Stages of Production
– Everything is done on site –
From brewing to fermentation, distilling, maturation, and bottling.
Made with water and cereal, each step of the transformation into whisky contributes to the final rich flavour.
Our whiskies are unfiltered and maintain their natural colour.
The raw material and water
Whisky, just like bread and beer, is made from water and cereal. The mineral water’s quality and purity are essential in the making of a good whisky.
We only use organic French barley.
The choice to use organic barley was an obvious one for us: if our barley grows healthily, it will preserve our grounds and the water that irrigates the fields.
The water from the Vercors is ideal and its minerals are essential: they feed the yeast during fermentation.
The raw material
We only use organic French barley, some of which grows in the fields below the Distillery.
The choice to use organic barley was an obvious one for us: if our barley grows healthily, it will preserve our grounds and the water that irrigates the fields.
The beer
The malted barley is ground in the mill to open each grain.
From this, we get the grist. In the picture on the right, the grist has been sieved so you can see how it breaks down. For the brewing, the grist is then mixed with hot water. The distillery smells great, just like a freshly baked cake… Yum!
Next, it’s time to ferment in order to make the beer. The sugar from the barley becomes alcohol. We add yeast (organic and non-GMO) in the same way we would with bread and then, just like magic, after 4 days the beer is ready.
Distillation
We do a double distillation, meaning 2 “rounds” in our stills. The first distillation at a low temperature in Nautilus (our wash still) and the second in Belle (our spirit still).
More information on our stills and distillation process HERE
Aging
On leaving the still, the spirit is clear.
We put the whisky in the barrels for at least 3 years.
We have both new barrels and “roux” barrels (barrels that have been used previously for other alcohols). Each possesses its own unique characteristics.
We need to have patience here… For a ten-year-old whisky, it needs to mature in the barrel for 10 years!
The natural color of our Sequoia Whiskies is due to the barrel wood and tell their story.
Aging
On leaving the still, the spirit is clear so we put it in barrels for 3 years. We have both new barrels and “roux” barrels (barrels that have been used previously for other alcohols). Each possesses its own unique characteristics.
We work with many French cooperages and each one has its own way of doing things. We mainly use “roux” barrels, in order to bring out the delicate aromas of our distillate.
After 3 years in the barrel, it can finally be called whisky. We need to have patience here… For a ten-year-old whisky, it needs to mature in the barrel for 10 years!
Bottling
Both the bottling and labelling are done on site. In order to preserve its flavours, we keep our whisky unfiltered.
In whisky production, artificial colouring is allowed, but that’s not how we do it at the Distillerie du Vercors! Our whisky is bottled maintaining its natural colour, only affected by the wood on the barrels.
