A quick note before anything else. This week, my three French single malt reviews were done with industry samples provided free of charge and without any pesky strings attached. As ever, I am unsure if that led me to grade harder or easier, but I prefer ant entanglements to be upfront. For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

Whisky: Artesia 4 Year (2018), Version Française

Country/Region: France

ABV: 50%

Cask: Bourbon Barrel

Age: 4 Years (Distilled 2018, Bottled 2022)

Nose: Chinese boiled peanuts with peppercorn anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, honey, dried fruits, M&M candy shells, hints of marzipan and an old campfire, sweet toasted grains with a touch of old leather.

Palate: Medium to light body, candied almonds and boiled peanuts, peppercorns, anise, fruits that slowly shifted to bubblegum with hints of menthol, wispy smoke in the background.  More fruits and cream as time passed with prickly pear, pineapple, and artificial blueberry— almost Fruity Pebbles cereal.

Finish: Medium-length with fruits and subtle cream.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Homemade Trail Mix

Narrative & Notes: Artesia is a whisky label from the TOS distillery, a slightly more intense affair than the previous French single malt I reviewed. This malt, one of the earliest they produced, brought a wispy bit of smoke to the party with ample nuts, grains, and hints of fruit. The barley was malted and peated in neighboring Belgium, not far from the distillery's home. The distillery approaches maturation similarly to most Scottish distilleries, occasionally using sherry casks but sourcing most of its bourbon barrels from Beam-Suntory.

As the whisky opened in the glass, I found a lovely creaminess on the palate that carried some of the bubblegum notes toward blueberries and berry syrup. That combination reminded me of this decadent blueberry stuffed French toast my wife and I used to get from a cafe near our old apartment. The evolution of the whisky in the glass and palate was lovely. The malt showcased a nice structure and integration, especially between sweet fruits and slightly savory smoke or wood in the background.

I did wish the mouthfeel was just a bit heavier; it always remained a touch light for my taste, though the flavors had good intensity and presence. I am not particularly a fan of bubblegum flavors in whisky, so this was probably the best whisky I have had where those flavors appeared. I suspect fans of those notes, and I have a good friend that loves them, will find even more to like about this French single malt.