A couple of decades ago, we rented a Gite in rural Normandy for a week, and discovered Breton Whisky in the local Carrefour Supermarket. As I recall, it was inexpensive, something like 15-20 euros a bottle. I am always up for a novelty - so I packed a bottle in my bag for the trip home. The French generally do things very well, or not at all, and this was no exception. It is very-very good.
Several times in places that claimed to have an extensive whisky selection I have asked, "do you have any Breton Whisky." The response is almost always a dull stare, only once has the answer been yes.
It is a single malt, the primary grain is malted barley, very much in the style of what is made in Scotland. Light, flavorful, with a little smoky wood in the background. The bottle became a treasure, kept in the back of the cabinet. As the level went down, and I went in search of a restock. Virginia does not offer it - liquor sales in Virginia are run by the state with a large catalog, but few rarities. I found a store in New York city that stocked it. And I have bought a couple of bottles there. The last of those was in the back corner of the cabinet, tasted once in a rare while.
A couple of years ago we were in Provence, and I looked for it, asked about it, and the answer was "that is from Brittany, not here in the south." An honest answer, but it didn't replace my diminishing supply.
A YouTube video recently talked about those open bottles, the special one's saved for just the right moment, sitting there oxidizing in the back row. And the YouTube was right, once in the bottle whisky does not get better, and a partially full bottle is slowly oxidizing. Better to enjoy it while it is at it's best. Hence as I write this I am sipping the last of the last bottle from Nestor in New York.
You can see Washington, DC from the top of the building across the parking lot, and DC has a very liberal liquor sales licensing. As long as the city gets the tax, they don't care how the retailer gets it. (There a several shops that buy and sell unopened rare bottles.)
A careful Google search revealed a couple of places with it on their websites. The first one listed it and showed it as out of stock- they would special order it and let me know when it came in. The second place, a small shop on P Street near Dupont Circle, showed it in stock. They can't ship to Virginia, but I can pick it up. And I did. They had three varieties, the standard bottling, one aged longer, and one finished in sherry casts. And they had it on the shelf, just below a single malt made in India. Talk about a wide selection of rare and exotics. The aged in sherry casts is wonderful.
Friday Face Off:
Nicole at DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening, regularly features the Friday Face Off, a chance to post a portrait you have been working on.
Here is my latest.
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