Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Brenne Whisky Contains the Essence of France, Distilled

Pat Evans
By

People end up in the whisk(e)y industry via many different roads. For Allison Parc, it was a life full of “I’m not enough” moments that brought her there.  Before whisky, Parc was a professional ballerina, but the consistent doubts that haunt dancers in that field led to her retirement from ballet and a turn to a love of whisky. Now, she’s not looking back and reflecting on her journey.

“I’m not working hard enough, I’m not flexible enough, I’m not skinny enough, I’m not good enough to get the ‘good’ roles,” Parc said of her thoughts while a ballerina. “When I retired from ballet, I discovered whisky, wine, and cheese. I loved the concept of terroir and artistry in wine nuances, but whisky had my heart.” The new life Parc found, she adds, was no longer about “Was I ‘enough?’”

Related Videos
Allison Parc

From there, sipping on whisky and savoring the freedom of no longer measure herself against the world, her mind wandered to whether there were whisky makers focusing on terroir. She wondered why it was hard to find non-traditional whiskies she had tasted in Europe in the United States. It was then she knew her next move in life: starting the extremely interesting and extremely delicious Brenne, a French single malt whisky aged in spent Cognac barrels.

Since whiskey needs aging, starting a distillery isn’t easy since it can take years for a first batch to be ready. To shorten that start up time, Parc eventually found a distiller in France whose family business had been in operation on the property since 1920. Working as a cognac distillery with all the cognac under contract, the original owner began making un-bottled single malt as the “house spirit.”

By the time Parc came along, the distiller had been making whisky for four years. By the time Brenne began bottling, Parc and the distiller were working with six- to eight-year-old whiskies. Brenne currently has two expressions: Brenne Estate Cask and Brenne Ten that come from those first barrels.

“We’re the perfect partners for each other,” Parc said. “He’d already started in on that whisky terroir journey without realizing what he’d done. He grows two heirloom varieties of barley all out the back door of the distillery and Brenne is made with that barley. He uses local water, uses a proprietary strain of yeast used for Cognac, and distills on a Cognac still.”

Allison Parc

With so much of the essence of the whisky coming from the same ingredients used for Cognac, it only made sense for the product to incorporate the used Cognac casks from the operation as well. Parc said the heritage of regionalized consumables in France — like wine and spirits such as Calvados, Armagnac, and Cognac — all play into the finished Brenne whisky. She also said the spirits industry is just scratching the surface with French whisky.

“We aren’t trying to replicate a Scotch whisky, but rather offer something completely new to the world of single malt,” she said. “Our barrels are new French Limousin oak and also Cognac barrels, so you get this whisky that has an incredible bouquet of fruit, floral, and creamy notes.

“To me, it’s incredibly evocative of the south of France.”

Parc enjoys drinking Brenne and its unique, fruit-forward, floral notes on the rocks with an orange or grapefruit peel, but said it’s important to also experience it neat. Classics like a Manhattan, or “BrenneHattan,” Sidecar, or Old Fashioneds are excellent with Brenne, according to Parc.

Parc does not doubt the greatness of her own whisky and has big plans for her brand.

“I want to continue making great French single malt whisky and bringing it to as many people as we can,” she said. “There is an incredible amount of work over many years that goes into creating just one bottle of Brenne, so when I have an opportunity to share a bottle of whisky with people, I always show up with gratitude, openness, and excitement to look each other in the eye and cheers to those special moments in life.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
These terrific mocktails are perfect for Dry January
Giving your liver a break doesn't have to mean skimping on flavor
5 new mocktails mojito recipe 2

January is a time when some people like to take a month off from drinking to let their livers relax a little. After a holiday season packed with parties, office gatherings, and family get-togethers, a break from the booze makes sense. To make it through any of these festivities, a good, stiff drink is often necessary. The problem is that that drink quickly becomes two. Then there’s a few casual beers, a glass of champagne for the toast, and pretty soon you’re throwing up on your boss' shoes. Come January, our bodies need a break. Cue the mocktails.

If you've been living under a rock, a mocktail is a mixed drink that feels celebratory and special, but doesn't contain any alcohol. They're wonderful for those post-holiday get-togethers when your body needs to mend, for people who don't drink, and for parties with guests of all ages. These are a few of our favorites.
Coconut Cream Mocktini

Read more
Move over, Mary: Bloody Maria is the best hangover drink there is
Ease that hangover and upgrade your cocktail game at the same time with the help of your new friend, Maria
bloody maria hangover drink recipe mexican small 2

It's a brand new year, and while that comes with a glittering heap of possibility and optimism, for some of us, it can also ring in a slightly shaky, headachy morning. If what you really need to get your year started right is a little hair of the dog, we feel you. We've been there. And we've got you covered.

Sure, a Bloody Mary is the typical choice in this crisis — it's flavorful, passable as a breakfast (or at least brunch) beverage, and does the job just fine. But if you stop to consider the spicy, savory, warm flavor profile of the drink's ingredients, cool and calm vodka doesn't really make a lot of sense. Vodka certainly has its place, but not in this cocktail. Tequila is a much better fit in the peppery, sweet heat of this tomato juice drink.

Read more
5 festive mocktails for a sober New Year’s Eve
Going sober this New Year's Eve doesn't have to be boring with these delicious drinks
new years eve mocktail recipes

It's an odd thing to think of something like sobriety as "trendy" because for some, it's so much more than that. For some, sobriety is survival. For others, those for whom addiction is not an ever-present monster, the sober movement that's been getting bigger and louder in recent years is simply a healthier, safer, occasional alternative to drinking alcohol. Where celebratory or even regular drunkenness was once the accepted norm, we're starting to see a shift. Sober celebrities like Matthew Perry, Dax Shepard, and Chrissy Teigen have started to stir things up by speaking out against the dangers of regular intoxication and potential addiction. It even became normal for stressed-out moms to have their drunken day in the sun, parading their daily bottles of chardonnay loudly and proudly with everything from T-shirts to kitschy home decor. Now, even those things are becoming more taboo.
Through the increased popularity of mocktails and sober bars popping up in big cities, sobriety is becoming more mainstream, and we're here for it. Even if addiction isn't your burden, moderation is the key to a healthy lifestyle.
Whether you've chosen sobriety for the day, the month, or a lifetime, these are some of the most delicious mocktails you can mix up on the night of the big ball drop. Going alcohol-free doesn't mean you have to be stuck with that boring old bottle of sparkling apple cider. New Year's Eve drinks can have all the fun, festive flavor sans the booze. These are a few of our favorite nonalcoholic drinks to help you ring in the new year in sober style.

Fruity Pomegranate Mocktail

Read more