the essentials Recently distinguished in Paris as part of the World Drinks Awards with its Tchankat Gasconha whisky, Maison Samalens focuses on local and environmentally friendly production.
Has Armagnac become a new land of whisky? Perhaps, but with the firm desire to maintain its identity. This is in essence the message delivered by Maison Samalens, recently honored at the World Drinks Awardswhich took place at the end of September in Paris. Its flagship product, Tchankat Gasconha Classique, stood out by receiving the gold medal in the “Single cask single grain” category. A great reward for the Gers house created in 1882 and based in Laujuzan, which has always cultivated its local roots, even since its acquisition in 2017 by the company of Jean Merlaut, famous Bordeaux merchant, also producer and manager of wines.
Cellar master Marc Sucere. DDM – VCL
But why on earth did you have the idea of launching a whiskey based on Armagnac? The first of this challenge, which is original to say the least but not exclusive in the Gers (Château de Laubade launched the Milloc project in 2019) goes to David Antajan, production director and trained oenologist from the department. “He started with a pot in his kitchen, he tinkered,” says Florence Fantin, head of sales administration at Maison Samalens. Omnipresent in the region, corn has become an obvious choice. Launched in 2018, validated in 2019, the recipe was stabilized in 2020 and is inspired by the style of bourbons: 80% corn for 10% barley and 10% rye.
“We try to recycle everything we can”
Beyond the recipe, the name of the product reflects the strong regional identity claimed by Maison Samalens. Inspired by the Occitan word tchancayre (wader), Tchankat whiskey is deeply rooted in its territory: all the cereals are sourced locally before being brewed on site, using a brewery inaugurated in 2021. One approach at a time ethical and ecological. “From the cereal to the barreling, the idea is to have as little footprint as possible on the environment,” underlines the cellar master, Marc Sucere.
The Tchankat recipe was born in 2017. DDM – VCL
After the whiskey manufacturing process, the cereals will feed the herd of a neighboring farmer, the lees and lees will be stored then sent to a methanizer to produce energy and the stillage will be redistilled. “We have no final waste, we transform each by-product at each stage,” continues the cellar master. Distilled in a Charentais still, one of the particularities of the Samalens house which has four, in addition to four Armagnac stills, the whiskey then ages for 4 years in barrels of great Bordeaux wines reworked by a cooper. “We try to recycle everything we can,” smiles Marc Sucere.
The result is convincing to say the least, as evidenced by the award obtained in Paris at the end of September. With its four employees and a production capacity ranging from 120,000 to 150,000 bottles, Maison Samalens intends in the future to diversify its range by offering Tchankat ranging from 8 to 15 years old, or even more. A way for her to show that in the country of Armagnac, we can also make good whiskey. Well from here.
