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THE SUCCESS STORY OF A SELF-MADE DISTILLER

In the Champagne region, if you want to be in the alcohol business, you are supposed to make Champagne. Everybody does. With that pre-concieved idea in mind, Thierry Guillon became naturally an enologist, and the road was rather simple to follow: create a new Champagne. The challenge came from the lack of the necessary funding to buy a winery and build his own domain. Following his wife in Germany, he worked two years at a distillery and a foolish idea came into his mind: why not creating the first ever whisky made in Champagne?

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This is with this simple concept that he started his own business, using the family estate to install his distillery.

The ten first years were challenging, but hard work, clear vision and resilience often pay. By learning the hard way through mistakes and adjusting continuously, he ultimately made his way to success.

Guillon products are now well recognized across France, and his brand is present at Palais de l’Elysée, the official residence and workplace of the President of France (the “French White House”), in Paris. This is a prestigious recognition.

A BEAUTIFUL PLACE

Just two-hour drive from Paris, the distillery is located at the heart of a regional parc (Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims), in Champagn. The Guillon distillery exists since 1997.

 

It is a very remote and beautiful place, surrounded by a forest, on a hill called “la Montagne de Reims”, culminating at 950 feet.

 

   

THE UNIQUENESS OF THE RECIPE:

The way T.Guillon creates his whiskies is quite unique and comes from the combination of both his wine and spirit experiences.

WATER: it is coming from a natural source and is filtered by many layers of limestone: the water is very soft.

Fun fact: At the beginning, there was no source of water in the premise. It is impossible to run a distillery without water. There was a hope, as an ancient local manuscript was describing the existence of a source “somewhere around”. But no spring water was found despite all the efforts deployed. Mr Guillon then sought the services of an old women, well known in the area for being able to spot any hidden source of water. She came with her divining rod, and in no time spotted a certain place. After some digging, water sprang!

   The natural source of water

YEAST: The yeast, so important for its addition to the flavor profile of a wine or a spirit, is not typically used for whisky: it is a yeast that is part of the process of making Champagne!

BARLEY: The distillery is just a few miles away from the third biggest worldwide barley producer. Being able to get an excellent barley is a good start!

DISTILLATION: As it should be, the wash is double distilled. The second distillation produces a spirit that is composed of three parts: the head (too high alcohols), the heart (what the distiller wants) and the tail (too low in alcohol). Typically, the unwanted parts, head and tail, are re-introduced in the spirit still to avoid waste. In the case of Guillon, he just discards the head and the tail! He wants only the best new make spirit

 The double distillation

MATURATION 1: because of his wine connection, T.Guillon can get good casks from many wine regions in France. The advantage of being close to the wineries is that there is no need to dismantle the casks and shave them (this is required when the cask travels far). He would typically use ex-white Burgundy wine casks for five years or more, and then use casks from various types of wine to create the finish. This is how the many expressions of the distillery are created.

MATURATION 2: Because the distillery is located in a protected zone called “Natura 2000”, it is not permitted to build anything. As he needed a warehouse to store the casks, he purchased old containers that he painted in black color. This way, the casks can “breathe”: in summer, the temperature climbs to the 90’F, and in winter, it goes below 30F.

  

 

A FULL RANGE OF WHISKIES

As seen in the “Maturation” chapter, the finishes define many expressions of the same base.

      

In the order,

42 (3 different white Burgundy wines), 46 (Maury wine), Banyuls, Vin de Paille, Côteaux du Layon, Sauternes, Loupiac, Champagne, Puligny-Montrachet, Mâcon

There are also some prestigious releases:

In the order:

No 1 (White Burgundy, Sauternes, Banyuls), 20 ans, to celebrate the twenty years of existence of the distillery (White Burgundy, Nuit Saint Georges, Côteaux du layon), Cuvée Alpha (White burgundy, Sauternes, Banyuls, Côteaux du Layon, Vin de Paille), Excellence (secret recipe, only 100 bottles), Nirvana (secret recipe, 314 bottles)

TASTING NOTES

Guillon Loupiac, 43% ABV

THE MAKE:

Matured about five years in ex-white Burgundy casks, the spirit finishes its maturation in ex-Loupiac casks.

Loupiac is a sweet wine made in the Bordeaux region, in France. It is composed of three types of grapes: Semillon (80%), Sauvignon (15%), and Muscadelle.

 Example of a wine from Loupiac

 

NOSE

Pleasant, sweet, with plum and vanilla, spices

PALATE

The fruit is coming very strong (ripe plum mainly), with some spiciness, vanilla and citrus notes

FINISH

Medium-long, still fruity and fading dry on citrus.

MY TAKE

A nice and unique spirit, easy to drink either alone, or potentially with a fruit dessert (fruit pie, fruit salad).

 

  

Distillerie Guillon, Esprit du Malt de la Montagne de Reims,

Hameau de Vertuelle, route de Verzy, 51150 Louvois, FRANCE

www.distillerie-guillon.com

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