Even better than the real thing -non-scotch that should be on your radar

Episode 2: Kornog, whisky’s best kept secret?

After a rare whim of patriotism last week, I’m taking it south of the border this week. South of the border from where I’m sitting, at least. For a few years now, France has been one of those countries to keep your eyes on if you’re a whisky enthusiast, as more and more distilleries are growing an blooming, producing some lovely whiskies in their own right. If you want to know more about what’s happening in the French whisky scene, I can only recommend you check out Greg’s whisky guide (who also kindly provided the sample for today’s review, so a shout out and a ‘thank you’ are due here!) Warenghem (Armorik), Hepp and Distillerie des Menhirs (Eddu) might well be the best known of the lot, but more and more are emerging and doing interesting stuff. Obviously, quite a few were already deeply imbedded in the long distillation and brewing traditions of France, be it at making cognac, calvados, Armagnac or something else, and have been branching out into whisky in recent times. A lot of others are new startups, and then there's those who have been around for quite a while, but have been flying under many people’s radars due to scale and/or lack of availability. Today’s whisky falls into the latter category I reckon, and although it is indeed a French whisky, in many ways it’s also not a (typical) French whisky.

Glann Ar Mor distillery has been around for some 25 years, founded in 1997 and operational since 1999 to be precise, and have always been a bit like the odd man out when we’re talking about the French whisky industry. This craft size distillery, located on the Armor coast in the north of Bretagne in France, has always been looking more towards what was happening overseas, rather than looking over their shoulders to mainland France. This, I feel, is not a coincidence, as France and Bretagne’s relationship has always been a bit tumultuous, with quite some tension and occasional troubles even (ring any bells, my dear Scottish friends?). And at the core of much of the tension, lies the question of identity. Linguistically and culturally speaking, you might argue that Bretagne is to France what Scotland is to the UK, with a strong Celtic connection rooted in language, culture and history, and the way the authorities in Paris dealt with these ‘claims’ in the past, didn’t always fell well with the locals. Putting it mildly. So, relationship status: it’s complicated very much applies to the way Bretagne looks at France and vice versa, but as you’re not here for a political lecture, let’s talk whisky instead.

The coastal Glann Ar Mor distillery (or Celtic whisky distillery as it’s also called these days) practically screams traditional Scottish distillery, bar its location obviously. Using wooden washbacks, direct fire small pot stills, traditional storing and located bang at the shore near the sea (Glann Ar Mor translates as ‘Sea side’ in Breton Gaelic) and located in an old 17th century farm, it indeed almost seems as if someone was aiming for Britain, but missed it by a Channel. 2 types of whisky are produced at the distillery: the unpeated Glann Ar Mor and the (heavily) peated Kornog, reminiscent of Islay whisky. Despite receiving quite a lot pf praise and appreciation left, right and centre and picking up multiple awards (for what it’s worth), but the small scale production and limited distribution often made it difficult to get hold of the stuff. That said, a few years ago the distillery changed hands, as it was purchased by ‘Maison Villevert’, a household name in the French cognac world. The perks of becoming part of a bigger family helped when it comes to availability and upping the distribution, a small price (?) to pay for giving up some of your independence? In any case: the prospect of there being more of their whisky becoming available in more markets, is one I can only applaud, because truth be told: they make some absolutely cracking whisky!

Their unpeated range tends to be quite mellow, well balance and gently fruity, while the peated expressions are, personal opinion here, well capable of giving the likes of Ardbeg 10 or Port Charlotte a run for their money. This particular whisky was released in 2021, and at 11 years old it’s , to Kornog standards, one of the older expressions I got to taste. Matured in Coteaux du Layon casks, which means a French sweet dessertlike white wine from the Loire region – France’s chateau central, so to speak.

Kornog Coteaux du Layon 11 yo, 2021 release

Celtic Whisky Distillery / Glann Ar Mor Distillery, 50% ABV, NC, UCF, 284 bottles, app. €150

Nose

Sweet white fruits and citrus with a mild peaty touch to it. Compared to other expressions, the peat is in fact very easy going on this one. Vanilla and granulated sugar, countered by some wet grass. This evolves further into a waxy-oily, polish like sweetness and all the while the peat is sitting quietly in the back.

Palate

Earthy and vegetal peat, far more upfront compared to the nose. Grainy, some dry bread, making for a dry mouthfeel, while a funky grape touch shines through, coming from the wine casks no doubt. There ‘s lots going on and it’s quite layered and complex, and with a wonderfully integrated peaty note it’s perfectly palatable at 50% ABV.

Finish

Long, drying and very grassy-vegetal.

Final thoughts

An excellent whisky. Probably the most ‘mellow’ of all Kornog whiskies I tried so far, as the slightly older age and the wine casks do round things off a bit, but the combination of heavily peated new make and the sweetness from the white wine casks really delivers in this one. It’s not unlike peated (Islay) scotch, but only up to a point, as it never tries to mimic it, but rather brings its own character and style to the table. It may still be hard to get (fingers crossed that changes) and I understand why people might shy away when looking at the prices, but I can wholeheartedly encourage everyone to at least try it, should you cross paths with it. No score this time as it’s a sample, but I hope it suffices when I say that this is absolutely beautiful stuff!