A non-alcoholic whisky that doesn’t pretend to be whisky


February 14, 2026

A non-alcoholic whisky that doesn’t pretend to be whisky

(To celebrate Valentine’s Day with a bit of a laugh)

I’ve just come back from Wine Paris, where one of the major talking points was alcohol-free spirits. I must admit I’ve often toyed with the idea of doing a tasting of alcohol-free ‘no’ whiskies, but none of the ones I’ve tried so far have really justified it. Some were perfectly pleasant to drink, but they simply bore no resemblance to whisky — and I’m not talking about the missing alcoholic kick. Besides, I wasn’t especially keen to alienate half the whisky world and risk immediate digital crucifixion.

A penicillin (with a thought for Stéphane G. Missing you Stéphane.)

Quite amusingly, though, I stumbled across the one we’re about to try, and it very pointedly makes no claim whatsoever to be an alcohol-free whisky. It isn’t a de-alcoholised whisky produced by one method or another (something I’ve yet to see work convincingly, at least so far). I’ve sampled a fair few of those, including several at Wine Paris itself. That said, I may well have made the cardinal error of tasting proper whisky shortly beforehand, when I probably ought to have started with the alcohol-free options instead. In any case, we’ll revisit the subject properly another day. For now, we’re simply going to taste the one that caught our attention and which, as I mentioned, doesn’t pretend to be whisky, nor even alcohol-free whisky, nor indeed something meant to be drunk neat…

Giffard ‘Woody Malt N°02’ (0%, OB, +/-2026)

The honourable makers mention in their charming brochure, I quote, a ‘Lively attack of malt and sherry evolving towards gentle fruity notes before an elegant finale on peat and oak wood.’ That is quite a lot of promises for a product that is offered solely as a mocktail ingredient and in no way as a ‘whisky’. One must admire Giffard’s honesty here, a house that strikes me as extremely well regarded among all the mixologists known to my friends. Colour: deep gold, slightly cloudy. Nose: this is genuinely most amusing, somewhere between fresh paint, soot, toasted sesame, old Gouda and liquorice. A touch of dust. I rather like this charmingly improbable nose, and I am not joking. To think it is absolutely not meant to be sipped neat! Mouth: it is not whisky, yet we are not so very far away, and I find it… good. Liquorice takes centre stage, followed by light touches of violet and lavender, some smoke though discreet, and a faint orange fudge note. There is sweetness, but I imagine it is required to avoid ending up as a mere herbal infusion. Finish: short of course, but not abrupt, once again thanks to that gentle sweetness. The orange caramel side lingers, together with a small note of sweet carrot… Comments: I ought not to score this, granted, yet I wish to record that it is, in my view, a very good product, superior to many whiskies ‘with alcohol’. And after all, it is Valentine’s Day!
SGP:331 - 80 points.

Bonus: here’s the recommendation from Giffard themselves if you’d like to turn it into a cocktail, and I do mean recommendation, as they actively advise against drinking it neat:
Penicillin (a modern classic cocktail typically combining Scotch, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup and a float of peaty whisky):
4cl Giffard Woody Malt - 2,5cl Giffard Gingembre sans alcool - 1,5cl Sirop Miel Giffard - 3cl Lemon juice.
A votre santé !