By Stefanie Collins, editor b&c
While Scotland may be the home of Scotch whisky, one French whisky company has been quietly working on creating its own version of the famed eau de vie.
Imported by Cerbaco, and newly arrived as of 2016, the latest Michel Couvreur whisky is a unique blend of Scotch whisky with a French flair.
Based in Burgundy, the Michel Couvreur whisky company sources its base spirit from Scotland, before shipping it to France to be aged in its unique limestone cellars. Although the eponymous distiller passed away in 2013, the company has forged ahead with its whisky program, releasing its latest extremely rare expression, the 2005 X 2015, under the guiding hand of cellar master and blender Jean-Arnaud Frantzen.
With only 1495 500mL bottles of the whisky released, the 2005 X 2015 was distilled in Scotland in 2005 before being shipped to France to age for 10 years in Pedro Jimenez sherry casks. Passing the whole maturation in Sherry casks – rather than simply finishing in them – gives the whisky a unique selling point.
According to the distillery, the spirit features a “delicate, soft nose, white floral fragrances, subtly woody” with a “very nice balance in the mouth with a nice fresh-full length helped by the alcohol concentration of 47% ABV”.