It might surprise you that there is a “whisky” distillery in the heart of Champagne. Nestled in the Montagne de Reims, La distillerie Guillon has been producing its spirits since 1997. Popular throughout France, I had the chance to discover their range and to explore their facilities. Visiting Guillon Distillery is definitely worth a trip if you are in the region! Read all about them here.
Menu
Introduction
The Visit
Tastings
Overall Thoughts
Introduction
History
The Guillon Distillery has been producing its spirits since 1997 in an old hunting lodge of the Guillon family estate. An oenologist by training, Thierry Guillon realized his dream by creating a spirit based on 100% French malt and using other local ingredients to celebrate French know-how. You might have noticed that I have been calling their spirits “whisky”. That is because they used to be classified as whisky producers, until Scotland changed the regulations on what can be classified as a whisky. Guillon’s process breaks the codes (more on that later). But instead of throwing out all their product, Guillon created their own designation instead: “L’Esprit du Malt de la Montagne de Reims“. Today, this malt spirit is known throughout France. President Macron himself is a fan.
French Ingredients
What makes these spirits so remarkable is their nod to French terroir. Their natural source water flows naturally by gravy from the top of the plateau towards the distillery, filtered by layers of white sand that are part of the natural geological formations of the mountain. The water is low in mineral salts and not loaded with calcium like much of the water here. It is hidden behind the estate’s beehives.
The yeast, important for its addition to the flavour profile, is not typical for whisky. Guillon uses a local yeast that is from the Champagne-making process!
Barley is the chosen malt for these spirits. The distillery is just a few kilometres away from the third largest worldwide barley producer. It only makes sense to use the local goods!
Finally, these spirits are aged in French oak barrels previously used for white, red, sparkling, and fortified wine maturation, imparting the unique distinguishing flavours of the wines into the whiskies. But more on that when I talk about the visit!
The Visit
The Grand Entrance
Although not technically part of the tour, a visit to Guillon begins with a scenic drive through the forests of the Montagne de Reims. A narrow gravel path leads up to a repurposed hunting lodge, surprisingly small for a nationally renown distillery. The main building holds a small museum about Guillon and the surrounding villages, as well as the tasting room/boutique. Besides malt spirits, honey, juice, and other local products are available for purchase here. There is also a very friendly cat that tries to sneak in from time to time…
Into the Distillery – Preparation
The official visit started with a stroll to the actual distillery, which is further up the hill in another building. In the distillery, I learned about the full production process, including all the local ingredients that I mentioned above.
Whisky/malt spirits are just strong alcohols made from beer. So the process begins with making beer (although it is not really drinkable like normal beer). Barley grains are crushed and mixed with water. This helps kick off the process of enzymatic hydrolysis, a natural process where grains produce enzymes that convert starch into sugar. This sugar is important because yeast will transform it into alcohol during the fermentation process.
I mentioned earlier that Guillon lost its “whisky” status — and that is because of its fermentation process. Whisky fermentation takes only a few days. However, because Guillon uses Champagne fermentation yeast (Saccharomyces bayanus), this process takes about 4 weeks. Each variety of yeast (a type of microscopic fungi) has its own aromatic characteristics and fermentation times.
Into the Distillery – Distillation
Guillon double distills its malt spirit. The first copper stills are curiously German — completely different than the Charantais stills used in Cognac. Thierry spent a few years working at a Schnapps distillery in Germany prior to opening his own. This inspired him to use the same type of equipment. These particular ones made kirsch.
Distillation works by heating the liquid until just before water’s boiling point. Water stays at the bottom of the stills while the alcohol evaporates and floats to the top of the system. It then condenses back into liquid form.
“Imperfect Malt” is the name of this first alcohol. 25 to 30 degrees by volume, it is distilled a second time in a 300-litre still. This second distillation produces three different “products”: a head, heart, and tail. Only the heart makes it to the ageing process. It is a strong white alcohol that reaches 80 degrees. The leftovers are sold to the industry as neutral alcohol (hand sanitizer) or disposed of.
The natural spring water from above dilutes this alcohol to a more pleasant 65 degrees. It is diluted again five+ years later when blending in barrels. It ends up being 40, 42, or 46 degrees, depending on the product.
Aging
French oak barrels play a key role in the production of Guillon “whisky”. They not only give an appealing amber colour to the liquid, but they also impart unique flavours as many of them are second-hand from famous French wine regions and producers. You can even recognize some of their logos on the barrels, such as Louis Jadot from Bourgogne. Many of the barrels are from Bourgogne due to its proximity and logistical ease.
The Guillon Distillery is in a protected natural area, meaning that they cannot dig cellars underground or construct new buildings to store the barrels. To get around this, Guillon uses giant un-insulated shipping containers painted black.
The barrels inside are exposed to significant variations in temperatures and humidity throughout the years: +45°C/-15°C. This promotes an exceptional concentration of aromas in a rapid ageing process. In fact, the process will speed up as the climate gets warmer. The finishes products are an assemblage of different barrels of the same finish, to maintain consistency. I visited a small cluster of containers near the facilities, but there are a lot more further away that correspond to their production quantities.
Tastings
During my visit, I had the opportunity to try quite a few of Guillon’s malt spirits. I also included some notes about a bottle I already had in my collection.
Cuvée 46
This is one of Guillon’s flagship products, from their classics range. It is a step up from their most basic malt spirit — a little stronger and rounder. Aged in white Burgundy barrels then finishing in Maury barrels for the last months, it is fruity and accessible. Aromas of red fruits and caramel. A little sweet.
Finition Champagne
Of course, when in Champagne, one needs to try a “whisky” aged in a Champagne barrel. Especially from a reputed Champagne House from Damery nearby. I think this was the most popular spirit on display. I liked this one a lot; it is a little more in my style: dry and floral. It does have a stronger attack than the previous one.
Crozes Hermitage Blanc
White Crozes Hermitage is relatively rare, so I was intrigued. Finished in Domaine du Pavillon barrels, this has an interesting complexity. I got stone fruits, dried fruits, and a hint of floral. It has an enticing tartness. Again, it is a dry spirit.
Chateauneuf du Pape (Blanc)
Interestingly, I wasn’t originally going to try this one. I am not a big fan of Chateauneuf wine, but I gave it a try after a little arm twisting. And WOW — I am so glad that I did. This ended up being my favourite. A real showstopper. Finished in relatively rare white Chateauneuf du Pape barrels from Clos St Georges, it has all the characteristics I like in a whisky. It is perfectly fleshy and decadent with notes of caramel and grilled peaches. I highly recommend it to any whisky fan!
Tourbé Fort
Even though it is labelled “strongly peaty”, I found that this was not quite the level that I am used to with scotches. It has a lovely caramelized flavour with a light peatiness. I think this would be a good introduction to people just starting to drink peaty whisky.
Sauternes
Since I already had a bottle of this, I did not try it in store. It was recommended to me by friends and it is pretty popular. Because it was stored in old Sauternes barrels, it is quite sweet and can appeal to those not used to drinking more abrasive spirits. In terms of aromas, it is floral with notes of honey and baked fruit tarts. Admittedly, it was a little too sweet for my tastes, so I often paired it with desserts.
At this point, I thought I had a pretty thorough tasting of the flagship products. It is also possible to try their more prestigious ranges, which include limited editions.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I highly recommend visiting Guillon Distillery. Not only are the products high quality, it is interesting to learn about a different production process than traditional whiskies and scotches. It is quite unlike any other whisky distillery you might have visited. Bonus, it is in a beautiful location and they also have an outdoor bar that serves beer that they brew themselves (not the one used for their malt spirits!). And it is a unique opportunity to try a local product that is not Champagne!