French whisky strikes again


September 23, 2026

French whisky strikes again

Warenghem

Warenghem/Armorik in Lannion, Brittany (Warenghem)

Right, let’s be honest, I mainly wanted to taste the new Armorik/Warenghem 18-year-old, but we’ll take this opportunity to add a few other French “ouiskis” from the back of our shelves. Where, it has to be said, a few forgotten splendours have been quietly snoozing away…

Armorik 18 yo ‘Anthologiez’ (58.8%, OB for LMDW, Sauternes & Oloroso sherry, 150 bottles, 2026)

Is it ‘Anthologiez’ or is it ‘Anthologeizh’, as in ‘Breizh’, the Breton name for Brittany? And there we go, already splitting hairs… In any case, Warenghem, where Armorik is produced, is a proper whisky distillery, rather than a distillery that also makes whisky, as there are so many in France. Colour: Americano coffee. Nose: between us, this really noses like a very old Sauternes. An old Sauternes that has digested its sugars, flowers and fruits, leaving it to concentrate on tobacco (cigar boxes), paprika, walnuts, chocolate and toasted malt. You’ll tell me that this last part must come from the… Malt. A wee De Bartoli Zibibbo side to it. In short, this is really beautiful. With water: the oloroso is clearly taking the upper hand now, dried meats, tobacco, walnut wine, freshly ground pepper… Mouth (neat): very dark caramel with salt and pepper. There is a brutal side to it, but one that’s full of promise (S.!) Cedarwood and dark tobacco. With water: it softens, heading towards the obligatory raisins and milk chocolate. We’re reminded of all those artisan chocolates to which flowers, dried fruits or spices have been added, there are myriads of them. Finish: long, first with a few currants, then very dry, almost drying. This is always the slightly trickier phase. Dark tobacco and black pepper. Comments: a great success for a French whisky made in the Scottish manner, and without peat. Personally, I’d put binious on the labels. Just joking.
SGP:461 - 89 points.

Uberach 2008/2015 ‘Jaune Païen’ (48.2%, OB, Bertrand, Vin de Paille finish, 96 bottles)

Here we are in northern Alsace, at a distillery that is sadly closed for the time being. Jean M., you rock! Vin de paille is the local passito in the Jura. Colour: full gold. Nose: fresh walnuts galore, concentrated chamomile, concentrated woodruff too, then touches of gentian and just a few drops of farmhouse cider. And one drop of pepper liqueur. Mouth: people often confuse vin de paille with vin jaune, well, here you could almost forgive them, even though those two wines could hardly be more different. Fresh walnuts are running the show, soon joined by peppery zests and, indeed, a few almost ‘Monty Python’ notes of elderflower. The whole thing becomes increasingly spicy but remains dominated by walnuts from our gardens. Finish: long, very much an extension of all that. A suitably bitter aftertaste, all on walnut skins. Comments: not the easiest of Alsatian whiskies, but the label, deliciously bawdy and in any case almost literary, adds another two or three points.
SGP:371 - 86 points.

Since we were on the subject of Jura …

Blavier 2006/2024 (57.3%, La Maison du Whisky, Version Française, Brûlerie du Revermont, cask #A024, 181 bottles, 2024)

From a Macvin cask, please see (SEPT 17). Blavier is the name of the still, a charming old contraption that had already produced a 2003 that we rather liked (WF 84). Colour: golden amber. Nose: this is amontillado. Yes, really. Milk caramels and coffee caramels. With water: those eternal walnuts come out to play, always a very good sign. Mouth (neat): the fruitiness of the Macvin is coming through now, with a mixture of sultanas, marmalade and, well, Macvin, plus quite a lot of pepper. With water: much gentler and more civilised, although there’s still a slightly rugged, earthy and almost rebellious side to it. After all, we’re in the Jura. Finish: same story. Notes of grape stalks, grape pips… Comments: this is a whisky you have to understand, and certainly shouldn’t rush. I think it’s even better if you know the region where it was produced a little.
SGP:461 - 85 points.

Domaine des Hautes Glaces ‘XO #4’ (47%, OB, Heritage Harvests, +/-2026)

This baby contains only old vintages, although the distillery itself isn’t exactly ancient, so no pre-war stuff in here. Unless, of course, they own a time machine. Colour: gold. Nose: this is pear eau-de-vie matured in refill oak. A few wee touches of fennel and wild aniseed. Magnificent, ultra-precise and wonderfully fresh. Mouth: forget the pear now, here comes the barley, bière de garde, plums, fougasse, dark chocolate, pepper… Yet all that freshness remains. Finish: the pear comes back to say goodbye, together with a superb array of green spices and a magnificently peppery, nutmeggy aftertaste. Comments: this is a malt-wine, in other words a malt with the characteristics of a great wine. A white wine, naturally, especially from the northern Rhône. Something along the lines of a great-vintage Stérimberg. Well, well... But careful, this goes down a little too easily, which makes it dangerous.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Alfred Giraud ‘First Peated’ (63%, OB, 2024)
I must admit I couldn’t find any trace of this bottling on the Internet, but as we all know, the Internet is vastly overrated. Still, what we have here is an ‘official’ sample. We’ll go fairly quickly all the same… Colour: full gold. Nose: this is spicy, vegetal peat, with roots, ginger, turmeric, white pepper… With water: lemon and pepper bread. Mouth (neat): this is good, with lime, ginger and high-ester Jamaican white rum. With water: the citrus fruits take centre stage, especially lemons. The peat remains light. Finish: long and lemony. Notes of peppered artichoke. Comments: very vegetal peat indeed. This is really good, but there really is no trace of this baby online. An abandoned project, perhaps? These things happen…
SGP:463 - 82 points.

Eddu 10 yo (43%, OB, cognac cask, +/-2025)

Eddu is buckwheat, of course, a very fruity pseudo-cereal… Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is top-notch, with pink peppercorns, greengages, beeswax, aniseed and just a faint touch of natural rubber. Mouth: exactly the same profile as on the nose, which isn’t all that common. Apple juice, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds, bergamot liqueur… Finish: not that short, fresh, becoming more lemony. Comments: a magnificent summer whisky, brimming with freshness.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Laferté ‘La Ferté-Bernard’ (46%, OB, cognac, 634 bottles, 2025)

This is a blended malt celebrating the millennium of the small town of La Ferté-Bernard. Not entirely sure the event has truly international significance, but never mind, it’s all rather charming, so let’s proceed… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: pilsner, apple juice, very young Calvados, light vanilla, barley syrup… It’s rather nice. Mouth: light but lively, with apple and lime juices, a few drops of acacia honey and some biscuity notes. Finish: same. Comments: a very pretty little whisky, although perhaps not quite enough to make the current US administration want to add the town of La Ferté-Bernard to the United States of America. Unless they’ve got oil too?
SGP:441 - 80 points.

One last one…

Northmaen 2014/2025 (55.5%, LMDW Version Française, Itinéraires, recharred French wine cask, 259 bottles)

So, STR… We’re in Normandy. Colour: gold. Nose: a faint touch of blackcurrant bud at first, then a little smoked fish, wakame, Japanese-style pickled cucumber, and loads of Japanese aromas, which is rather surprising. Matcha and green pepper. Cabernet? With water: oh, this is lovely! Wild carrots, turnips and salsify. Mouth (neat): very, very good, and very, very surprising, fermentary, rooty and spicy. Eaux-de-vie of berries, celery, service berries… What a strange distillate! With water: still just as good, only a little saltier. Finish: long, saltier still, heading towards nuoc-mâm sauce. Comments: whether this still qualifies as whisky is open to debate, but in any case, I like it a lot, despite some very fermentary notes and some fig leaf. Crazy stuff.
SGP:362 - 85 points.

Check the index of all French whiskies we've tasted