SILVAE 2019 Version Française

Since 2020, Version Française has been selecting and aging French whiskies with exacting standards and a singular vision of maturation. Silvae 2019 is a true homage to oak, a noble material whose growth cycle spans 90 to 200 years before it can be used in cooperage, and which is essential to creating a significant portion of a whisky’s aromas. While the age of a single malt reflects its time spent in the cask, the aromas that compose it actually began to take shape decades, or even centuries ago, within the fibers of the wood at nature’s patient pace. Version Française began exploring the aromas of oak several years ago, starting with a single malt distilled at Warenghem. Initially aged for four years in bourbon casks, it was then transferred for an additional three and a half years into four virgin casks made from four of the world’s most iconic oak species. The culmination of this journey, Silvae 2019 is a precise blend that draws the best from each essence. The fine-grained Breton oak cask, crafted by the last cooper in Brittany and representing 38% of the final blend, brings notes of spices, salted butter caramel, and candied citrus. Japanese oak, better known as mizunara, represents 30% of the blend and develops aromas of sandalwood, sweet spices, and white flowers. American white oak, intensely charred and making up 22%, adds an exotic touch with notes of vanilla and coconut, while wide-grained French oak, accounting for 10% of the total, lends the whisky structure and depth.