What’s Banyuls? Good question. Banyuls is an AOC-designated French dessert wine made from grapes grown along a select stretch of the French Pyrenees.
Why is Banyuls important?
Because Banyuls barrels were used to finish Egan’s Legacy Reserve II, a 16-year-old Irish single malt that was otherwise aged in American bourbon barrels. It’s the latest expression from the Irish whiskey maker, released to the tune of just 1,000 bottles, and a follow up to last year’s first iteration of Egan’s Legacy Reserve.
The spirit pours copper-gold in the glass, and has fresh cream, vanilla bean, and unripe banana on the nose. The first sip brings a chocolaty note, but it’s dark, earthy, and chalky, closer to a cacao nib than a dark chocolate slab. The vanilla quality emerges at the center, where it’s joined by oak and a trace of spice.
That earthy, chalky character is present at the end, but cut by a sharp, fruity note of cassis. When more spice arrives at the conclusion, it comes as a clean, sharp bolt that acts as a welcome palate cleanser for this wild, texture-rich dram.
★★★
Stats:
— 46% ABV
— $200
