa 2020; unchillfiltered, natural color, 46% ABV), 87/100
The port cask one is, well, a port cask whisky - and it's pretty solid if you like that kind of thing.
The other two strike me as much more serious. Yeun Elez, however the heck it's pronounced, is less grungy than the Kornog I reviewed in the last video but no less excellent: it's a ginny, aquavity twist on the usual peat-plus-bourbon-barrel formula that Islay fans should absolutely seek out. But the 10... well, it's basically a younger, fresher version of the 15, which is to say it's a dense, complex harmony of fruit, nuts, earthiness, and a bit of maritime peat. A malt whisky's malt whisky, if you will. I dare not mention the S-word, but suffice it to say that all y'all Scotch nerds have been clamoring for this kind of profile for years. Turns out all you needed to do was to detour into Northwest France...
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
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[@josephdevine8768]

Thanks! The Armorik 15 and Tormore Duncan Taylor were/are really good. Look forward to getting this Armorik 10 next week.

[@differentspirits4157]

Thanks! I'm legit floored by what Brittany is doing these days.

[@maltymark6599]

Around Christmas time I bought a couple of Yeun Elez off the close out rack for my son and son-in-law for Christmas. You couldn't beat the price for an integrity bottling and it was unique. I found out later that my son-in-law was currently more into bourbons so I happily kept the Yeun Elez and gave him one of my unopened bourbons. I still have not opened the Yeun but I am glad that it won't disappoint. FYI. Your friend, who talked disparagingly about French distillers (which I tend to agree with him) in your recent Tormore review, was with me at the time. I am sure that I was being judged but he refrained in critiquing my purchase. haha.

[@differentspirits4157]

What can I say, except #notallfrenchbottlings?? 😂 Enjoy your peated Armorik, my friend!