Quentin Le Cléac'h, distiller in Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie

At the beginning

From research to training in alcohol distillation near Cognac and essential oils in Nyons, Quentin also learns all the tricks of the trade from the distiller Matthieu Frécon, assisted by his famous book L'alambic - L'art de la distillation - Alcools, Parfums, Médecines.

First taking over a distillery in 2013 in Autignac, near Faugères (Hérault), with a partner trained by Luc Boechat, distiller in Saint-Ambroix, Quentin has the chance to succeed Matthieu Frécon in 2014.

After sharing the stills and the stock of alcohol with his ex-partner, Quentin chose to set up in Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie in 2017, to launch his own business.

Specialising in the manufacture of spirits, Quentin's micro-distillery is one of 35 artisanal distilleries spread throughout France and joined the young association Alambic, Syndicat des distillateurs indépendants, and its order book is full.

Creation and production

Quentin comments that "the production starts with the fermentation, the action of yeasts that transform the sugars, present in the fruits, into alcohol (we obtain wine with grapes, cider with apples...), a step that I delegate to another professional, I only work with juices already fermented".

With the unconditional help of his century-old still, Quentin focuses on distillation, which allows the alcohol to be concentrated. "After a first distillation of wine, we arrive at 30/35º. It's during the second distillation that we go up to 70º," explains Quentin. "We then have to remove the first alcohols (known as the head alcohols), because they are toxic and have a characteristic smell of nail varnish (these alcohols are over 80º).

We then keep what we call "the heart" - around 70 º, then we stop distillation at less than 60%, because the alcohol becomes greasy and disgusting (these are the so-called tail spirits).

The quality aspect of my work comes from the fact that I don't look at the actual degrees and I always trust my taste and smell.

In the end, the result is an alcohol with a very particular taste, a spirit without a heady aroma, at around 40º (18º for UZES), ready for tasting.

With a natural base of wine without sulphites or chemicals (which will not end up in the alcohol), the wine spirit ages in oak barrels (previously used for maturing cognac) for 2 to 6 years before bottling".

For an order of a new gin recipe, Quentin uses a small still for testing (2 or 3 in total).

Quentin's brands: tasting session!

Litron (70°): An unblended wine brandy, the base for most recipes.

La Menthe Réglissée (18°): A maceration of liquorice and several varieties of mint in wine brandy, made without sugar to preserve the freshness of the herbs – a recipe inspired by Uzès’s industrial past, when liquorice and mint were processed there.

Art de la Joie (40 º - art of joy): Where verbena and pine needles in wine brandy play with the palate. A sugar-free spirit, to be enjoyed well chilled, Art de la Joie comes in a beautiful long, slender bottle. The pastel-coloured label? We owe it to Monsieur Le Cléac'h père, painter. Art de la Joie? A name that evokes the posthumous book by the Italian novelist, actress and drama teacher Goliard Sapienza.

Camarade Soleil (43 º - Sun friend), on the other hand, is a wine brandy made using the solera method and aged in oak barrels, like cognac. Its amber colour is reminiscent of summer evenings and its bottle one of a good scotch. Quentin, a poet at heart, recalled the verses of Prévert's Temps perdu for this Camarade Soleil together, who knows, with that other extract "the sun all red and round smiling in its sky" recalling the golden colour of this alcohol.

Que chaque jour soit dimanche (Let every day be Sunday): A brandy made from grape marc from the Gard, and more precisely from Saint-Quentin, with the collaboration of the winegrower Valentin Vallès, for a 43º alcohol that spends a good year resting before being bottled. The label, very Art Deco with its birds fluttering between yellow and black, highlights the clear alcohol of this unique Sunday.

Jeune et vrillé (Young and twisted): Could Jeune et vrillé be a gin? Not quite, rather a gin revisited, as its name refers to both the spirit and its pretty twisted and so original bottle. Its "Gardoise" notes and the spirit of wine brandy as a base offer the juniper characteristic of this drink (43 º) the opportunity to unite for the best with the aromatic notes diffused by thyme and rosemary.

UZES: In its slender bottle, UZES is revealed behind a bright yellow and deep black label. Wine brandy and small centaury in particular, but where all the plants prove their usefulness, a perfect and light agreement (18 º only) where the subtle touch of sugar "compensates for the bitterness" which was expected for a while... For this delicate and refined drink, Quentin specifies that the medieval Garden of Uzès was put to contribution. A collaboration that will certainly lead to future projects.

Kumquatcello, an 18° natural wine brandy macerated with 7 citrus fruits.

Blasco: A redistillation of wine brandy (42°) infused with juniper berries and a maceration of 7 varieties of citrus fruit grown by Damien Blasco in the Pyrénées-Orientales: kumquatine, papeda, red limes… It also contains macerated orange thyme and Argentine verbena, which give it its distinctive colour and full aromatic complexity.

Beyond Borders in the Sky (43%): a distillation of beers (Belgian and Cévennes) and malted, fermented barley. As the beers contain hops, although it isn’t strictly called ‘whisky’, it comes very close… The added bonus: ageing in oak casks.

Super Abricot (43°): a ‘simple’ distillation of organic apricots, pitted before natural fermentation (with no added sugar, acidifiers, yeast or other additives). A magnificent white brandy bursting with fruit, bottled after a year’s ageing in glass demijohns. Very limited edition.

Exporting internationally, Quentin trades successfully with Japan, Belgium, England, not to mention Sweden, Quebec, Slovenia and Reunion.d

Don't worry, you don't have to go that far to enjoy these spirits. You will find a good selection at the restaurants Villa Curti in Uzès, Café Quentine et le Pebre d'Aï à Saint-Quentin, La grange à Vers, Oustamaï à Saint-Maximin, Ode des sens à Saint-Siffret... among other addresses.

Good to know: You can also find Quentin Le Cléac'h at Tonnerre de bio and at L'envie, artisanal ice-cream maker, as well as Au caveau de La Mère Minard, in Saint-Quentin.

The right address: Distillery Quentin Le Cléac'h, 31 rue d'Uzès, Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie.Retrouvez Quentin Le Cléac'h sur Instagram @quentinbouilleur. Good to know/ Quentin's rents 1 or 2 rooms just upon the shop he shares with potter Juliette Riondet, in front of his workshop.