Well, we're not going to get clever, but if it's a Massandra wine, the former estate of the Tsars in Crimea, it can't be Madeira, except that indeed, at Massandra they used to bestow their wines with names of Western vineyards each time they produced a wine in that style. We still have a lot of old fortified wines from Massandra in the Whiskyfun cellar, by the way, they were sold off in large quantities by Sotheby's in 1990 and 1991. But no 'Madeira'... Towards the end of the USSR, the wines from Massandra had become very ordinary, and then I just lost track of them. Colour: amber. Nose: well, as we know, it's not mandatory to use great wines to make great whiskies, we've seen it with countless grand crus of Bordeaux. A grand cru does not make your whisky a grand cru. In any case, it's a magnificent nose, with all sorts of nuts, ointments and oils, superior to a 33-year-old 1978 ex-Massandra which was still very good (WF 85). Beautiful hints of the exhaust from an old English V12 (that's it, that's it...) Mouth: the blend has worked perfectly. There's a bit of mustard and perfect sultanas (was it malmsey-style?) then damp earth, mushrooms, humus, old walnut wine, salty touches, and especially, a magnificent sweet-salty side. Dates stuffed with salted marzipan. Finish: not very long but very balanced. Always this very nice earthy side, then liqueur, probably the 'Madeira' that has taken over. We're not complaining. Comments: for a simple finishing, one can (could!) only applaud. But what has become of the Domaine de Massandra? Any news?
