France | NYC Whiskey Review

Grand Marnier Liqueur

January 24, 2024 France

Name: Grand Marnier Liqueur

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Orange, citrus zest, sugar, earthy cognac

Taste: Orange, sugar cream, cognac finish

Grand Marnier is a French orange flavored liqueur which is a blend of cognac, orange, sugar, and is bottled at 40%abv. It was created in the 1880’s and is enjoyed as a after dinner drink, in cocktails, and used in certain foods. I had not sampled Grand Marnier in years, but I needed it to make special flavored cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, so I thought it was worth a review.

In the late 1990’s I worked in the restaurant business in Cape Cod and afterwork we would go out for drinks. A coworker always ordered a Sam Adams Lager & Grand Marnier. One might I decided to order the same combo and for many years after that I drank Grand Marnier as an after-dinner drink. In the early 2000’s occasionally my friend and I would play darts and drink Guinness in a British dive bar in Ft Lauderdale. The loser had to buy the winner a Grand Marnier Centennial. I recall that being a $25 drink at the time.

Grand Marnier is a good after dinner drink, but my preference has changed as I have gotten older. It is now too sweet for me to really enjoy neat. I made an Old Fashioned and it was still too sweet for me and became harder to drink as the ice melted.

Cocktails: Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Sangria, Sidecar, B-52, and Old Fashioned.

Cooking: Flambé dishes (crêpes Suzette), Grand Marnier soufflé, and crème brûlée.

Other expressions: Cordon Rouge, Cordon Jaune, Cuvée du Centenaire (“Centennial Edition”), Cuvée Spéciale Cent Cinquantenaire, and Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle.

Priced around $35+ and worth the money as a after dinner drink, mixer, or cooking liqueur if you like the flavor profile.

If you like it, drink it! – Chris

If you like it, drink it!

Meyer’s Alsatian Blended Whisky

February 2, 2021 France

Name: Meyer’s Alsatian Blended Whisky

Color: Gold Brown

Nose: medicine, green grass, wood, earth

Taste: Earth, sweet, vanilla

Review:

Meyer’s Alsatian Blended Whisky is a French whisky from the Alsace region of France. Meyer’s is a family owned distillery located in the village of Hohwarth in Alsace. They have been making Brandy since 1958 and have now entered the whisky market. If you are not familiar with Alsace it is a region between France and Germany. It became French land after World War II and is mainly known for producing Riesling wines.

The whisky is 85% wheat, 15% barley, and is distilled in pot stills. The whisky spends 7 years in Sauterne (dessert wine) casks from Bordeaux.

Meyer’s was a pleasant surprise that also confused me during my tasting. I knew it was a whisky and I knew it was French but it has a cognac-like profile. I got earthy cognac sitting in leather chair in a small home in the country side of France, not whisky. Meyers may not be to everyone’s taste when it comes to whisky, BUT after a big meal and you are lighting up a nice cigar, this would be an excellent choice for the price.

Price around $35 and worth the money for the flavor.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

Vicomte French Whiskey Single Malt

September 24, 2020 France

Name: Vicomte French Whiskey Single Malt

Color: Brown

Nose: Earthy, wood, cognac, dark fruit

Taste: Cognac earth, vanilla, oak

Review:

Vicomte French Whiskey comes from the Poitou-Charentes Region in France. It is twice distilled, 100% organic barely and is bottled at 40% abv.

Vicomte is aged in New French Limousin oak and ex-cognac barrels for a total of 8 years. Limousin wood comes from western France and is popular in cask construction with brandy/cognac makers because the wood has more tannic flavor because of the soils and lead to a better flavor profile. This is where the earthy tones can come from which I prefer more in brandy/cognac than I do in my whisky.

I have tried a few other French Whiskies such as Meyers and Rozelieures. There are a few more French ones out there but so far, each of the three I have now tried have a cognac styled flavor profile. I find French Whisky to be more of an after dinner drink than a regular drinker. Vicomte reminds me of Meyers. The map below shows the region where Vicomte is produced.

I had this one at my sister’s home as she used to sell high end wine and liquor. I have not seen it in the stores in NYC but I am sure it is out there somewhere in the area. Try the higher end stores near Park Ave.

Price around $75 and more of an after dinner whisky then a regular drinker.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Brenne Estate Cask Single Malt

January 21, 2020 France

Name: Brenne Estate Cask Single Malt

Color: Light brown

Nose: Fresh, earth, spice, burnt cotton candy

Taste: Light, fresh, caramel, cognac earth, sweet finish

Review:

Last week I attended a tasting for Brenne Whisky at Hudson Hotel Library Bar near Columbus Circle here in NYC. This tasting was in conjunction with Women Who Whisky of New York. I found the invite online and thought it would be a good tasting to attend. What I did not know, until I arrived, was I was the only male attending. Opps…. However, Allison Parc, founder of Brenne Whisky and Julia Ritz Toffoli, founder of Women Who Whiskey welcomed me with open arms and dragged me out of the corner I was sitting (hiding) in to join a another table.

Brenne is a single malt whisky produced in Cognac, France and was released in 2012. It has very distinct flavor profile that some might find too sweet, but it was excellent in the Manhattan cocktail served that night. Brenne is the kind of whisky I like in the warm summer weather by the pool, beach, or outdoors at night with a cigar. Some whisky lovers may not like a sweeter taste but I prefer a sweeter whisky in warm weather. I can not drink Islay peated whisky when it is warm out.

Brenne Estate is priced around $60 and it’s flavor profile stands on its own. It is worth the money and I will be putting it on my bar this summer.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Rozelieures Smoked Single Malt French Whisky

May 2, 2019 France

Name: Rozelieures Smoked Single Malt French Whisky

Color: Gold Brown

Nose: Malt, wood, sherry, caramel, earthy

Taste: Smoke, peat, sweet, earthy, rich, wood

Review:

Rozelieures Smoke Single Malt Whisky is a surprising whisky that comes across on the nose of being a Highland single malt. It is very peaty and full bodied and really surprised me when I tasted it. I got the opportunity to try this whisky recently at one of Robin Robinson’s Whisky Smack Down classes at the Astor Center in NYC. If you haven’t take one of his classes, I highly recommend them. They are 6 pours of whisky, a cocktail and a lot of education.

The Grallet Family whose distillery is in Lorraine, France has been producing spirits since 1890. In 2000 they entered the whisky business. The distillery emphasizes using 100% local sourced products and being very green when making their whisky. The whisky is matured in 100% sherry casks for a minimum of 7 years.

The world is a big place, but it gets smaller each year when it comes to whisky. More and more countries are moving into the world of brown spirits and France is no exception. As you know, they are known for making pretty decent wine and cognac so whisky would not be a stretch for them. This is one of those whisky’s that anyone could ramble on the stats, facts, and make sound sexy in a review. I will close with the following; I really enjoyed it and it is worth picking up a bottle in you like this style of whisky.

Priced around $55 and well worth the money.

If you like it, drink it! –Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Grand Marnier Liqueur

Meyer’s Alsatian Blended Whisky

Vicomte French Whiskey Single Malt

Brenne Estate Cask Single Malt

Rozelieures Smoked Single Malt French Whisky

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