French whisky
French whisky is whisky produced in France.
History
[edit]In France, the 24 January 1713 royal decree forbid producing spirits from any other fruit or grain than raisin to protect its economy against the burgeoning molasses trade.[1]
The first brand of French whisky appeared much later, in 1983 in Brittany, with the launch of the Warenghem distillery. This Briton whisky started distribution in French stores in 1987, and launched the first French single malt (Armorik) in 1998.[1][2]
The number of French whisky distilleries went from a dozen in the early 2010s to 130 in 2025. This wave of newborn distilleries is considered the second generation of French whisky distillers.[3] The whiskies produced in Brittany ("Whisky breton" or "Whisky de Bretagne",[4] including blends) and in Alsace ("Whisky alsacien" or "Whisky d'Alsace", single malts only) obtained an Indication Géographique Protégée in 2015.[5] In 2018, Système U was the first French chain of supermarkets to launch its own private label brand of French single malt whisky (produced in Alsace).[6]
Description
[edit]
There were 130 whisky distilleries in operation in France in 2023[1] (52 in 2018, 5 in 2004).[2] Distilleries producing French whisky include the Celtic Whisky Distillerie,[7] La Distillerie des Menhirs,[8] and Warenghem[2] in Brittany; Meyer[2] and J. Bertrand, Hepp, and Lehmann in Alsace;[8] Guillon in the Champagne region;[9] and Grallet-Dupic and Rozelieures[2] in Lorraine. 800,000 bottles of French whisky were sold in 2016.[2]
The Fédération française de whisky was created in 2016 to represent the commercial interests of the French producers of whisky.[2]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c Bidalon, Philippe; Saccani, Jean-Pierre (2024-11-27). "De l'Écosse à la France, l'incroyable succès mondial du whisky". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g Delatronchette, Louis (2018-02-22). "Le whisky français à la conquête du monde". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "«Des références de plus en plus nombreuses» : l'étonnante bonne santé du whisky français". Le Figaro Vin (in French). 2025-04-02. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Whisky breton ou Whisky de Bretagne". www.inao.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Lambert, Christine (2015-01-29). "La Bretagne et l'Alsace vont-elles faire décoller le whisky français?". Slate.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Le nouveau whisky français de Système U au banc d'essai". www.rayon-boissons.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ Pilley 2022.
- ^ a b Lambert 2015.
- ^ Smith, Alex Duval (2006-07-08). "Mon Dieu! It's whisky from Champagne". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
External links
[edit]- Forsyth, John (26 October 2012). "Eau de Malt: A scotch lover's tour through French whiskey country (yes, you read that right)". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- Pilley, Kevin (2022-02-27). "Luxurious French Whisky". Upscale Living Magazine. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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