What did you do before establishing Distillerie du Morbihan? For more than 25 years I worked in the software industry in different sales and management positions. From small start-up to well-established companies, I helped these companies to grow locally and globally by leading European, Asian and Indian teams. But it was a lot of travel, too many nights in hotels, and too much time wasted in taxis... What made you decide to open your own gin distillery? The project started during Covid-19. My wife and I decided to work on a joint project which was – at that time – a side project. After making sloe gin for years, we decided to take it more seriously by working on the possible set up of a distillery. We learned about distilling techniques, stills, botanicals and the magic behind their chemistries. After the business plan validation, we decided to officially apply to the French custom and excise and create our company.
What is the meaning behind your brand name? Morbihan is a French department in the Brittany region. With our house there, it was obvious for us that our distillery needed to pay homage to this amazing region by taking the Distillerie du Morbihan’s name. Can you tell us more about your distillery and your still? From Day One our ambition was to distill an elegant London Dry and we couldn’t dream of better than investing in a still made specifically for us by Arnold Holstein in Germany to achieve this. It's not just a piece of art, it’s also a really efficient 380 litre still that can extract the best of our botanicals during the distillation process. From the sourcing of our botanicals to the delivery, every step of the process is carried out at the distillery. Our 400 square metre distillery allows us to manage everything there and to have space to welcome visitors and groups.
Can you tell us more about your distillation process? We have a classic process in place where the botanicals will infuse in the grain alcohol for several hours before being distilled. Then once at 43% ABV, our ready-to-bottle gin will stay in a tank for 2 to 3 weeks. Our 1st gin – Gin 56 – is the result of weeks of failure before we found the perfect balance in our botanicals. We found liquorice will give a smoothness on the palate, then the green cardamon along with pink peppercorn, lemon and bitter orange will give a long and spicy finish. Our second gin - Algaïa- was released in February 2025 and keeps our signature recipe with the addition of lemon verbena, linden flower and seaweed - a proper coastal experience that is refreshing and well-balanced. What can visitors experience if they visit your distillery? A tour is about 45mins to 1 hour, during which visitors will get to understand the entire process from the botanical tests to the bottling. Because everything is done on site, it’s a great way to experience the day to day of what is happening at the distillery. We always end the tour with a tasting session and sometimes, if the season’s right, we bring oysters from our local oysterman to pair with our gin.
What are your favourite ways to drink Gin 56?
Neat and without ice, ideally from a bottle kept in the fridge. We are also big fans of a Gin Martini and Negroni - Gin 56 works really well for both cocktails. Desert Island Gins: Which 3 gins would you take with you and why?
What's next for you and Distillerie du Morbihan - any exciting plans? The distillery is only 18 months old and we are pleased to be where we are: one gin awarded by the IWSC in 2024, the launch of our second gin, distributors that are now interested to help us speeding up. 2025 is the year when I will be working for the distillery full-time after quitting my job in IT last December. So much to do… new products, distribution, shows in France and abroad. 2025 will definitely be an exciting year! We are thinking of working on a NoLo product for the end of 2025 and we will see from there…
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