At the end of each year, we think we've seen it all... until La Maison du Whisky returns to put an exceptional catalog on the table. Their new collection Itineraries is more like a spirit passport than a simple collection of bottlings. More than 170 meticulously selected references, limited editions, liquid journeys from Speyside to the West Indies, via Tokyo or Haiti: enough to make you want to forget the hot chocolate and revisit the very notion of a "Christmas gift". And many bottles discovered at Whisky Live 2025!
The Advent calendars that decided it was time to grow up
Goodbye candy, hello small bottles of rum and whisky. The two boxes The World of Rums and The World of Whiskies take you around the planet in 25 steps, with a masterclass included via QR code (handy for showing off at the table). And even if it's a bit late in the year, who says you can't open it in January?
On the menu: Neisson, Hampden, Chalong Bay, The Dalmore, Armorik... a lineup worthy of a festival. Special mention for the fact that it features both must-haves and obscure distilleries. A journey is also about surprises.
Speyside, but the "high-class" version
Tormore 22 Years enters the scene, like a monument of Speyside (literally classified). An elegant, verdant, and intensely malted version. Few bottles, a lot of personality.
Paris-Tokyo in a glass
Chichibu Paris Edition 2025, this is the improbable blend that shouldn't work... but it works perfectly. Nine different casks, influences of sherry, bourbon, French oak, a hint of peat: a perfectly orchestrated chaos. You think "storm", you drink "balance".
French peat, Scottish peat: it heats up
Armorik returns with Yeun Elez, its ultra-peated single malt at 50 ppm, straight from the Monts d’Arrée.
Arran responds with a sherry peated version that starts gently and ends in an aromatic fireworks display.
Two bottles, two styles, peat as the common denominator.
Nikka celebrates its 40 years, Blanton’s puts its shelf 43 in a cask
Two limited edition heavyweights:
- Nikka From the Barrel – Extra Marriage: longer marriage, amplified finesse, intact energy. A masterclass.
- Blanton’s Single Barrel #25: freshness, balance of cereals, and the undeniable charm of the mythical warehouse H.
Rum travels: Haiti → Monaco → Southeast Asia
Mother Mesccia is the inaugural bottling of a series intended to revive a Monegasque tradition dating back to the 17th century: mesccia, resulting from the blend of Caribbean rums, vermouth, and marsala.
In contrast: Shakara 15 years, a Thai rum aged in a tropical climate, complex but bright, with surprising maturity.
Neisson & Hampden: art and power
Neisson entrusts its Equilibrium Profile to artist Carole Aurore, who hand-paints each bottle. A work of art as much as a rum.
Hampden releases a 15-year-old LROK that leans into fruity, oily, medicinal power: an aromatic bulldozer.
