Storm and fury: seven Breton whiskies


January 28, 2026

Storm and fury: seven Breton whiskies

Fierce storms have battered Brittany in recent days – perhaps it's time to lift our spirits with a few Breton whiskies, old and new, picked at random from the shelves.

Eddu 'Carnet de Voyages – fûts de Bordeaux’ (46%, OB, France, 1,500 bottles, +/-2025)

A finish in château Rol-Valentin casks (I swear I’m not making this up), a rather smart grand cru from Saint-Emilion. But as you can see, red wine finishes are now a global affliction upon whisky production. That said, the version finished in Burgundy casks was genuinely quite good in our opinion (WF 82). Do note, Eddu is made from pure buckwheat. Colour: pale gold. One would imagine the casks were very thoroughly rinsed. Nose: gentle and very well balanced, it’s almost as if the Bordeaux casks had transmuted buckwheat into malted barley. That said, a fruity freshness with something faintly coastal starts to slip in, together with the most minuscule hints of violet. Mouth: about-turn, this time the finishing takes us towards lightly peppered Williams pears, while some more pronounced bitterness follows, cinnamon mints, green pepper and the like. Finish: medium in length, balanced between sweetness and bitterness. The pear remains in the aftertaste. Comments: pear often signals youthfulness, but I’m not entirely convinced that’s the case here. No matter, I think this is really rather good once again.
SGP:551 - 82 points.

Eddu 'Carnet de Voyages – fûts de la Vallée du Rhône Nord’ (46%, OB, France, 1,560 bottles, +/-2025)

The finishing took place here in casks from the excellent house of Gangloff, though I couldn’t say whether it was their famed Côte-Rôtie. Syrah and whisky, even buckwheat whisky, is rather an unlikely pairing... Colour: pale gold, with the faintest suggestion of apricot. Nose: more forceful, leaning towards bitter almonds, rubber, and above all black cherry, kirsch, and marzipan... with kirsch. The rest is decidedly pastry-like. Mouth: once again a little pear, but far more kirsch, even plum eau-de-vie. We don’t get the expected barrage of spicy dark and red berries. Hints of bitter orange and blood orange. Finish: fairly long, again more on spice and pepper, though that’s also intrinsic to Northern Rhône. Comments: it’s not out of the question that buckwheat whisky takes to red wine casks better than barley does. Very pretty altogether, and more austere than the Saint-Emilion.
SGP:561 - 83 points.

Glann ar Mor 2014/2025 (55.3%, Kirsch Import, Journal des Kirsch, bourbon barrel, cask #20025, 224 bottles)

In general, our friends at Kirsch Import in Germany place this lovely series under Cognacs and Armagnacs, but here comes a malt whisky! Just a reminder that Glann ar Mor is the unpeated version of Kornog, which is better known, while Kornog is the peated version of Glann ar Mor (S., that’s three seconds of our lives lost forever, thanks). Colour: pale gold. Nose: rich and gentle. Groundnut oil, elderflower and acacia blossom, slightly overripe apples, fresh hazelnuts and muesli. Sounds good? With water: a walk through an orchard by the sea, in Brittany of course. Mouth (neat): big fruity character, let’s say in the Littlemill style, with also a slight pure pot still Irish touch. Lovely fruity and earthy texture, small apples, melons, serviceberries, cornflakes, tutti-frutti eau-de-vie. With water: lemons and smaller related citrus fruits take over. Finish: long, fresh, taut, excellent. Light menthol on the aftertaste, finger lime, citron caviar… Comments: no one will shout at you if you place this adorable bottle on the shelf among your Scottish malts (let’s hope the SWA no longer reads WF these days).
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Armorik 11 yo 2013/2025 (60.2%, OB, France, LMDW Itinéraires, bourbon barrel, cask #4076, 209 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: on pure barley, lightly smoky muesli, sea breeze and shellfish – one could almost believe oneself transported to the north-east coast of Scotland, only with a little less wax. With water: green apple joins the festivities, along with a few drops of artisanal beer, naturally Breton. Mouth (neat): excellent, far more peaty, lemony and peppery than the nose suggested – this time we’re more or less on the north-east coast… of Islay. It’s just a touch hot/alcoholic, though water should sort that. With water: they sometimes say Armorik, alongside Glann ar Mor/Kornog, is the most Scottish of French whiskies. That’s probably quite true, and in any case we’re firmly on Celtic ground here. Lovely edge, clean-cut profile, lemony peat, green pepper, oysters and the rest. Finish: long and fresh, taut and pure, nothing to add. A wee wink to Bowmore at the very end. Comments: simply excellent.
SGP:565 - 87 points.

Armorik Yeun Elez 5 yo (59.6%, OB, for LMDW Itinéraires, ex-sherry hogshead, cask #8280, 329 bottles, 2025)

This is the confidentially very peated version (50ppm phenols) of Armorik. Colour: dark reddish amber. Nose: I find this more impressive than the early Yeun Elez ‘Jobic’ editions from a few years back, it’s extremely rich on the nose, packed with cherry liqueur, black soil, porcini and pipe tobacco. Latakia. Or wait, I’m reminded of ‘Borkum Riff’, though I haven’t seen a pack in thirty years. And thirty years since I last smoked a pipe—well, aside from once last year in Limburg with a very knowledgeable Italian friend. But why am I telling you this? With water: speculoos spread with cherry jam, anyone? And still a few mushrooms. Mouth (neat): extremely rich, it’s almost like smoked and peppered black cherry jam. Beneath that, a touch of thyme honey and juniper. With water: at 45% vol. it turns soft as a lamb, and as mellow as an excellent peated yet soft malt. This is where I really like it. Finish: very long, beautifully balanced between peat, cherry and pepper. A salty edge follows, plus a few pencil shavings. Comments: very good indeed. We’ll need to try an old Armorik matured in third-fill, though that might be a little premature.
SGP:666 (diabolical!) - 86 points.

Have we mentioned Kornog yet? …

Kornog ‘Taouarc’h an Hanv’ (58.7%, OB, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 263 bottles, 2012)

An official version of Kornog from the founders themselves, which ought to be of interest after more than twelve years in bottle. About time we tried it… Colour: white wine. Nose: still a touch raw and not fully rounded, despite all those years in glass, though the malted and smoked barley is clearly felt, as if one were standing inside a kiln. Broadly speaking, we remain very close to the barley at this stage. With water: doesn’t totally work, maybe, it loses a bit of precision and turns perhaps a little too earthy, though on the other hand there’s a rather lovely fatness that may not be so apparent in more recent Kornogs. Mouth (neat): ah, that famously clean-cut profile is already there—lemon, iodine, green pepper, massive ashes and wee oysters. The background, however, still feels a tad hot. With water: the water works much better on the palate than on the nose. Green apple, pumpkin seed oil, ‘green’ ashes, and perhaps a slight touch of fusel oil. Finish: long, pure when undiluted, a bit more uncertain once watered down. Comments: don’t make me say what I haven’t said—it’s still excellent.
SGP:466 - 85 points.

Let’s round off this Breton getaway with a much more recent Kornog…

Kornog 2018/2025 (56.9%, OB, selected by Wu Dram Clan, bourbon barrel, cask #01861, 229 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: let’s just say it, and God knows we’re terribly fond of both Bushmills and TDL in Trinidad, but at this stage it really does come across as a 50/50 blend of old Bushmills malt and TDL rum (from the better batches), all steeped for hours in candle wax, ashes and mint leaves. Sounds unlikely? Perhaps, but I’m telling it as I find it. With water: well, passion fruits now? Really? Mouth (neat): this is frankly superb; I actually find it better than the Kornog bottled for the 20th anniversary of that wretched website you’re reading right now. What I said about Bushmills and TDL holds even truer on the palate, even 120% valid, it’s mad. Sublime blood oranges, by the way. With water: where else are you going to find notes of wild blueberries and freshly unwrapped gauze? Year after year, Kornog’s peculiarities shine through and it’s endlessly fascinating. Finish: long, fresh, taut, hugely fruity, with peat playing a strong yet ultimately seasoning-like role rather than dominating. Just the tiniest bit of saltiness in the aftertaste. Comments: a truly great European malt whisky, every fan of peated malt should have a bottle/a case/a pallet of this in their private stash. And I mean it, there.
SGP:566 - 91 points.

Right then, some say Kornog is the best French peated single malt whisky. I wouldn’t necessarily argue with such a bold claim. In fact, I’d put Kornog on par with Smögen in this style (which, let’s be honest, is our favourite). And vice versa. Good night/good day.

Check the index of all French whiskies we've tasted