Bastille 1789 Single Malt Whiskey

Twice a month, Jean-Marc Daucourt's grandfather would organize Sunday lunches for about twenty people at their home in France. "We would sit for five hours eating, talking and enjoying Champagne, spirits and wine," Daucourt recalls. "This was my first and most important education. I learned the pleasure of entertaining." When Daucourt was old enough, he left his native France to study the art of distillation in Scotland and Germany. After apprenticing at a number of distilleries, Daucourt returned to France, and together with his brother Edward, purchased a distillery just outside the Cognac region in southwest France. Bastille 1789 Hand-Crafted Whisky is the realization of his dream of creating an outstanding whisky with a distinct French identity.

The award-winning Bastille Single Malt Whisky is made from a mash of 100% malted barley sourced entirely from northeast France (a number of Scottish distilleries source their grains from the same farms). The barley is fermented using a 120-year-old yeast strain and distilled through Daucourt's ancient, copper alembic stills. The stills, which were traditionally used to distill cognac, have an odd shape — a tulip-shaped pre-heater feeds the wash into a vase-shaped copper pot, where distillation occurs.

Following distillation, the whisky is matured for five to seven years in a combination of French Limousin oak casks that used to hold Sauternes, Burgundy, and sherry. French Limousin Oak — one of the most expensive types of wood used for barreling — is prized because it is loosely grained and porous, allowing it to impart more flavor and tannins to the whisky that comes in contact with it. Finally, the whisky is brought to proof with water sourced from the Gensac spring (the water has been naturally filtered for centuries through Grande Champagne limestone) before being bottled at 86 proof.

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