Three French single malts from La Maison & Velier

Review by: Raygun

A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. These three French single malt reviews were done with industry samples provided free of charge, with no expectations beyond drinking them. As always, I do my best to provide my unbiased opinion, and readers can decide how they want to take these reviews . For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

Had plenty of French wines and brandies, but never any French whiskies. Now I’ve got three bottled by La Maison & Velier, a joint venture between La Maison du Whisky and Velier. This series is called Version Française. Reviewed from samples.

Ninkasi 2017 Cognac cask

Ninkasi started with a brewery and branched into whisky in 2015. This is a single Cognac cask from 2017, distilled from pilsen malt. 

Distillery: Ninkasi

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: French single malt from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

ABV: 46%

Age: 5 years. Distilled in 2017, bottled in 20222. 

Cask type: Cognac cask, 550 bottles. 

Color:  0.6 old gold

Nose: Pleasantly fruity, like Starburst candies. Pears are particularly distinct. Vanilla cream. Some furniture polish.   

Palate: The new oak makes itself felt, but isn’t taking over. Apples, pears, grass, and a little vanilla custard. Cinnamon. A bit of furniture polish or varnish, like the nose. 

Finish: Pretty short. Artificial sweetener. It’s a malt, but has some aspects of young grain, that kind of soft feel. Vanilla is more apparent.  

Conclusion: Some decent DNA here, but the youth is impossible to miss. I’m also not the biggest fan of cognac casks, so that may not be helping much. Artificial sweetener notes are hard to get past for me, and that’s unmistakable here. I’d be curious to see what they can do with another 8-10 years, but right now it’s not great. 

Buy a bottle? Not for me 

Score: 67

Artesia 2018

TOS Distillery also started as a brewery. Unusually for malt whisky, this was distilled on a column still. Made from lightly peated pilsen malt. Also a single cask, ex-bourbon in this instance. 

Distillery: Artesia (TOS)

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: French single malt from Hauts-de-France

ABV: 50%

Age: 4 years. Distilled in 2018, bottled in 2002. 

Cask type: Ex-bourbon   

Color:  0.4 jonquil

Nose: Fruity again. A bit more tropical, leaning pineapple and papaya, an overripe one. Some lime as well. Can’t say I notice the peat.   

Palate: This is kind of fun. Presents like a rum cask, with the tropical fruit and citrus, and a hint of rum-like funk. Might be the peat doing that. Lime, papaya, maybe a little coconut, and some chocolate. Quite enjoyable.  

Finish: Lime sugar cookies. Creme brûlée. Vanilla comes out. Young malts often lose something on the finish and that’s the case here too. Just a little flat compared to the palate. 

Conclusion: An unexpected twist. This was fun. Would not have guessed a bourbon cask at all. Some unusual flavors here. Nose and finish aren’t anything special, but the palate worked very nicely. Better than the Ninkasi for sure. 

Buy a bottle? It’s not quite there, but this is one I’d keep an eye on.  

Score: 76

Armorik 2014 peated

This is more like a traditional Scotch. Made from heavily peated malt (45ppm), distilled in pot stills, and aged in a second-fill oloroso cask. 

Distillery: Armorik

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: French single malt from Brittany

ABV: 50%

Age: 8 years? Distilled in 2014, and I’m guessing bottled in 2022 as well. 

Cask type: Second-fill oloroso, 255 bottles   

Color:  0.6 old gold

Nose: The peat is definitely noticeable here. A boggy and ashy kind of peat, somewhere between Laphroaig and Lagavulin I’d say. Don’t get much sherry character, just a little fig and tobacco.    

Palate: A little more sherry influence. Still ashy, some fudge, dried figs, cranberry sauce, and tobacco. Grilled lamb. Does have an Islay character. I wonder if the malt is from Port Ellen. 

Finish: Smokey and briny. Not much of the fruit character now. A little bit of the meatiness. More tobacco. Again a little flat compared to the palate. 

Conclusion: Not bad, but it doesn’t particularly stand out. Young peaters like this don’t typically excite me that much, and this is no exception. The peat dominates and there isn’t that much else going on. Would have liked more sherry influence, maybe a first-fill cask for something this young. I just wanted something that would bring a little more variety to the flavors. 

Buy a bottle? I’ll skip it.  

Score: 72

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Kavalan Solist Manzanilla)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Green Spot Chateau Leoville Barton)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Amrut Peated CS)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Taketsuru Pure Malt)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Bushmills 10 Malt)
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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