50 products

French Whisky

Given their long history of distilling, cooperage and fine food and wine it's surprising that the French have taken to whisky so late. Not to mention the fact that whisky is now so popular in France that it’s rapidly becoming the country's national drink (they consume more whisky per capita than the Americans, the Scots or the Irish). While the industry is young, the quality is already very high. Several producers are now marketing their wares on Australian shores.
    • 88
    Bertrand Uberach Biersky 3 Year Old Eaux de Vie & Single Malt French Whisky Blend (500ml)
    Alsace, FRANCE
    $119. 99
    Bottle
    $1439.88 Dozen
    ABV: 44.4%

    [2017 release] Smelling like a barrel-aged grappa, this novel spirit blends Alsatian beer eau-de-vie with Alsatian malt whisky. It's oaky then fruity with spiced plum, mixed fruit muesli and raisins on the nose and early into the delivery. The middle stage is medium bodied with a creamy, appetising vibrancy, finishing more like a typical single malt, while the raisiny / grappa character returns through the aftertaste. Very European. 44.4% Alc./Vol. 393 bottles

    • 88
    Michel Couvreur Cap a Pie Blended French Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $154. 99
    Bottle
    $1859.88 Dozen
    ABV: 45%

    Launched in 2018, this is a first edition for 2018 with a decent proportion of malt whiskies mixed with the grain, as well as some sherry input. Brilliant gold. Pure, fresh and grainy opening sniffs. 2-3 minutes aeration drops the intensity, hinting at straw bail, sponge cake, sweet tea biscuits, a touch of barley sugar and developing orchard fruitiness. Medium dry, this feels more grain-led than malt-heavy with moderate spice and understated dried apple / pear notes. The finish is crisp and minerally, with a mild flare of warming spirit. 45% Alc./Vol.

    Michel Couvreur Tria Juncta in Uno Blended Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $1299. 00
    Bottle
    $15588.00 Dozen
    ABV: 49.92%
    A genuine limited edition of just 400 bottles, with major markets allocated as few as twelve bottles. Australia has even less.

    This is Couvreur's blending masterpiece composed from a very sherried 25 year old and a 29 year old from x Pedro Ximenez casks combined with his famous 16 year old Bere Barley malt whisky (a wild variety grown in Westray, Orkney). Assembled by Michel Couvreur himself, "Tri Juncta in Uno" (latin for “three in one”) marks the culmination of his passion to create an extra-aged whisky of the highest quality. The soul and source of the whiskies are referenced in the presentation - a handcrafted leather box made by “La Malle Bernard” (maker of Morgan cars’ luggage) with a traditional Scottish 'green plaid' lining inside.

    Michel Couvreur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune, Burgundy, France to be aged in small sherry casks. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually. From 1978 on, Couvreur made maturing whiskies his life’s work, dedicating research to a process which he once compared to 'cross-fertilisation'. Couvreur passed away in 2013; his son-in-law Cyril Deschamps and his cellar master Jean-Arnaud Frantzen, with the invaluable help of Michel’s devoted wife Marthe and his daughter Alexandra, continue to follow to the letter the original philosophy of the house. 49.92% Alc./Vol.
    • 88
    Michel Couvreur Intravagan'za Cask Strength Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $155. 00
    Bottle
    $1860.00 Dozen
    ABV: 50%

    Tasting note: Matured for 3 years in Moscatel and Oloroso casks. The pale gold amber colour has some small particles floating in it. Opening sniffs are mildly prickly, waxy and furniture polish-like. Second phase releases vanilla wafer, caramel and sweet cereal notes in a bouquet that's akin to youthful grain spirit with an Irish softness. The palate follows suit with a straightforward vanilla, caramel burst. Youthful spiciness. The finish is a little hollow and detracts from the overall balance. 50% Alc./Vol.

    Burgundy is a place full of personalities at the high end of the passion scale, especially when it comes to food and drink - perhaps none more so than a Belgian who began maturing Scotch Whisky in the heart of the famous wine region. The fellow in question is Michel Couvreur. He had already established a business in the early 1950s in Scotland selling Burgundy wines when in 1978, French friends suggested that he add a top quality Scotch to his portfolio. So began Couvreur’s interest in whisky from which he developed his ultra-traditionalist perspective on oak. He maintains (more radically than others in the industry) that 90% of a whisky’s quality comes from the cask, and only 10% comes from the distillation process. In the 1970s, American bourbon casks gradually replaced port and sherry casks for the maturation of Scotch, a great tragedy, according to Couvreur, as it changed the essence of a product that had European barrels at its core. In something of a personal crusade, Couvreur settled in Bouze-les-Beaune (close to the Burgundian town of Beaune, France), where he opened a customs bonded cellar and began selecting his own Spanish sherry casks (Pedro Ximenez and Palomino). Some readers will be aware, since the 1970's, sherry ceased to be shipped to UK in wood. Whisky producers have now to go and select their casks at sherry bodegas, paying a premium on top of transport costs. It's partly for this reason that Couvreur's cellar is located in Burgundy, half-way between Scotland and Andalusia, with straight motorways from Jerez de la Frontera to Beaune. Courveur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellars to be aged in small sherry casks that have been impregnated with 25 years aging via traditional soleras. Although Couvreur passed away in 2013, his son-in-law Cyril Deschamps and his Cellar Master Jean-Arnaud Frantzen, with the invaluable help of Michel’s devoted wife Marthe and his daughter Alexandra, continue to follow to the letter the original philosophy of the house. Constantly on the search for novel casks (they’ve recently started working with Jura Vin Jaune), total production is about 50,000 bottles annually. All required dilutions are accomplished with bottled water from Scotland and every bottle is hand-corked, hand-waxed and hand-labelled. These artisan whiskies are invariably interesting, sometimes quirky and occasionally magical. 

    • 84
    Michel Couvreur Clearach Single Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $129. 99
    Bottle
    $1559.88 Dozen
    ABV: 43%
    Tasting note: Produced from malt distilled in Scotland and matured between 2 to 3 years in fresh PX sherry casks. Slightly cloudy, pale gold/ brassy colour. Mildly prickly, restrained opening sniff. Meek breakfast cereal aromas, followed by hints of dried fruit and a faint rubbery edge. Doesn't really budge even after several minutes coaxing in the glass. Clean, dryish, light to medium bodied profile delivers a malty, cereal mid palate, thinning out towards the finish which is vanilla wafer like and carried by the spices. Simple and raw.43% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... Colour: gold. No new make, obviously, but virtual whisky that’s younger than 3 years. Nose: vanilla and praline plus fudge and café latte. Whiffs of yellow wild flowers and a little smoke. More mature than many 10yo malts on the nose. Mouth: very sweet and very malty. A certain harshness, typical of very young whiskies. Vanilla and quite some oak (ginger and nutmeg). A very active cask it seems. Finish: medium long, getting even spicier (white pepper). Comments: well, I don’t know what this would have become over time, it’s already rather woody, albeit pleasantly so. 73 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com

    Burgundy is a place full of personalities at the high end of the passion scale, especially when it comes to food and drink - perhaps none more so than a Belgian who is presently maturing Scotch Whisky in the heart of the famous French wine region. The fellow in question is Michel Couvreur, and he's a man on a mission when it comes to Scotch Whisky.

    Entering from the wine trade, his is an increasingly familiar story within the whisky industry. He'd already established a business in the early 1950s in Scotland selling Burgundy wines when in 1978, French friends suggested that he add a top quality Scotch to his portfolio. So began Couvreur’s interest in the whisky industry from which he developed his ultra-traditionalist perspective on oak. He maintains (more radically than others in the industry) that 90% of a whisky’s quality comes from the cask, and only 10% of the quality comes from the distillation process. In the 1970s, American bourbon casks gradually replaced port and sherry casks for the maturation of Scotch whisky, a great tragedy, according to Couvreur, as it changed the essence of a product that had European barrels at its core.

    In a personal crusade, Couvreur settled in Bouze-les-Beaune (close to the Burgundian town of Beaune, France), where he opened a customs bonded cellar and began selecting his own sherry casks (Pedro Ximenez and Palomino) from the Andalusia region of Spain. Some readers will be aware, since the 1970's, sherry ceased to be shipped to UK in wood. Whisky producers have now to go and select their casks at sherry bodegas, paying a premium on top of transport costs. It's partly for this reason that Michel Couvreur's cellar is located in Burgundy, half-way between Scotland and Andalusia, with straight motorways from Jerez de la Frontera to Beaune.

    Courveur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune to be aged in small sherry casks that have been impregnated with 25 years aging via traditional soleras. All required dilutions are accomplished with bottled water from Scotland. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually. A small selection of these artisan matured spirits has just arrived in Australia.

    Michel Couvreur Very Sherried 25 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $850. 00
    Bottle
    $10200.00 Dozen
    ABV: 45%

    Going by the 27 year old we tasted a while back, this ultra rare 25 year old will be super-sherried in the best way imaginable. Distilled in Scotland in 1980 then matured in sherry casks in France it comes presented in a gorgeous French glass bottle with wax seal, bottle number and rustic wooden box. Only 600 bottles produced. 45% Alc./Vol.

    • 91
    Michel Couvreur Candid Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $230. 00
    Bottle
    $2760.00 Dozen
    ABV: 49%

    Tasting note: Candid is from malt distilled in 2006 and matured in x-Pedro Ximenez botas (250 liters). Four casks were blended. The deep polished copper colour appears slightly turbid in the glass. The aroma is promising with its initially sweet, vanilla / caramel opening. Prickles the nose on the second pass which is redolent of Christmas pudding. Delicately bitter sweet entry. A flourish of spices covers the tongue; some very attractive, almost juicy fruit cake-like moments here too, sustained into the warm, drying fade. Good length. 49% Alc./Vol.

    • 88
    Michel Couvreur The Unique Blended French Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $119. 99
    Bottle
    $1439.88 Dozen
    ABV: 44%

    A Couvreur blend of malted and un-malted Scotch whiskies (both Pot-still and Coffey distilled). Matured partly in Scotland and partly in France, after four years in barrel it was reduced with Pentland Hills water. Soft and sweet on the nose with notes of dried grass and straw bail, developing with cream tea biscuits and a little citrus lift. That citrusy, grassy zest is on the palate too, giving a sprightly lift to the sweet malt. Spicy. Tastes its age. Non chill filtered. 44% Alc./Vol.

    Michel Couvreur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune, Burgundy, France to be aged in small sherry casks. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually. From 1978 on, Couvreur made maturing whiskies his life’s work, dedicating research to a process which he once compared to 'cross-fertilisation'. Couvreur passed away in 2013; his son-in-law Cyril Deschamps and his cellar master Jean-Arnaud Frantzen, with the invaluable help of Michel’s devoted wife Marthe and his daughter Alexandra, continue to follow to the letter the original philosophy of the house.

    • 91
    Michel Couvreur Overaged Single Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $169. 99
    Bottle
    $2039.88 Dozen
    ABV: 43%

    Tasting note: A vatting of single malts aged between 12 and 20 years in Pedro Ximenez casks. Brassy / gold appearance. Soft vanilla and malt on the nose. Some attractive dried fruits adding depth on the second inspection then more cereals and finally, fruit and nut chocolate. Immediately captivates with its svelte, cream - textured entry; lovely integration and balance with fruit and nut flavours augmented by buzzing spices. Good persistence. 43% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... I remember the early-to-mid 1990s, I did go to a Couvreur tasting in Strasbourg, where their rep told us that whisky was all about wood. It was the first time I was hearing that; I hated the idea right away. But a lot of water (and sawdust) has gone under the bridge since back then… By the way, I suppose ‘overaged’ means pretty young, with some whiskies you always need to translate those things, don’t you. Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, it’s pretty nice, sherried yet balanced, with a good sultanas/malt combo, just a touch of struck match, some lighter pipe tobacco, and loud and clear notes of dried dates. With a marzipan filling! Nice nose, really, I cannot not think of some young Macallans from that period. You know, the 1990s. Also a little menthol and a little ham. A good surprise. Mouth: really old style, starting with some leather and some tobacco, and going on with a sooty sherry, some dry sultanas, and drops of Guinness plus orange squash. No problems with the lower strength. Finish: medium, cleaner than expected, with some herbal teas, cherry stems, more tobacco… Comments: I tend to like the brighter style of the Blooming Gorse even better, but yeah, this little Couvreur was really nice. 83 points - whiskyfun.com

    • 91
    Michel Couvreur Blossoming Auld Sherried Single Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $450. 00
    Bottle
    $5400.00 Dozen
    ABV: 45%
    Tasting note: The deep mahogany / gold ochre hue stains the sides of the glass and shows good viscosity. Mildly prickly aroma offers suggestions of pancake, dilute maple syrup and mocha. Little variation in the second phase which, if anything sees the intensity drop a notch. Light entry opens to a plush, clean, richly sherried profile; semi sweet Christmas cake flavours, hollowing out at the finish, concluding with vanilla and caramel at the fade. 45% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... Colour: dark amber. Nose: this is much more elegant! Prunes, leather, cigars, old wooden furniture and orange marmalade. Mouth: yes, a much better balance here. Smooth, rounded yet not lumpish at all, all on fruitcake, orange zests, sultanas and notes of aniseed. Plus various spices including cloves. Finish: long and in the same vein. Comments: excellent, classic sherried malt. 88 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com

    Burgundy is a place full of personalities at the high end of the passion scale, especially when it comes to food and drink - perhaps none more so than a Belgian who is presently maturing Scotch Whisky in the heart of the famous French wine region. The fellow in question is Michel Couvreur, and he's a man on a mission when it comes to Scotch Whisky.

    Entering from the wine trade, his is an increasingly familiar story within the whisky industry. He'd already established a business in the early 1950s in Scotland selling Burgundy wines when in 1978, French friends suggested that he add a top quality Scotch to his portfolio. So began Couvreur’s interest in the whisky industry from which he developed his ultra-traditionalist perspective on oak. He maintains (more radically than others in the industry) that 90% of a whisky’s quality comes from the cask, and only 10% of the quality comes from the distillation process. In the 1970s, American bourbon casks gradually replaced port and sherry casks for the maturation of Scotch whisky, a great tragedy, according to Couvreur, as it changed the essence of a product that had European barrels at its core.

    In a personal crusade, Couvreur settled in Bouze-les-Beaune (close to the Burgundian town of Beaune, France), where he opened a customs bonded cellar and began selecting his own sherry casks (Pedro Ximenez and Palomino) from the Andalusia region of Spain. Some readers will be aware, since the 1970's, sherry ceased to be shipped to UK in wood. Whisky producers have now to go and select their casks at sherry bodegas, paying a premium on top of transport costs. It's partly for this reason that Michel Couvreur's cellar is located in Burgundy, half-way between Scotland and Andalusia, with straight motorways from Jerez de la Frontera to Beaune.

    Courveur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune to be aged in small sherry casks that have been impregnated with 25 years aging via traditional soleras. All required dilutions are accomplished with bottled water from Scotland. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually. A small selection of these artisan matured spirits has just arrived in Australia.

    • 94
    1997 Michel Couvreur Alba 22 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $699. 00
    Bottle
    $8388.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Tasting note: [20ml sample] Another unique whisky experience: this time Couvreur filled Scottish malt into a Fino sherry cask in 1997 before finishing it for five years in a fresh Chenin Blanc barrel from Sot De l'Ange (the label shape references the winery's own). The aroma opens woody, dry and restrained but stretches its legs with apple and pear as well as hints of balsa wood and straw. On the palate, it starts out slightly apply and nutty, but gets more chewy and porridge-like; The finish adds a delicious dried coconut-chocolate twist, followed by sugared muesli, oatmeal and dried apple. Cask strength at 46%(!), it's another remarkable, one-of-a-kind result from the magical cellars of M. Couvreur. Non chill filtered. 420 bottles produced. Very limited stocks.
    • 90
    • Reduced
    Domaine des Hautes Glaces Vulson White Rhino Rye (700ml)
    FRANCE
    Reduced from $110.00
    $84. 99
    Bottle
    $1019.88 Dozen
    ABV: 40%
    Born from a partnership between the Domaine des Hautes Glaces distillery and Xavier Padovani, former global ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin and Monkey Shoulder whisky. The brand was launched in Summer 2014 with the label taking its name from Marcus Vulson de la Colombiere, the man who in 1616 built the 400 year old castle which houses the distillery.

    Run by Fred Revol, owner and master distiller, Domaines des Hautes Glaces is a farm-to-glass operation, growing, malting, brewing and distilling from its own 100% organically grown rye. Distillation takes place in a small copper pot still through which the spirit passes three times. The still is heated directly by a wood-burning fire, which is manually controlled. The entire approach is an attempt to harness the terroir of the region.

    Tasting note: Clear. Lifted new-make bouquet offers olive sour dough, whitepepper and sauerkraut-like notes. Light entry builds to a peppery, waxy, sour dough and sauerkraut profile; finish includes whitepepper, mineral plus hints of caraway and baked citrus in the fade. 40% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... 4.5 Stars - www.diffordsguide.com
    • 93
    Warenghem Distillery Armorik Classic Single Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $110. 00
    Bottle
    $1320.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Warenghem distillery is located in Lannion in the north of Brittany. Originally the company produced a herbal elixir (still available today) then moved on to fruit liqueurs. They began making blended whiskeys in 1987 and then tackled the single malt category in 1998, an unusual move. It has paid off in spades as they've won several awards in a short time. The cornerstone of the range, Armorik Classic, brings together the best from the warehouse in a marriage of sherry and bourbon casks of different ages. Non chill filtered.

    Tasting note: Pale straw gold. Pure and attractive scents of gobstopper, marshmallow and sweet malt. Aeration adds a whiff of pepper. Seamlessly integrates flavours of cocoa, lightly peppered malt and sooty peat followed by hints of beeswax, dried banana and almond biscotti in the finish. Outstanding purity and poise. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... Armorik is made by Distilleries Warenghem in the Brittany region of Northern France and you expect something gutsy and rugged. This is nothing of the sort, though the relatively high strength and the fact that it's non-chill filtered ensure plenty of taste, including a scattering of spices that tickle and tingle the palate at the finish. Before then, though, the key flavors are vanilla, honeyed cereal, overripe melon, and banana. Delightful. 84 points - www.maltadvocate.com, (Winter 2011) Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow

    ...the oak is confident enough to go head to head with the big barley: complex, lively stuff; attrctive, gristy sweetness. Subtle oils spread the barley intensity. Dries towards a powdery vanilla. Quietly sophisticated malt. 88 points - Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2014

    "An extremely well-made, if young, spirit. One to watch." - David Broom, whiskymag.com
    Warenghem Distillery Armorik Dervenn 10 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $150. 00
    Bottle
    $1800.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%

    Aged in oak barrels sourced from the last cooper in Brittany, this a singular product with real provenance. Serge at whiskyfun.com tasted an earlier 4-5 year old Dervenn release and was impressed, stating "...I’d call it export-quality French malt whisky." So with the extra age of this bottling you can be sure it'll be better again. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Warenghem Distillery Armorik 15 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $170. 00
    Bottle
    $2040.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%

    Category winner, Best French Single Malt between 13 and 20 years old category, World Whiskeys Awards 2023.

    One of Warenghem's oldest bottlings to date spent nine years in Bourbon barrels before finishing its maturation in Sherry casks for an additional six years. Armorik's typically rich barley profile will be on show, punctuated by notes of exotic fruits, honey, spices and just a hint of peat smoke. From an outturn of 1500 bottles. 46% Alc./Vol.

    • 95
    2015 Warenghem Distillery Armorik Single Cask Australian Exclusive Cask Strength Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $199. 00
    Bottle
    $2388.00 Dozen
    ABV: 58.7%

    French whiskies are so rarely encountered here that when they do arrive they come with a sense of mystery. Yet, if there are regional challengers to the malts that emerge from Scotland's Western Highlands, then Northern France would have to be one. Whiskies from Brittany can be hugely flavoursome, capturing a sense of place with the freshness of the seashore and a touch of rusticity that's occasionally augmented by varying degrees of peat. Kornog and Warenghem are standouts, the latter offering whiskies under their Armorik label. When the Australian importers visited Brittany earlier in the year, their barrel selection came with a further French twist: Full-term maturation in a cask that previously held Pineau des Charentes - a speciality aperitif of Cognac, generally categorised as a fortified wine (aka 'mistelle' or 'vin de liqueur' in France, however, being a blend of grape must and eau-de-vie it could be argued that the genre is more akin to a liqueur). There is one cask only, all for Australia and the whisky it yielded continues a theme of beautifully rounded, utterly mouthfilling and wonderfully textural malts from Warenghem, this time with a light honey, fruit compote and sponge cake character in the mix. On the palate, poached fruits work to heighten the succulence of the barley before trailing off with lively spices, vanilla and honey. Hints of brine and pepper add vitality to the finish as does a slightly tart quince or citric note. It's wound up in a beautifully integrated delivery that's dangerously easy to drink uncut. With water the profile loses some of its finer points, but fluffs into a deliciously creamy dram. Distilled in October 2015 and bottled in February 2023, the visual presentation might lack sophistication, however the final result has exceeded the importer's expectations. 150 bottles are on offer. 58.7% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

    Warenghem Distillery Armorik Sherry Cask Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $110. 00
    Bottle
    $1320.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    A fairly youthful, entry level malt in the Armorik core range, aged in old Oloroso sherry casks. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

    Notes from the producers... NOSE: Intense, very fine and elegant, subtly influenced by the sherry. The delicacy of vanilla and citrus is revealed with a touch of mint and dried fruit. MOUTH: Nicely balanced and well rounded, with notes of crème brûlée, plums and roasted almonds. FINISH: Light vanilla aroma, warm from the sherry, spicy.

    Warenghem Distillery Armorik Yeun Elez Jobic Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $130. 00
    Bottle
    $1560.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%

    Armorik's new line of heavily peated single malts called 'Yeun Elez', sees the first release matured in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, with the barley peated to around 50ppm. Made with Scottish malt using local water and pot stills, the whisky is named for a swamp considered in local legend to be the Gateway to Hell. The story goes, Tadic-Coz knew the secret and the ritual of locking the souls of ghosts in the body of a black dog. He instructed the young Jobic to guide the dog towards the door of the Underworld. The latter, going from presbytery to presbytery, led the black dog to the rector of Commana. Together, at sunset, they threw the black dog into the Yeun Elez swamp, condemning the ghost to hell.

    Notes from the producers suggest medicinal peat (camphor, cloves) but supported by fruity notes of bananas, cooked peaches, and pastry (cream pastry). The smoke rounds the palate while hints of citrus add freshness. 46% Alc./Vol. Non-chill-filtered.

    • 94
    • Batch may vary
    Warenghem Distillery Armorik 10 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $130. 00
    Bottle
    $1560.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%

    Tasting note: [2018 Edition tasted] A run of 2000 bottles with around one hundred available in Australia. This limited edition Armorik offers pure, malt-forward aromas including stewed pear and delicate citrus zest. 2-3 minutes of air contact adds hints of cocoa, parchment, old paperbacks and more... Full bodied and zesty, there's a grassy edge to the delivery which bristles with barley and fresh oak through to the lipsmacking finish. Deceptively simple but the fabulous tactile quality keeps you coming back. Less than a handful available. Non chill filtered. 46% Alc./Vol.

    • 93
    • Reduced
    Warenghem Distillery Armorik Double Maturation Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    Reduced from $135.00
    $120. 00
    Bottle
    $1440.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Tasting note: Brilliant amber / polished copper colour. Nutty and fruity overtones with hints of unripe cantaloupe amid the wood. Everything seems to be in similar measure; Difficult to pin down. Firm and peppery with almost crunchy, grainy malt ; drying oak to finish plus understated, sooty peat and a touch of vapo-rub. Moderate length. Skillfully balanced and more complex than first impressions suggest. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... Armorik has been making whisky for more than twelve years; it's growing in confidence, and the quality is improving. There's peat in the malt here, and it gives the whisky a feisty and earthy quality. The spirit is matured first in Armorik oak barrels and then transferred to sherry. Sherry and peat is a tough trick to pull off and this just about gets away with it, with coastal brine and lemon rubbing up against wood smoke, barley, and honey. 81 points
    - maltadvocate.com, (Winter 2011) Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow
    • 91
    Bastille 1789 Single Malt French Whisky (750ml)
    FRANCE
    $130. 00
    Bottle
    $1560.00 Dozen
    ABV: 43%
    Tasting notes: Polished copper. Opening whiffs of marzipan and pepper. Second pass features hazelnut plus hints of new leather and mulch. Light entry follows through to a gently spiced, medium bodied delivery; crisp malt gives way to sweeter, richer flavours of hazelnut and vanilla. Finishes keenly balanced and fresh with hazelnut, cocoa and hints of orange zest in the aftertaste. Some definite Toblerone moments here. Fascinating. 43% Alc./vol.

    Other reviews... Master distiller Jean-Marc Daucourt uses French wheat and malted barley in his distillations and ages his spirit in different woods, noticeably Limousin oak. The nose brings marmalade, newly unfurled bracken, sanded wood on a workshop bench, light pepper, dried apricot, and pineapple. It’s a well-balanced dram showing marmalade sweetness, fruit pastilles, lime zest, and ginger, which adds to the toasted, spicy tingle. The creamy mouthfeel concludes with the spices in retreat, leaving an orange hum. Some kind of wonderful.
    88 points - www.maltadvocate.com (Fall 2014) Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick
    Bastille 1789 Blended French Whisky (700ml)
    FRANCE
    $79. 99
    Bottle
    $959.88 Dozen
    ABV: 40%
    Given their long history if distilling, cooperage and fine food and wine it's surprising that the French have taken to whisky so late. Master Distiller Jean-Marc Daucourt spent considerable time in Scotland before establishing his own venture near the Cognac region in south-west France. Sourcing both barley and wheat from the north east of the country, he uses alembic pot stills (normally reserved for making brandy). The whiskies are aged for five to seven years in a combination of French Limousin oak, cherry wood and acacia casks.

    Other reviews... Master distiller Jean-Marc Daucourt uses French wheat and malted barley in his distillations and ages his spirit in different woods, noticeably Limousin oak. The nose brings marmalade, newly unfurled bracken, sanded wood on a workshop bench, light pepper, dried apricot, and pineapple. It’s a well-balanced dram showing marmalade sweetness, fruit pastilles, lime zest, and ginger, which adds to the toasted, spicy tingle. The creamy mouthfeel concludes with the spices in retreat, leaving an orange hum. Some kind of wonderful.
    88 points
    - www.maltadvocate.com (Fall 2014) Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick

    Bright amber color. Enticing aromas of honey roasted nuts, toffee, apricot and orange marmalades on wheat toast with a silky, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and a creamy peach gelato, pepper, and baking spices accented finish. An amazingly flavorful and fruity whisky with great balance and style. 40% Alc./Vol.
    International Review of Spirits Award: Gold Medal
    RATING: 94 points (Exceptional)
    - www.tastings.com
    • 88
    Bertrand Uberach 5 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Alsace, FRANCE
    $140. 00
    Bottle
    $1680.00 Dozen
    ABV: 42.2%
    Tasting note: Alsace whisky has recently been afforded an official AOC and many consider it the country's best region for the spirit. 'Uberach' is a new release from Jean Metzger whose been producing whisky at the Bertrand distillery for more than a decade. Brass gold in colour, it has a spicy fruit cake lift plus an odd earthy, herbal quality on the nose which is hard to classify. Full bodied, slightly rustic and chewy in the mouth, there's a plummy, musty, grapey, glace cherry character that reminds you of good aged grappa or Eaux de vie. Medium long, sweetening towards the finish, it's the single malt equivalent of abstract art: Difficult to pin down, yet curiously likeable at the same time. 42.2% Alc./Vol.
    • 94
    • 92
    • Reduced
    2019 Glann ar Mor Kornog Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Peated Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    Reduced from $225.00
    $210. 00
    Bottle
    $2520.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Tasting note: If you're after a single malt that packs in the flavour without being cask strength, there aren't too many choices. At 46%, Kornog's earthy peat matched up with nutty-leathery oloroso, rounded out with this distillery's juicy, fruity spirit and capped off with a coastal tang means all bases are covered. If you like Springbank you should enjoy this. One of the best of the continental malts going around. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

    Other reviews... How heart warming to find not only a clean oloroso butt at work, but the smoke and fruit entirely harmonised. 92 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020
    • 95
    2019 Glann ar Mor Kornog Saint Ivy Cask Strength Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $299. 00
    Bottle
    $3588.00 Dozen
    ABV: 58.2%
    'Saint Ivy' is one of Glann ar Mor's annual releases, offered each May and bottled at cask strength from a single Bourbon barrel. Every year these get better, with the 2019 edition gaining a rave review from Jim Murray. We have received a tiny allocation. Non chill filtered.

    Other reviews... A much sharper vintage than the 2018 with passion fruit replacing the citrus. Less phenols...but the mint on the finish is what sets this apart... this enters an entirely different dimension, with the cocoa and Manuka and ulmo honey mix making this not just the best finale from this distillery, but among the top three of any malt I have tasted so far this year. 58.2% Alc./Vol.
    95 points - Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2020

    [2018 release tasted] The subtle sweet smoke, like singed rocks around a beach fire, becomes more pungent if left unattended. Underneath, aromas of sweet lemons, tropical fruits, lemongrass, and smoked olives abound. Juicy sweetness, with a real concentration of mango, papaya, and sugary boiled candies melds into flavors of vanilla and Battenberg cake. After a concluding rush of pepper, the smoky fumes permeate through the back end. Oh boy! Ridiculously good!
    92 points - whiskyadvocate.com, reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2018)

    [2013 release tasted]. What an easy name! It's a single cask this time, maybe not quite ex-Ivy League or is it? Colour: straw. Nose: well, careful, this is a bit strong. It seems that it's a little more medicinal than the others but not sure. Water please... With water: a wee tad raw and barleyish, maybe, when compared with the previous one. A feeling of sake, maybe, but otherwise it's all perfect. Well I love good sake. Mouth (neat): an ultra-lemony peat, this seems to be more or less the Taouarc'h Kentan 13 BC (phew) at a higher strength, with more pepper too. Not too sure, this is no jet fuel but it's really strong. With water: the salt comes out, together with lemons and grapefruits. All that is very peated, naturally. A little less oily and fat this time, but of course all that depends on the amount of water you're adding, on the kind of water, on the way you add it and on the waiting time (never taste whisky just after you've added water, always wait for a few minutes! Sipping is fine...) Finish: long and just excellent. Don't I detect touches of pineapples again? That's youth! Comments: another obvious winner, it's just that the superb Taouarc'h Kentan 13 BC (yeah yeah) may have overshadowed it a tiny-wee bit. 88 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com
    • 94
    • 95
    Glann ar Mor Kornog Roch Hir Peated Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $175. 00
    Bottle
    $2100.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Martine and Jean Donnay established the "Celtic Whisky Compagnie" in 1997 and began distilling in 1999 with Glann ar Mor's first bottling of unpeated single malt hitting the market in late 2008. By November 2009, a peated malt was released (30-35 ppm) under the Kornog label, meaning "West Wind" in Breton. The distillery is located on a seafront, hence the name, which translates "At the edge of the sea". The packaging further emphasises the locale, featuring a graphic of the Héaux de Bréhat lighthouse. This is a traditional operation that employs small stills, 100% live flame for both the spirit still and the wash still / slow distillation, wooden washbacks and seaside maturation.

    Currently the whiskies are just over 3 years old, but already show surprising complexity and balance. For instance, the very first bottling of Kornog won a Silver Medal at the 2009 "Malt Maniacs Awards", with a score of 87 points which compares very favourably with iconic Islay whiskies. Jim Murray has been extremely enthusiastic of several bottlings including this.

    Tasting note: Matured in a bourbon cask for 3 years. Bright pale straw gold. Opens with intense aromas of lanolin / wet wool. Air contact drops the peat a notch bringing forward dried apple, cinnamon and light cocoa. Follows through with an oily, cereal, crisp malt delivery with the finish upping the richness adding cocoa-laced peat, walnut slice and lanolin carrying through to the aftertaste. Exhibits a freshness, balance and staying power that belies its youth. A whisky that's both delicious and distinctive. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... beautifully distilled, superbly matured. 95 points - Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2017
    • 94
    Glann ar Mor Heiz Ledenez Gouez Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $299. 00
    Bottle
    $3588.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Tasting note: Aged in a Bourbon cask, this pale gold whisky was made entirely from locally sourced barley. Malt lovers may find resemblances to Campeltown's finest here: Direct fire stills give a toasty edge to the nose, while poached pear fruitiness develops alongside suggestions of almond biscotti, sponge cake and straw bail. It's soft on entry with a grassy edge through the middle, but balances beautifully. The finish turns creamy, toasty and delicately salty with hints of white pepper and vanilla through the aftertaste. A cereal / coastal style that really works. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Extremely limited stocks.
    • 93
    • 92
    2018 Glann ar Mor Kornog Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Peated Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $199. 00
    Bottle
    $2388.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Tasting note: [2018 release] x Bourbon casks are the norm at Glann ar Mor, so this Oloroso Sherry finish is something of a novelty. The peat has a mezcal-like edge, in this case there's opening suggestions of vinyl and varnish, mingling with vaguely green notes (white pepper, dried grass). Aeration accents the sweet barley as honey, boiled confectionary... marzipan? More definitive peat in the mouth, also flavours of toasted fruit cake, trailing off with green-wood smoke and a mildly grassy bitter-sweetness. Always engaging, this distillery has established a distinctive style early on. Non chill filtered. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... How heart warming to find not only a clean oloroso butt at work, but the smoke and fruit entirely harmonised. 92 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020
    • 91
    Glann ar Mor Kornog Taouarc'h Eilvet Peated Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $165. 00
    Bottle
    $1980.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Tasting note: Matured for 3 years in x Sauternes casks. Glossy polished brass. Thick oily peat in the opening stage, dripping with toffee apple, choc fudge and barley sugar richness. Several minutes air contact adds cocoa, drops the peat input and edges towards dried fruits / dates / figs. Slightly bittersweet with unusual flavours suggesting marzipan or toasted dark rye; several quirky notes are difficult to pin down. Dries before choc-sponge cake re-surges at the finish. Out of the mainstream but very enjoyable. 46% Alc./Vol.
    • 93
    Glann ar Mor Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $175. 00
    Bottle
    $2100.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    Martine and Jean Donnay established the "Celtic Whisky Compagnie" in 1997 and began distilling in 1999 with Glann ar Mor's first bottling of unpeated single malt hitting the market in late 2008. By November 2009, a peated malt was released (30-35 ppm) under the Kornog label, meaning "West Wind" in Breton. The distillery is located on a seafront, hence the name, which translates "At the edge of the sea". The packaging further emphasises the locale, featuring a graphic of the Héaux de Bréhat lighthouse. This is a traditional operation that employs small stills, 100% live flame for both the spirit still and the wash still / slow distillation, wooden washbacks and seaside maturation.

    Currently the whiskies are just over 3 years old, but already show surprising complexity and balance. For instance, the very first bottling of Kornog won a Silver Medal at the 2009 "Malt Maniacs Awards", with a score of 87 points which compares very favourably with iconic Islay whiskies. Dave Broom of maltadvocate.com is an enthusiast for French whisky, especially Glann ar Mor and his review is below.

    Dave Broom comments, "French whisky encompasses a wide range of approaches and flavours, from the hugely aromatic P&M from Corsica to the understated Alsace whiskies of Elsass, Meyer’s, and Uberbach. There is a trio of whiskies from Brittany. Guy le Lat’s Eddu uses buckwheat to create a whisky that out-ryes rye. Distilerie Warengheim makes the most widely-seen whisky, Amorik. But for this writer the one to watch is Glann ar Mor (‘by the sea’), established in 2005 by Jean Donnay. A traditionalist approach: direct fire, wooden washbacks, wild yeast, and worm tubs yield a single malt whisky that, though barely over the 3 year legal limit, is already complex: think barley sugar and apricot. The fire and the worms give the mid-palate some real weight (boding well for longer-term maturation), but the slow distillation has added floral notes that dance on top.

    Tasting note: The whisky has spent 3 years in a Bourbon cask. Polished brass. Thick, oily peat at first before a dryish / mildly fruity nose which is also slightly grassy. Sweeter in later inhalations revealing sponge cake, wax, oil (linseed?) followed by hints of dried apple, straw bale and vanilla after five minutes aeration. An odd yet appealing combination. Gentle yet fresh delivery with crisp / grassy malt and subtle herbal-tea like flavours. An unusual arrangement. Keeps you guessing. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... [NB - Review is for 2012 bottling] Glann ar Mor is a rising star in the world of whisky, one of three very impressive distilleries in the Brittany region in Northern France, and this new single malt, fresh from the cask at the back end of September, is its finest release yet. A mixture of soft tinned fruits, especially sweet pears in syrup, sweet vanilla ice cream, and a delicate but assertive earthy underbed make this an utter delight. Magnifique. 92 points
    - (Winter 2012) Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow, www.maltadvocate.com
    • 92
    • Reduced
    2019 Glann ar Mor Kornog Sauternes Cask Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Brittany, FRANCE
    Reduced from $350.00
    $299. 00
    Bottle
    $3588.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%
    While Jim Murray wasn't enthusiastic about Kornog's Sauternes cask release, others have been besotted by the Breton distillery’s unusual expression. Matured full-term in x sweet white wine casks from Bordeaux, we have a small once-off allocation now on offer.

    Tasting note: This dense and oily Kornog has a combination of coastal notes mingling with earthy peat smoke. Input from the Sauternes cask remains discreet: Hints of flamed orange peel, lucerne and raisin cake round out the finish, while date-like sweetness enters late through the medium-long, sooty aftertaste. Rustic. Earth and sweet peat dominate. 46% Alc./Vol.

    Martine and Jean Donnay established the "Celtic Whisky Compagnie" in 1997 and began distilling in 1999 with Glann ar Mor's first bottling of unpeated single malt hitting the market in late 2008. By November 2009, a peated malt was released (30-35 ppm) under the Kornog label. The distillery is located on a seafront, hence the name, which translates "At the edge of the sea". The packaging further emphasises the locale, featuring a graphic of the Héaux de Bréhat lighthouse. This is a very traditional operation that employs small stills, 100% live flame for both the spirit still and the wash still / slow distillation, wooden washbacks and seaside maturation. Given the set up, style wise, some commentators have compared Glann ar Mor's whiskies with the likes of Springbank.
    • 89
    Domaine des Hautes Glaces Les Moissons Single Malt Organic Spirit (700ml)
    FRANCE
    $115. 00
    Bottle
    $1380.00 Dozen
    ABV: 42%

    Note: Some lifting to the rear label.

    Made using organic barley grown and malted on-site at Domaine des Hautes Glaces in the alpine region of south-east France.

    Run by Fred Revol, owner and master distiller, Domaines des Hautes Glaces is a farm-to-glass operation, growing, malting, brewing and distilling from its own 100% organically grown rye. Distillation takes place in a small copper pot still through which the spirit passes three times. The still is heated directly by a wood-burning fire, which is manually controlled. The entire approach is an attempt to harness the terroir of the region.

    This bottling is a blend of three vintages of barley (2010-2012) grown on a single plot of the Estate, "The Climate Andrieu". The spirit is matured in a combination of virgin Troncais oak casks as well as those which previously held either Cognac or white wine from the Southern Rhone.

    Tasting note: Almost waterlike with a light straw blush. Offers gentle and pure aromas of grain-store, weetbix and cream becoming more bread-like with exposure. Light to medium bodied with a delicate combination of vanilla, sour-dough bread and hints of sauerkraut. Ends with a peppery surge. Subtle weetbix aftertaste. Very softly spoken. Non chill filtered with natural colour. 42% Alc./Vol.

    Michel Couvreur The Must '90s Single Cask Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $899. 00
    Bottle
    $10788.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%

    A long lost treat from the Burgundian cave of Michel Couvreur - distilled in Scotland in October 1990 and then transported to France where it matured for more than 30 years in a PX sherry cask yielding 220 bottles. Expect something decadent and beautifully harmonised. The wax-sealed bottle comes housed in a timber presentation frame as pictured. At the time of writing, we have one bottle only. 46% Alc./Vol.

    2005 Michel Couvreur XV 15 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    FRANCE
    $195. 00
    Bottle
    $2340.00 Dozen
    ABV: 48.5%
    One of Michel Couvreur's claims is that the distillery doesn't matter - only the casks do. Consequently, these releases never disclose the source. Distilled in Scotland in January 2005 then full-term matured in a single Palo Cortado Sherry cask in Couvreur's Burgundian cellars, this natural strength release is limited to 790 bottles. 48.5% Alc./Vol.
    • 89
    • Reduced
    Michel Couvreur Pale Single Single Malt French Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    Reduced from $190.00
    $144. 99
    Bottle
    $1739.88 Dozen
    ABV: 45%
    Tasting note: A balanced but fairly straightforward profile that opens with nicely integrated aromas of pear, baked apple and hints of beeswax. Medium to full bodied, initially malt-forward with background orchard fruits and spices building at the finish, this could be at least half a dozen good Highlanders (think young Glen Grant, Linkwood or Glencadam and you get the picture). 45% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews... Single-single simple means single cask (one cask from one distillery). Colour: straw. Nose: this is much more interesting. A lot of gooseberries, strawberries and lemon balm on top of lemon pie and whiffs of sea breeze. Very clean and very pure, although the oakiness grows bolder again over time (ginger). Mouth: still very fresh but the attack is grassier. Peppered apple pie. Finish: long, quite tannic and salty. Comments: nice malt, especially on the nose, but you have to like plain oak in your whisky. Salted fresh oak? 79 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com

    Notes from the importer... Nose – Fresh and well fruity initially. Vegetal (tea thyme-lemon), it makes me think of some Benrinnes. Simple and direct. Its expressiveness and fruity are lost along the way, too bad! Taste – Moist and light, precise and pointed. Accessible and aromatic, it is spicy with vegetal notes from end to end. Finish Creamy and sparkling. When your expectations are zero on a whisky, you sometimes have very good surprises! I have rarely been seduced by Couvreur, I had a great time. 45% Alc./Vol.
    • 93
    1983 Michel Couvreur Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $850. 00
    Bottle
    $10200.00 Dozen
    ABV: 50%
    Tasting note: [sampled from a near empty bottle opened 2014] Amber gold with some sediment evident. Delicious, clean fruity malt in the opening phase; brief exposure releases scents of old books, leather handbag, dried fig and roasted almonds. Rich, fat, buttery delivery offers intense sweet malt over hints of [good] sulphur. Finish is pleasantly peppery, buttery, moreish if slightly short. Very well crafted. Very appealing. 50% Alc./Vol.
    • 92
    2009 Michel Couvreur L'Oubli Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $145. 00
    Bottle
    $1740.00 Dozen
    ABV: 43.41%
    A single malt raised in Fino Sherry casks, then finished in Gaillac wine vats that previously contained Mauzac, a La Vigne de l'Oubli from South west France. Expect the unexpected from Couvreur's whiskies.

    Tasting note: Brilliant gold. The nose offers the lightest dustings of cocoa, as well as scents of brine, cheesecake, Marie biscuits and whiffs of ripe pear - up there with the most pristine, pitch-perfect malty bouquets of the year. Understated entry before the winey, Fino / Amontillado sherry notes build. Ends tangy, salty, nutty. Ginger biscuits and a touch of sulphur in the aftertaste. A unique whisky - something like a grappa aged in amontillado sherry casks. 43.41% Alc./Vol.

    Michel Couvreur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune, Burgundy, France to be aged in small sherry casks. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually. From 1978 on, Couvreur made maturing whiskies his life’s work, dedicating research to a process which he once compared to 'cross-fertilisation'. Couvreur passed away in 2013; his son-in-law Cyril Deschamps and his cellar master Jean-Arnaud Frantzen, with the invaluable help of Michel’s devoted wife Marthe and his daughter Alexandra, continue to follow to the letter the original philosophy of the house.
    • 96
    Michel Couvreur Very Sherried 27 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $699. 00
    Bottle
    $8388.00 Dozen
    ABV: 48%
    In something of a personal crusade, Michel Couvreur settled in Bouze-les-Beaune (close to the Burgundian town of Beaune, France), where he opened a customs bonded cellar and began selecting his own sherry casks (Pedro Ximenez and Palomino) from the Andalusia region of Spain. Some readers will be aware, since the 1970's, sherry ceased to be shipped to UK in wood. Whisky producers have now to go and select their casks at sherry bodegas, paying a premium on top of transport costs. It's partly for this reason that Michel Couvreur's cellar is located in Burgundy, half-way between Scotland and Andalusia, with straight motorways from Jerez de la Frontera to Beaune.

    Couvreur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune to be aged in small sherry casks that have been impregnated with 25 years aging via traditional soleras. All required dilutions are accomplished with bottled water from Scotland. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually. A small selection of these artisan matured spirits has just arrived in Australia at quite reasonable prices, given the going rates at other whisky specialists overseas.

    This ultra rare 27 year old is super-sherried in the best way imaginable, recalling some of the most sherry-heavy (and expensive) drams we've ever tasted. Distilled in 1984 in Scotland then matured in sweet sherry casks in France.

    Tasting note: Remarkable deep sienna brown with gold ochre edges and some sediment evident. Fabulous bouquet - excites with heady scents of toasted almonds, super-aged tawny/Amontillado Sherry, cigar box, new leather, rancio and is almost like top notch Armagnac after extra exposure. Delicate entry is bittersweet and marzipan-like at mid palate with faint sulphur undertones (matchbox / pencil rubber). Finish turns sensationally nutty / almond biscotti-like with walnuts, dried fruits, ginger biscuit and mildly bitter chocolate in the aftertaste. Concludes woody, gently spicy, fragile, understated yet long, long, long. An astonishing effort! 48% Alc./Vol.
    • 92
    Michel Couvreur Vin Jaune 8 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $159. 99
    Bottle
    $1919.88 Dozen
    ABV: 43%
    Once again, Michel Couvreur has worked his own peculiar brand of magic on a Scottish malt, this one distilled on the 10th July 2008 and matured for its full period in Jura vin Juane casks (a white wine produced from Savagnin in the Jura region of Eastern France, tasting similar to fino Sherry). Barrels were sourced from Domaine Bénédicte and Stéphane Tissot and delivered to Couvreur's Burgundy cellars without rinsing, partly accounting for the remarkable wine pick up in this malt.

    Tasting note: [from a 20ml sample] Cloudy pale gold, clearly unfiltered. Issues delightful, lifted notes of butterscotch, boiled lollies and sweet malt. Later passes detect dates and sultanas with uncanny definition. Lean and mildly acidic on entry. Middle stage seems oddly dilute. Rallies at the finish with a superb, intense salty/nutty burst redolent of extra-aged amontillado sherry. Great length. Freakish whisky. 43% Alc./Vol.
    • 92
    Michel Couvreur Spirale 18 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $550. 00
    Bottle
    $6600.00 Dozen
    ABV: 49%
    Tasting note: [Sampled from a near empty bottle opened in 2014] Distilled in Scotland in 1994 and matured in a wine cask from Jura. Deep amber / copper with some sediment evident. Plush aromatics hint at dried fruits, vanilla then later, beeswax, light raisin cake plus whispers of ginger and sulphur. Quite intense, with ginger and cardamom featuring on the palate, followed by malt and bittersweet oak. Well balanced spices. Shows solid length. The name refers to a style of wine made from grapes dried on straw mats. 49% Alc./Vol. Bottled on request.
    • 92
    2006 Michel Couvreur XII 12 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $189. 99
    Bottle
    $2279.88 Dozen
    ABV: 47%
    It's understood this bottling was destined for the company’s Clearach label (a four year old matured in 70 percent Pedro Ximenez and 30 percent Oloroso sherry casks) but was instead put aside for another six years in a PX cask. Entirely matured in Couvreur's French cellars, just under 1000 bottles are on offer world wide.

    Tasting note: Deep, copper coin colour verges on polished mahogany. Some quality sherry pick- up on the nose (orange zest, walnut fudge) as well as empty barrels, old books, leather armchair and minor sulphur. Dry and salty in the early stages evolving nutty, amontillado sherry-like flavours… salted hazelnuts and a touch of old liquorice strap... again a touch of sulphur. Finish is dry, nutty, lean and saline. Tastes older than what it is. A terrific aperitif style that will appeal to Sherry-heads. 47% Alc./Vol.
    • 91
    • Reduced
    Michel Couvreur Special Vatting Peaty Malt Whisky (700ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    Reduced from $260.00
    $199. 99
    Bottle
    $2399.88 Dozen
    ABV: 45%

    Tasting note: A vatting of three single cask 12 year old Scotch whiskies. Deep brassy gold colour. A gentle prickle accompanies the vaguely cereal / dried grass notes with low key peat slowly building. Nice texture - plenty of richness at mid palate. A whisper of smoke develops towards the finish adding an attractive briney, creamy, Caol Ila-like finale that also gives length. Marketed as "peaty" but it's fairly restrained as far as the smokey genre goes. 45% Alc./Vol.

    Other reviews...Colour: full gold. Nose: completely different. Wild flowers, verbena, fresh mint and lemon balm. Truly beautiful nose this time. Rather extreme notes of menthol. Mouth: again, there’s a lot of wood here. Huge tannins, grape pips, apple skin and lemon zest. Yet, the spirit stands it. Crystallised lemons, mint, lemon pie. Finish: long, maybe just a tad cardboardy now. Comments: my favourite so far – and by far – despite the heavy oakiness (not a flaw at all here). 85 points - Serge Valentin, whiskyfun.com

    ...The nose opens with a somewhat mossy spice and beautiful herbal notes. Bright red fruits and a light brine note tinges the whisky. The sweetness of the whisky is reminiscent of grass and hay, with a nutty tone on the back-end. The moss rises once again, a faint reminder that this whisky is peaty, however slightly. Opening the palate the whisky lends a prickly mouth-feel before moving onto tangy wood and a musty, old bung cork taste. As you continue to taste there's a somewhat nutty and stewed mushroom taste that comes back bringing an earthy reminder of peat with it. The finish is sweet, lightly smoked, and musty. - distiller.com

    • 91
    2005 Michel Couvreur X 10 Year Old Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    Burgundy, FRANCE
    $165. 00
    Bottle
    $1980.00 Dozen
    ABV: 47%
    In something of a personal crusade, Michel Couvreur settled in Bouze-les-Beaune (close to the Burgundian town of Beaune, France), where he opened a customs bonded cellar and began selecting his own sherry casks (Pedro Ximenez and Palomino) from the Andalusia region of Spain.

    Couvreur's "Scotch" starts out in Scotland as bulk a.k.a.“clearach” (a high proof distillate) which is transferred to his humid cellar in Bouze-les-Beaune to be aged in small sherry casks that have been impregnated with 25 years aging via traditional soleras. All required dilutions are accomplished with bottled water from Scotland. Total production is about 50,000 bottles or 4,000 cases annually.

    This is another addition to Couvreur's diverse portfolio and will appeal to anyone with an inclination towards heavily sherried styles.

    Tasting notes: Bright gold / pale straw edges. Slightly prickly in the opening inhalations; almost a grapey edge to the malt over underlying vanilla. Strong sherry input in the mouth with semi-sweet hazelnut, honey and pepper flavours becoming more dried fruit-like towards the finish. Warming but well balanced. A hint of sulphur late in the aftertaste? Otherwise really clean, bristling malt. 47% Alc./Vol.
    • 90
    Roborel de Climens Finition Merlot du Chateau Guadet Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    FRANCE
    $140. 00
    Bottle
    $1680.00 Dozen
    ABV: 43%
    Tasting note: [15ml sample] Distilled in 2016 and bottled in early 2020 after a finishing in Merlot casks sourced from Chateau Guadet in Saint-Émilion. Deep gold. Winey and semi sweet on the nose with aromas of cherry ripe and raspberry jubes. Medium bodied, attractive red-berry accented delivery. Silky then delicately tart to finish. Hints of lamingtons and raspberry sweet rolls through the aftertaste. Could almost be mistaken for a whisky liqueur. 43% Alc./Vol. 700 bottles.
    • 91
    Roborel de Climens Finition Sauvignon du Clos Floridene Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    FRANCE
    $120. 00
    Bottle
    $1440.00 Dozen
    ABV: 40%

    Tasting note: Distilled in 2017 and bottled after a finish in Sauvignon casks sourced from Clos Floridene, a house famous for their white Bordeaux. Climens' ties to the wine industry mean he's able to source incredibly fresh barrels - often empty for no longer than a week before being filled with whisky. It shows in this example. Tropical and floral on the nose with extraordinary wine pick up: Feijoa, moscato grappa, young muscat, rose-scented talc... Sweet malt settles in after 3-4 minutes. Some of that exotic fruitiness follows on the palate with suggestions of elderflower and feijoa, especially at the finish. Lovely texture and balance, even if the malt does feel slightly smothered by all those wonderful fruity / floral / herbal notes. 40% Alc./Vol. 750 bottles on offer worldwide.

    • 93
    Roborel de Climens Finition Semillon du Chateau Doisy-Daene Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    FRANCE
    $150. 00
    Bottle
    $1800.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46%

    Bordeaux native, Aymeric Roborel de Climens spent twenty years working as an oenologist. His love of wine led him to spirits, and the creation of a range of whiskies that are 100% French. New make is sourced from the Hepp distillery in Alsace, a region famed for its aromatic white wines and dairy produce, as well as being one of France’s biggest barley producers.

    Climens matures the spirits in a range of oak for three to four years including new French (often around 20%) and Hepp x-whisky casks. They're then finished in a range of oak sourced from around the country for five-to-six months. Barrels that held wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Merlot and Rose are just a few examples. Climens' ties to the wine industry mean he's able to source incredibly fresh barrels - often empty for no longer than a week before being filled with whisky.

    Tasting note: [20ml sample] Distilled in 2016 and matured in Semillon casks from 2nd Cru Bordeaux producer, Chateaux Doisy-Daene, before bottling in 2020 after a finish in rose casks. Honey undertones on the nose. Deliciously chewy, the malt is nicely complimented by wild honey and oatmeal biscuit flavours. Background tropical fruitiness. Dense and malty to finish, balanced by nimble spices. Solid length. Medium peat at 20 ppm adds texture. 46% Alc./Vol. 650 bottles produced.

    • 92
    Roborel de Climens Finition Grenache Coume del Mas Banyuls Cask Strength Single Malt French Whisky (500ml)
    FRANCE
    $199. 00
    Bottle
    $2388.00 Dozen
    ABV: 55.5%

    Tasting note: [15ml sample] The black label presentation marks Climens' overproof series. This one's partly matured in ex-Grenache Banyuls (port-style) casks from Domaine Coume del Mas who produce both fortified and table wines in Banyuls-sur-Mer. The sweet wine cask influence is clear, with aromas of toasted sponge cake, honey drizzled cereals and distant peppermint. Initially reminiscent of young unpeated Bruicladdich, it's full, chewy and weighty in the mouth. Sweet malt and dried fruits (fig, dates) lead into a bittersweet finish, the sugars rebounding late. Peated to 20ppm, but it doesn't show. 55.5% Alc./Vol. 550 bottles produced.

    That Boutique-y Whisky Company Armorik 5 Year Old Sauternes Cask Single Malt French Whisky (500ml) - Batch 2
    Brittany, FRANCE
    $170. 00
    Bottle
    $2040.00 Dozen
    ABV: 46.4%

    Batch two in Boutiquey's wine cask series includes this Armorik from Brittany's Distillerie Warenghem, matured in an ex-Sauternes wine cask, bottled at 46.4% with 286 bottles in the run. Having tasted several releases from this French whisky upstart, we can confirm the quality can be very high, even when young.

    Located in Lannion on the north coast of Brittany, the Warenghem distillery has been an independent family-owned company for over 100 years. In 1998 they began producing single malt, becoming the first distillery in France to do so. As usual there's a quirky label, best explained by the Boutique-y team: "The Veneti (Gaulish: "the kin, the friendly ones") were a Gaelic tribe who lived in Armorica, now known as Brittany. We’ve set the scene deep in the forest of Gaul with a still for the cauldron and fields of barley in the background. The white swan is a nod to the late Dr. Jim Swan who gave the distillery guidance, reviewing their equipment, and techniques, proposing a series of small changes."

    Notes from the bottlers... Nose: Plenty of peach and apricot with aromatic wafts of wildflowers and soft oak spice. Palate: Rich, gloopy honey, toasted nuts, and more stone fruits welcome the way for warming baking spices. Finish: Gingerbread, more sweet, floral honey, and a well rounded peppering of toasted oak and spice on the finish.

Show 2 More

Europe's Expanding whisky scene bears fruits in France.

Not only good at enjoying whisky, the French are making it - and doing it with a prodigious flair. The industry is set to take off. Nicolas Julhès, head of the Distillerie de Paris anticipates “...within 15 years the world's best whiskies will be French. We will be able to stop copying the Scots and bring a real French style."

Most French whisky producers already differentiate from their Scottish counterparts by use of a range of cereals and still types (these include cognac stills, Armagnac stills, fruit eau-de-vie stills and portable stills).
There are dozens of rising stars in the south and near Alsace, but those in Brittany, a western region with strong Celtic roots, are proving the industry has already ‘arrived’, turning out seriously good malts and blends. Look out for whiskies from the Warenghem Distillery marketed under the Armorik label. Located in Lannion in the north of Brittany, originally the company produced a herbal elixir (“Elixir d'Armorique” still available today) then moved on to fruit liqueurs. They began making blended whiskies in 1987 and then tackled the single malt category in 1998. An unusual move, but one that’s paid off in spades as they've won several awards in a very short time. Also noteworthy are peated malts from Glann ar Mor - their first bottling of unpeated single malt hit the market in late 2008. Already several releases have achieved big, big scores from Jim Murray et al.

Buy French whiskies online and have them shipped Australia wide...

Nicks Wine Merchants continue to carry a range of French Whiskies which can be shipped almost any where in Australia. Subscribe to our Spirits and Liqueurs Email Newsletter to keep up to date with new arrivals, whisky tastings, special offers and more.