Whisky et spiritueux français

Hundreds of distilleries scattered across every region of France produce liqueurs, traditional eaux-de-vie, and whisky: the country currently numbers over a hundred malt distillers of varying sizes.

The Version Française range, first launched in 2020, is an exploration of this diversity: this year’s series features single casks from distilleries that originally produced either beer or fruitbased eaux-de-vie before pivoting to whisky in the 2000s.

The Foundations collection also features single malts from iconic, ever-evolving French distilleries. Pioneering whisky distilleries from Brittany have been renovating their facilities in recent years: Distillerie des Menhirs completed construction on a new cellar in 2020, and Warenghem finalised the complete refurbishment of its 1980s buildings in 2019. Lyon-based distillery and brewery Ninkasi moved out of the old Tarare dyehouse in 2023: its new red-brick facilities are home to the most cutting-edge equipment.

In Occitania, farm distillery Castan is selling off its Gaillac vineyard and plans to dedicate itself entirely to whisky. Lastly, Domaine des Hautes Glaces opened a new facility in the Summer of 2020, thereby tripling its production volume.

This chapter continues by showcasing the world of brandies through a selection of L’Encantada Armagnacs and the Through the Grapevine series. The latter champions little-known cognac estates in addition to historic houses such as Bache-Gabrielsen and Vallein-Tercinier — whose distillery operation is based in the late 18th-century Domaine de Forges.

Lastly, this chapter closes out by honouring Maison Ferrand, which — under the guidance of owner and cellarmaster Alexandre Gabriel — has recently inaugurated its new distillery on the grounds of the Château de Bonbonnet, in Ars. The facility is wholly dedicated to the production of Citadelle gin (itself launched in 1996), and was entirely redesigned and rebuilt in 2020 inside an 18th-century building.