Milhoc Premiere Flamme Single Grain French Whisky (700ml)

Milhòc means “corn”, an appropriate title for Denis Lesgourgue's new spirits project which sees corn instead of malted barley as the main ingredient. The reasons are several. Legourgues’s family is from Gascony where they're well respected as Armagnac producers under the Château de Laubade label. However, the south west is also the country's major region for corn (mainly used in animal feed and for industrial purposes). Both are part of his family heritage, now channeled into whisky making.

Kicking off in early 2020, 45 acres of Château de Laubade’s estate are now dedicated to corn. Barley is out-sourced. “We decided to convert some of our vineyards into corn parcels,” says Lesgourgues. “When you walk the estate, you can see the two cultures side by side.” The whisky is distilled in Laubade’s column still via the same single distillation method used in traditional Armagnac-making. There are two expressions: Milhòc Le Premier-Né (First Born), and the higher-proof Milhòc Première Flamme (First Flame). Both whiskies are aged 4 to 5 years in Laubade's cellars, in new oak, x-bourbon, and x-Armagnac casks (think sweet and soft American oak, counterpointed against spicy Gascony oak). Though classified as a 'single grain', Premiere Flamme comes with a mash bill of 54% corn and 46% malted barley, bottled at 50% with zero chill filtration.

Other reviews... On the nose, there’s baked apples, white grape juice, and cherry cola, with a whisper of dark rye bread. The fruits are more muted on the palate, where raisins, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and funnel cake take the lead. The finish is long, with fruit tart and chocolate-covered espresso beans. 92 points - whiskyadvocate.com