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Hautes Glaces: France can be ‘great whisky nation’
France has the potential to be a “great whisky nation in the next decade”, said the founder of French distillery Hautes Glaces.
Fred Revol founded Hautes Glaces in 2009. It is situated high in the French Alps between the cliffs of Vercors Massif and the summits of the Écrins. The farm distillery is a grain-to-glass operation.
“When we started, we were so, so, so small,” said Revol. “As the French whisky market was growing so fast, I didn’t have enough stock to export. Domaines des Hautes Glaces was quite rare. Now, my cellar has grown so I can export more bottles again.
“My strategy is a product strategy. I want to touch people who are able to understand this is a unique proposition. We will target markets like the UK and Japan – cosmopolitan cities. Step by step, we will work with clients who can love and understand what we try to do.”
There have been some major developments in French whisky over the last 10 years, Revol noted, and he sees a strong future for the category over the next decade. As a nation that tends to turn away from its native spirits – the majority of Cognac, for example, is exported – what has the reception of French whisky been like in France?
“When I started, they said we were insane because for French people, whisky is Scottish or Irish, but at the same time there has been a Japanese whisky wave. So France started to see it could be ‘world whisky’,” Revol explained. “Locality – this interest in eating and drinking produce that is made closer to home – is becoming more interesting as well. This has all helped the category to grow, to be proud of creating whisky ourselves. Today in France, most retailers have a shelf of French whisky.”
‘Booming and growing’
While French whisky is still a young subcategory, it is “booming and growing for sure”, enthused Revol. Before the 80s, he explained, there was no whisky production in France – despite the country having the expertise to distil and create alcohol. Combined with the country’s knowledge of agriculture, Revol believes that as other regions started embracing whisky production, it was logical for France to follow suit.
While production volumes remain small for the category, parameters are being put in place to protect French whisky. There is a French whisky federation – Fédération du Whisky de France – and the category is on the cusp of creating an appellation of origin.
“In the next few months there will be a GI [geographical indication] for French whisky,” said Revol.
“I think we hope all the whisky makers will work together to be part of the whisky industry as a nation, as a country. If we have numbers, and quality, we have the ability to be a great whisky nation in the next decade.”
Hautes Glaces takes a French wine approach to whisky making. Its portfolio includes rye-based new make eaux-de-vie Vulson, and single malt whisky Indigene, which both form part of the distillery’s permanent collection. Limited edition offerings include Epistémè, which aims to reflect 15 years of alchemical and fertile exploration through the Hautes Glaces terroir.
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