🥃 Whisky d’Alsace (Alsace whisky)

Alsace whisky (Whisky d’Alsace, Whisky alsacien) is a French geographical indication for whisky made only from malted barley, water and yeast, which is mashed, fermented, distilled in copper stills and matured for at least three years in oak casks of up to 700 litres in Alsace. It is bottled at between 40 and 65% ABV, without any colouring.

In the EU’s eAmbrosia register the name has the number EUGI00000014099 and a protection date of 13 February 2008. The requirements are in a specification approved by a French order of 30 December 2014 and a technical file sent to the European Commission in 2017. The applicant is the Alsace syndicate of distillers and liqueur makers in Colmar; control is by the National Institute of Origin and Quality, INAO.

The zone covers all communes of the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin departments. Malt milling, mashing, fermentation, distillation, maturation and dilution all happen here, with water from this zone only. Added enzymes, heating the wort, adding sugar and genetically modified barley are prohibited.

Distillation is batch only, in a simple still or one with a column of up to three plates, up to 25 hl, with copper parts up to the swan neck; the spirit comes off at 60–80% ABV. After three years in oak, maturation may continue in casks of other wood. Alsace whisky has spread since the 1990s; in 2012 five distilleries made it.

Why this matters to you. The colour of Alsace whisky comes only from the wood: caramel is prohibited, unlike for Scotch. “Single malt” means one distillery and simple batch distillation. An age statement on the label may be given only for whisky matured for at least six years. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe dose of alcohol.