Uisce de profundis : 1st whisky aged in the ocean's depths

<h3><strong>The project in a few words</strong></h3> <p>This project is the outcome&nbsp;of an experiment started 2 years ago: <strong>ageing whiskey tens of meters down the ocean.</strong>&nbsp;The result is said to be <strong>&quot;completely apart&quot;</strong>, <strong>&quot;very very beautiful&quot;</strong> and <strong>&quot;absolutely majestic&quot;</strong> for the lucky few ones who have already tasted the first drops of this spirit. This is why, obviously, <strong>I&nbsp;want to pursue the experience</strong> and <strong>share it with you</strong>!</p> <h3><img alt="" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/677672/_DSC3652-1596712030.jpg" width="100%" /></h3> <h3><strong>My inspiration</strong></h3> <p>This whisky takes its origin from meeting a team that has some crazy ideas: ageing wines and champagne under the sea, off the coast of Ouessant.</p> <p>They offered to give me a try with whisky. And, to be honest, <strong>I was not convinced of the impact that it could have</strong> on the overall taste, but I am curious by nature and <strong>always looking for new aromatic discoveries</strong>. Therefore, I finally decided to try the&nbsp;adventure with them! So,&nbsp;two years ago, <strong>I dived my first barrels and bottles in the ocean</strong>.</p> <p><img alt="" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/676813/DUnVerrePrintanierWhiskySinglaMaltFranceMaisonBenjaminKuentzWhiskyFranc_ais02_CreditWilliamBeaucardet__1_-min-1596120454.jpg" width="100%" /></p> <h3><strong>If you don&#39;t know me...</strong></h3> <p>I am a French whisky editor. After working for more than <strong>10 years in the world of wines and spirits</strong>, I created my own &ldquo;Maison&rdquo; in 2016, with in mind the desire to answer this question; <strong>&quot;What if whisky were invented in France? What would be today&rsquo;s whisky?&quot;</strong></p> <p>I chose the term French whisky editor, because my starting point is not the distillation or the cereal but ... writing. <strong>Writing a recipe.</strong></p> <p>Indeed, I take <strong>inspiration from my moods or encounters</strong>, then I detail the aromatics that I seek to create and find in my whiskies. From this, comes the selection, blending and&nbsp;fining of distillates. It is thus thanks to <strong>working hand in hand with several partner distilleries in France </strong>that I can obtain the tastes that I am looking for.</p> <p><img alt="" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/676814/BenjaminKuentzWhiskyFranc_ais_15_Copyright_W.Beaucardet-min-1596120569.jpg" width="100%" /></p> <p>All this brought to life to my first whiskies:</p> <p>- (<strong>D&rsquo;un) Verre Printanier</strong>, a fresh, fruity, floral whisky that I wanted ideal to enjoy under a soft spring sun.</p> <p>- <strong>Fin <em>de </em>Partie</strong>, a gourmet, fruity, and spicy whisky that I wrote to pursue good late-night moments, at the end of the day or meal.</p> <p>- <strong>Le</strong><strong>&nbsp;Guip</strong>, a robust, dry, saline single cask, in reference to the eponymous shipyard of Brest, which restores magnificent classic sailboats.</p> <p>- <strong>Aux Particules Vines</strong>, matured in ex-casks of great French wines, is a whisky in tribute to the work of the vine, with the desire to create a continuity of taste throughout a meal, ending on a malty note, that reminds the palate with the wine tasted at the table.</p> <p>All of my whiskies can be found at our partner cellars and restaurants or on my website <a href="http://www.maisonbenjaminkuentz.com">www.maisonbenjaminkuentz.com</a></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/676818/Cre_ditPhotoWilliamBeaucardetWhiskyFrancaisMaisonBenjaminKuentz_4bouteilles-1596121065.jpg" width="100%" /></p> <h3><strong>An astonishing result, which exceeds expectations</strong></h3> <p>The result of the first test turned out to be<strong> totally different from what I could have imagined</strong>! At the beginning, I imagined an aromatic trail in the continuity of the taste that I had initiated by creating the whiskey &quot;Le Guip&quot;. Well, finally, <strong>it took a whole other path</strong>.</p> <p><strong>But an even more interesting path to dig</strong>! An amazing&nbsp;<strong>new texture and aromatic</strong> that take me on completely separate taste tracks&hellip; So obviously, I want to share this new recipe with you!</p> <h3><strong>This taste differs depending on the type of whiskey and the method chosen</strong></h3> <p>Having done some tests with <strong>different types of distillates and containers</strong>, I noticed that <strong>some whisky reacted very well and others&hellip; not at all</strong>.</p> <p>Finally, I want to use this ageing under the sea as a <strong>new kind of fining</strong>. I want to <strong>create a real &ldquo;underwater ageing cellar&rdquo;</strong> because, once the bottles and barrels are out of the water, I will <strong>rework a blend </strong>of the best ones in order <strong>to ensure a unique and constant taste</strong> from one bottle to another. As I would do with a classic ageing cellar.</p> <p>Well, I can&#39;t wait to share the first results with you! Here are some tasting comments:</p> <div class="k-ResponsiveIframeContainer"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="889" scrolling="no" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fplayer.vimeo.com%2Fvideo%2F443318217%3Fapp_id%3D122963&amp;dntp=1&amp;display_name=Vimeo&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F443318217&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.vimeocdn.com%2Fvideo%2F932833957_640.jpg&amp;key=8b7d8dd6504d41af9a77662672aabc2a&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=vimeo" title="Vimeo embed" width="500"></iframe></div> <h3><strong>Why am I turning to you?</strong></h3> <p>The first trials of this refining <strong>being very conclusive</strong>, I chose to continue it in order to <strong>produce more of these exceptional bottles.</strong></p> <p>Of course, <strong>the effect is not optimal on all the whiskies</strong> that I put in the water. Depending on the type of distillate chosen, the container, location and duration of launching, the fining has&nbsp;a different&nbsp;impact, and <strong>not all the bottles/barrels meet the quality that I want</strong>, in order to offer an exceptional whisky.</p> <p>There is therefore a <strong>significant research and technical work to be developed</strong> to pursue the optimization of this finning innovation (test on different distillates, containers, depth, etc.). However, I have found a way forward, and after two year of experimenting with that, <strong>I can now guarantee you a completely unique and exceptional whisky!</strong></p> <p>Indeed, <strong>I am convinced that we are at the beginning of the story</strong> for this type of ageing. This is why I am proposing you to <strong>follow me in these future launches</strong> in exchange for the <strong>malted counterparts to be discovered on this page.</strong></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/676886/50a9ccc5-d3ab-45dd-a9ac-4042f92deb27-1596186615.jpg" width="100%" /></p> <h3><strong>To conclude : THANK YOU!</strong></h3> <p>Thanks for reading this, and thanks to those who are already <strong>following and supporting me</strong>. <strong>Your enthusiasm</strong> for our new products as well as <strong>your positive feedback</strong> push me to <strong>always imagine new aromatic routes</strong> and to keep in mind the objective I had when creating my Maison: <strong>to share emotions with you through taste</strong>, and continuously surprise you with <strong>elegant and original French whiskies</strong>.</p> <h3 style="text-align:center">Thank you to those who will <strong>join me through this great project</strong> and who, I hope, will also fall in love with my Maison!</h3> <h4 style="text-align:center">Also, to stay in touch, follow us on social networks, join our newsletter on our website and share this project as much as possible with your whisky friends!</h4> <p><strong>Excessive&nbsp;drinking is dangerous for&nbsp;the health; alcoholic beverages should&nbsp;be&nbsp;consumed with&nbsp;moderation</strong></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://d3v4jsc54141g1.cloudfront.net/uploads/project_image/image/676876/Cre_ditPhotoWilliamBeaucardetWhiskyFrancaisMaisonBenjaminKuentz__8_-min-1596182449.jpg" width="100%" /></p>