Reservoir Cask Experience Cognac Francois Voyer Finish

The collaboration between Reservoir Distillery and the Cognac house of François Voyer began after a mutual friend introduced representatives of the two, believing they both operate with similar values and appreciation of the craft. For 18 months, Reservoir’s team, consisting of Dave Cuttino, Founder, Shelley Sackier, Director of Distillery Education and Nick Vaughan, Master Blender, worked with Olivier Renaud, François Voyer’s General Manager and their Cellarmaster, Pierre Vaudon to exchange and group samples, discuss distillation, barrelling, and maturation techniques, and to ultimately select casks in which each house would finish their spirits.

For Reservoir’s Cask Experience, we hand-selected several fully matured whiskies that beautifully married with the flavours of the cognac. François Voyer sent a 100-gallon Limousin barrel previously holding a 2016 cognac, which was immediately filled with Reservoir’s chosen spirit – a wheated rye whiskey (35% wheat and 65% rye). It then spent five additional months in the cask, acquiring sophisticated cognac notes until it was ready to be bottled. Cognac François Voyer is an artisanal producer whose history dates back 5 generations, with key sites within the Grande Champagne Cru. The house is respected as "a well-kept secret, one that connoisseurs might pass amongst each other."