Near Grenoble, discovering the most virtuous whiskey in France

Suddenly, finally, the fog dissipates. The road that leads to Trièves, from Grenoble, which we leave further north, brings with it its share of intertwined turns. Little by little, the microclimate of this plateau surrounded by the Dévoluy and Vercors massifs takes effect in mid-November. A few seconds ago, it was impossible to see more than 5 meters away, and now these mountains are displayed in ultra high definition, which, kindly, have done us the courtesy of covering their peaks with the first snow. A few bends later, here is the Hautes Glaces domain, at an altitude of 900 meters, self-proclaimed the first organic farm-distillery in the world.

Frédéric Revol, a former agricultural engineer, took up residence there in 2009 for his love of whisky, to which he wanted to bring “a holistic vision”, he said. He also had an idea in his head or rather an ambition: to prove that, as with wine, there is a terroir specific to cereal brandy. Bringing out the taste of a place through a spirit is a challenge that many still believe is impossible today. “I realized that it was a very industrialized product, whose link with the raw material had been abandoned. The aim was to propose a whiskey the French way with this notion of terroir”, he recalls.

Distill Burgundian style

It is also interesting to note that English speakers have not ventured to translate the word “terroir”. Intimately French, therefore untranslatable, it is at the heart of Frédéric Revol’s approach, namely the art of bringing a climate and soil into symbiosis with the know-how of the humans who occupy it. This forty-year-old with an often questioning look, who we imagine is constantly questioning himself, thus summons the world of wine, by distilling as we make wine, more like Burgundy in fact. It is thus a question of plot, of vintage, but also of drawing on the diversity of cereals, as a winemaker would like to compose his wines with different grape varieties. France, as the inveterate whiskey drinker that it has been for a long time, has mastered its classics and is passionate about single malts, made from barley. But it has recently succumbed to the charms of the more rustic rye, which thrives in these mountainous regions.

In the northern United States and Canada, where the cereal was brought in the 18th^e century by Irish and Scottish settlers, rye whiskeys are made from it. But it has been a long time since these were the prerogative of loggers with long beards and thick shirts. Moët Hennessy understood this well. The wines and spirits branch of luxury giant LVMH has joined forces – the height of glamor – with American singer Beyoncé to launch Sir Davis, designed to occupy the rye field, but also the very fashionable cocktail scene. Some of the most famous – like old fashioned – are historically made from rye whiskeys. “They are less sweet than those made from barley, more on spice and minerality, with almost an earthy side. They are also more airy. Very mountainous, ultimately,” explains Frédéric Revol, who tells us that at Hautes Glaces, its “rye” is 100% rye-based, unlike the majority of American production, which is authorized to combine rye and barley.

Here, on the border of 45^e parallel, where the South begins – neither in the high mountains nor in the plain –, where a 17th century priory stands harmoniously^e century and more modern buildings, grasses from nineteen producers united around the same vision of agroecology and polyculture are distilled. “We are in a region that is not really suited to large volumes. Whether it’s my potatoes or my cereals, I want to take care of them, so that they taste good. explains Thierry Ailloud-Perraud, one of them.

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A relationship with life

Behind the High Ice, there is indeed the idea that “everything we drink must have a relationship with its raw material”, according to Frédéric Revol. And to cite the example of Scotland, which, by massively importing the barley necessary for its production of scotch whisky, imposed the narrative according to which a quality eau-de-vie requires only the distillation technique and the containing its maturation. In the Hautes Glaces domain, the need to exploit alternative cereals was felt at the start of the project. Rye obviously, but not only: spelt, einkorn, oats… Parallel paths are possible, including in maturing, which is mainly done in barrels of course – whiskey obliges -, even that does not does not prevent Frédéric from also experimenting with other types of refining – the amphora, for example. A nod to wine, again, which brought these ovoid clay vases up to date.

Before leaving, our host wants us to observe the mountain range that we can see from the courtyard of the distillery. This reminds us of something. But of course: these are the crests that were modeled in the bottom of the distillery’s new bottles, released last September. Radically different from the previous ones, inspired by the world of perfume bottles, they will not stand out in the most beautiful alcohol cabinets. Including once the elixir has been tasted. Because, behind this whiskey – which is no longer just an alcoholic drink, but undoubtedly a living substance – there is perhaps a message hidden: “There is an intention to experience a relationship with the living, explains Frédéric Revol. It also reminds us of our incredible luck in being able to enjoy the world through a simple glass of whiskey. It’s already a good thing ; in any case, I’m happy with it. I am not one of those whose ambition is to travel to Mars.”

This article comes from F, the art of living of Figaro