Domaine des Hautes Glaces Epistémè R18P23 Yellow Circle Organic Whisky 50cl

An impressive French whisky from Domaine des Hautes, this is one of two expressions of Epistémè R18P23 that are almost twins. This is Yellow Circle, the other is Yellow Square. Both are made from 100% malted rye from the same variety of rye (the local caroasse), and processed using identical production techniques during the summer of 2019.

The whisky is fermented for a long 140 hours (the tanks were inoculated with natural sourdough) and then double distilled in a 25-hectolitre pot still that is wood-fired before being matured twice, initially in Cognac casks and then in 'feuillette' casks, small barrels composed of staves of different varieties that have just 112-litre capacity.

Where they differ is micro-provenance. The idea was to create a whisky that would express terroir, so the only distinction is the plot where the rye was grown. For Yellow Circle, the rye was grown on the slopes of the Vulson, the rhyolitic stone extinct volcano (the distillery sources its water from the springs there). The plot is a tiny 5000m² and lies in a valley created by the springs surrounded by hedges, giving it a protected mountain haven. Frédéric Revol took over the farm in 2009 and he employs organic and regenerative agro-ecological methods.