For this tasting, I'm off to Armorique in my trusty BRAD PEAT to discover the peated whiskies of one of the pioneers of French whisky (distilled here since 1983) WARENGHEM.

The road takes me west of Brittany to the Monts d'Arrée.

I was thinking of heading for the town of Lannion, the stronghold of the Warenghem distillery since 1900, when it was founded by Léon Warenghem to distil his Elixirs d'Armorique, but the meeting with ERWAN LEFEBVRE, the distillery's cellar master, was scheduled further south in the village of Commana.

I meet my host near the village presbytery at the foot of the Calvary.

I face a man accompanied by a black dog called PPM. He is said to be half druid and half alchemist. His career in wine and, since 2014, at Warenghem, has enabled him to propose magical decoctions and conduct some highly successful experiments. 

And that's exactly what we're going to be interested in today, as he's planning to let me taste the peated whiskies from the distillery : YEUN ELEZ.

Erwan tells me that the tasting is not taking place in the village but in the Monts d'Arrée park. An early evening stroll in the countryside at a time when the sun is beginning to set, when the Breton fog is rising and is sure to awaken the spirits...! Not very encouraging, let's hope the new whisky is good!

So the two of us, accompanied by PPM, climbed back on board BRAD PEAT for a 15-minute drive.

The path takes us through the heather into the hills near the village. The journey gives my host the opportunity to tell me the history of the place: according to legend, it was in these marshes that people used to come to cast into hell the evil souls that haunted the living. An exorcist priest was summoned to transform the ghost into a black dog. A priest would then accompany the person and the dog to the heart of ‘Yeun Ellez’ at nightfall. The priest then had to push the black dog into the marsh of the Gates of Hell to lift the spell!

Suffice to say that, listening to this story, I was happy to know Erwan, who I was with (even if he was also accompanied by a black dog), and that it was just a legend.

I was all the more reassured when he told me that this legend was the theme chosen by the WARENGHEM distillery for the bottle and packaging of its peaty products (phew! even if I still had a few shivers).

In fact, if you're curious, if you look at the bottles and boxes that come with it, you'll see a dog's head and sketches of the story.

I can't wait to taste these new, much-awarded productions, which have enabled WARENGHEM to set foot on the peaty terrain since 2020.

Erwan tells me that the distillery has chosen not to call its whisky ARMORIK, as it usually does, but to create a new brand: YEUN ELEZ (which was none other than the Breton name for the peat bogs where my host was taking me). 

With JOBIC, the distillery is offering a whisky made from 50 ppm peaty barley from Scotland (from Crisp Malting in Norfolk). To optimise the peaty flavour of JOBIC and limit the amount of wood used, the Lannion teams have chosen to age the distillate for an average of 4 years in ‘spent’ bourbon casks (which have contained at least 3 ARMORIK whiskies).

Erwan and I finally arrived at the edge of the peat bog known as the Gates of Hell, the spot he had chosen for our tasting.

However, he told me to be careful not to step in it, because like any good peat bog, my shoe might not come off. What's more, I should avoid waking the spirits that had been cast there by the priest. It was a legend, but when in doubt! Even PPM, Erwan's dog, seemed to stay away from it (it has to be said that dogs don't always have the best role in the legend).

So it was in the middle of a foggy and rather cool atmosphere (but not rainy, because here too the rain in Brittany is only the stuff of legend) that we went to taste this whisky.

Erwan poured me a very light golden-yellow liquid (a real peated whisky with no artificial colouring, not very pronounced given the casks used).

As you approach the glass, you can distinguish rather medicinal and fresh aromas. This freshness is confirmed by dipping the nose into the glass. Aromas of heather peppered with dew mingle with a lovely smell of pear.

A second dip in the glass warms the aromas slightly as the pear ripens, adding a hint of banana. A hint of pepper is also added at this point, tickling the eyelashes on the nose. But what about the peat?

Well, it arrives shyly and discreetly on the third pass. It's gentle enough, but not omnipresent, but it completes the impression of warming up the liquid.

As is often the case, a drop in your hand will confirm its presence. 

Erwan says ‘Yec'hed mat’ in his Breton language and clinks his glass against mine. I think we're going to have to taste it.

While the first aromas on the nose were fresh, the liquid that enters the mouth is thick and worthy of a fine peated whisky.

It begins on the palate with baskets of lemony citrus, bringing a hint of bitterness. The freshness announced by the nose turns out to be iodised. It is accompanied by peppery notes. The attack clearly shows its presence. As it lingers on the palate, it becomes rounder and softer, with here and there a hint of etoupe. The peat in this whisky is not aggressive and brings a pleasant grassy freshness.

Once swallowed, it leaves lemony notes and a hint of iodine on the palate.

This is WARENGHEM's first experience of peat, and it delivers on its promises, giving us the chance to taste a French whisky that has nothing to envy the best peated Scotch whiskies (and the World Drinks Award France jury made no mistake). 

As the day dawns over the marsh, the sky announces a beautiful Breton day and is tinged with red, heralding the second sherry tasting.

For SMALL BATCH (1,200 bottles), the distillery chose to distil the same barley in 2020 as for JOBIC, but to age it entirely in a combination of sherry butt casks (80% American oak and 20% Spanish oak) and to offer it at a respectable 56.3% alcohol content.

While the JOBIC retains its very light hues, the colour of the SMALL BATCH is strongly marked by its full sherry ageing and takes on mahogany brown hues.  

Its initial nose is powerful and dense, a blend of red fruit and peat notes. It is amplified by its alcohol content. The peat notes are warm and slightly camphoraceous. They are even enhanced by spicy woody notes of cloves. A real treat for the connoisseur.

On the second pass, it takes on sweeter aromas of citrus fruits bursting with the sun rising over the marsh, with more sweetness.

The third pass marks a return to more toasty, caramelised notes.

On the palate, there's no mistaking the peaty notes and sherry ageing.

The warmth of the distillate is somewhat counterbalanced by the tauter notes of peat smoke, which this time establishes this distillate as a benchmark peated whisky. There are also sweet notes of ripe fruit (enough to turn the heads of the competition judges).

The finish is long, sometimes peaty, sometimes sweet. 

Just as we finished our drinks, PPM began to stir and moan.

Could he have sensed something from the gates of hell? It's time to head back down to Commana where I have to take Erwan back.

As for me, I'll be heading further north towards Lannion (the town of Warenghem) to show you around the distillery. In fact, I can't recommend a visit to taste the distillery's creations enough. Check out some of the images here!

Kenavo