Two Kornog from Bretagne


July 3, 2026

Two Kornog from Bretagne, OB vs IB

I should remind you that Kornog is the peated expression from Celtic Whisky Distillerie, formerly Glann ar Mor. I must admit I find the name Glann ar Mor less generic, more distinctive, and above all more authentically Breton. After all, you can find Celtic whiskies throughout the British Isles, in Galicia, in Portugal, and in plenty of other, less well-known places. Still, be that as it may, Kornog has been turning heads, loosening tongues, and delighting noses for well over fifteen years now…

Kornog (46%, OB, France, Brittany, +/-2026)

The entry-level NAS expression from Kornog. We had hosted a ‘masterclass’ (someone really ought to come up with a better name for these things) at the Miro Festival in Ostwald just before the France-Norway World Cup match, where we lined up a DHG, a Myken, a Bivrost and this Kornog, with an excellent Welche by Miclo thrown in as a non-competitive bonus (Celtic too, incidentally). Long story short, Kornog won that France-Norway match in liquid form, although it has to be said that it was 39°C. Crazy masterclass indeed. Colour: white wine. Nose: elegant, finely woven peat, perhaps lacking the razor-sharp authority of some single casks or small batches, yet the combination of wakame, oysters, lemon and cool ashes works beautifully. Fresh, coastal and effortlessly balanced. Mouth: preserved lemons and green pepper lead the way, followed by a touch of seawater and those lovely lemony ashes that keep everything taut and vibrant. We are reminded once again just how perfect 46% can be as a bottling strength, even more so when the thermometer reads 39°C. Finish: rather long, smokier still, with a pleasantly bitter edge. Almost as if someone had slipped a few herbal bitters into your peated whisky. Wonderfully briny aftertaste. Comments: a thoroughly charming young peater, almost certainly very youthful, yet of impeccable quality. It rather reminds me of the 'Roc’h Hir' from ten years ago.
SGP:466 - 87 points.

Kornog 8 yo 2018/2026 (58.4%, Amateur Spirits, 1st fill bourbon barrel)

Kornog 8 yo 2018/2026 (58.4%, Amateur Spirits, France, Brittany, 1st fill bourbon barrel)

A quick reminder of the concept behind this series, just in case: a small panel of incurable whisky enthusiasts votes for its favourite among a selection of anonymous samples, and on this occasion, I happened to be sitting on that distinguished panel myslef. It would therefore be somewhat embarrassing, I readily admit, if we did not enjoy the very cask we had co-selected, this bourbon barrel having stood out as the purest and most crystal-clear of the lot. Colour: white wine. Nose: the family resemblance is unmistakable, but this is purer still, more chiselled, with chalk and lemon taking centre stage, while beautiful touches of bergamot add extra lift and elegance. Superb freshness. With water: seawater, kelp and oysters come along to tickle the nostrils, although the bergamot keeps everything beautifully in line. Also, freshly cut kumquat and the faint scent of old fabric soaked by Breton rain. That can happen at any time, on any day, although over there they like to say that ‘in Brittany, it only rains on fools’. Fair enough, just as it does in Scotland. Mouth (neat): even more to my liking than it had been during the selection, remarkably reminiscent of a great dry white Graves, full of Sauvignon-like freshness, lemons, then mandarins and lapsang souchong. Everything fits together with remarkable precision. With water: the citrus fruits completely take over, rather in the style of some of the greatest old Laphroaigs or Bowmores. Not exactly modest company... Finish: very little changes here, apart from a more assertive salinity that emerges a little later, as it often does. Comments: philosophically speaking, Kornog is Smögen's cousin, and vice versa. So, inevitably...
SGP:656 - 91 points.

Check the index of all French whiskies we've tasted