Local Events: Discover the Vercors Distillery

It's in the beautiful, green valley of Saint-Jean-en-Royans, at the foot of the Vercors, that you'll find the Domaine de Flandaine. This former fortified farmhouse hides a distillery, halfway between authenticity and innovation, producing a whisky made in Royans: Sequoia. Anne-Hélène and Éric Cordelle welcome us to the Distillerie du Vercors.

It's in this former silkworm nursery that the magic happens. Anne-Hélène and Éric Cordelle landed in Saint-Jean-en-Royans 10 years ago, but not by chance. From engineering to whisky, it's a passion for the product that led the couple to create their own distillery. Completely self-taught, Anne-Hélène and Éric's ambition is to create a 100% organic product. A decade ago, they were told it was crazy; today, they are pioneers in their field.

After two and a half years of searching for the ideal location, they found the rare gem in the Royans Valley: an estate large enough to accommodate an ultra-modern factory, invisible from the outside, and above all, exceptional spring water. Why is the water from the Vercors so exceptional? During prehistoric times, the high plateaus of the Vercors were submerged, leaving a soil full of fossils and shells. Rain seeps into these soils, absorbing minerals and giving a unique aroma to the whisky.

Whisky is an ancestral recipe, which traditional distillers find difficult to break. So much so that, when they change their still, they restore it identically... Even recreating the same hump if there was one! Anne-Hélène and Éric didn't want to produce a generic whisky; they wanted an authentic product, full of terroir and unique. And for that, a new technique is required. With the help of students from Paris AgriTech, they designed Nautilus, a 21st-century still that distills at low temperatures. Éric, aka Captain Nemo, is not the reason behind the choice of the still's name but rather its shape, like a submarine door! Distilling whisky at low temperatures is a bit like cooking lamb for 7 hours in a pressure cooker: exceptional aromas are the key! An innovative technique in the field and above all something to make your mouth water.

We take what's new and great in science to reinvent distillation

Anne-Hélène Cordelle

Far from being their only manufacturing secret, Nautilus remains one of the most effective innovations for the challenges that the future holds: the reduction of energy consumption. Even if other uncertainties are on the horizon, such as the probable difficulties of producing oak barrels, or how to dry the cereal with something other than peat, which is very polluting (apricot kernels from the Drôme perhaps?), the Distillerie du Vercors already has one foot in the transition to more sustainable production.

This spirit of innovation and creation has paid off! Today, the Distillerie du Vercors has three whiskey ranges that bear the Sequoia name: Signature, Tourbé Réserve, and the latest addition, 3/10. Named in homage to the century-old tree in the heart of their garden, Sequoia whiskies have, in a short time, become a benchmark for quality French whiskey. Rewarded with several medals in international competitions, not in chocolate, but in gold and silver, these awards have been a real boon for these Vercors artisans. Piqued by curiosity during blind tastings, big names in gastronomy are snapping up Sequoia whiskies. From Bernard Loiseau, who has a soft spot for their Sequoia Tourbé Réserve, to Les Cèdres or even at Mme Pic's, who designed a dessert around their 23 peated and unpeated whiskies named after André, Mme Pic's grandfather; the whiskies made in Vercors reflect an authenticity of the terroir sought by the finest connoisseurs.

But the best thing is to see for yourself. Anne-Hélène and Éric invite you to a guided tour of the distillery in which the distillers will explain the entire whisky distillation process: from the production of the grain, to the preparation of the beer (yes, yes, you read correctly, to make whisky you must first prepare a beer), followed by the distillation stage. You will then be able to visit the cellar which is located in the old dairy of the farm, where the whisky will stay in barrels for at least 3 years so that the heat, cold, humidity and dryness work on the aromas (remember to bring a light sweater!). And finally, if you feel like it, you can taste the different ranges of Sequoia… in moderation, of course!

As you will have understood, Sequoia whiskies are the result of a set of innovations, traditions, but above all terroir. We could take the same distillery and place it anywhere else in France, the whisky would not be the same. It is the singularity of Royans-Vercors associated with the techniques of Anne-Hélène and Éric that makes Sequoia whiskies so unique. To treat your taste buds, there is nothing better than stopping by the Distillerie du Vercors to spend a moment sharing with Anne-Hélène and Éric and discover Sequoia whiskies (always in moderation!).