Glann Ar Mor

Right on Brittany's rugged coastline, in a farmhouse dating back to 1668, Jean Donnay realised an unusually purist dream in 1997: whisky with no chill-filtering, no colouring, and directly fired, hand-built stills modelled on 19th-century Scottish tradition. The name Glann Ar Mor means "at the edge of the sea" in Breton, fitting for a distillery perched on the "Wild Peninsula" in the Côtes-d'Armor department. In 2015 the operation had to close temporarily amid a dispute over the new "Whisky Breton" designation, before the Cognac house Maison de Villevert took over the site in 2020, continuing production under the name Celtic Whisky Distillerie with the familiar Glann Ar Mor and the peated Kornog brands.

Glann Ar Mor 2014 Single Cask #20026 Journal des Kirsch N. 13

Food information

Natural Colour

Content: 0.7 Liter (€207.00 / 1 Liter)

Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days

€144.90

Details & Buy

What makes Glann Ar Mor so unusual?

Unlike most modern distilleries, Glann Ar Mor uses direct open-flame fired stills, slow distillation and wooden washbacks - techniques common in Scotland well over a hundred years ago. This return to tradition earned the distillery a nomination for Whisky Magazine's "Innovator of the Year" in 2009.

Why did the distillery have to close?

In 2015, Glann Ar Mor became caught up in a dispute over the new protected "Whisky Breton" designation introduced by other Breton distilleries. Production paused for several years until the Cognac group Maison de Villevert took over the site in 2020, continuing operations as Celtic Whisky Distillerie.

Flavour profile

Taste: Unfiltered and robust, with pronounced grain spice, a salty maritime note, and, depending on the bottling (under the Kornog brand), a strong smokiness of 30-35 ppm phenol.

Recommended enjoyment: Neat at room temperature, to let the traditional, unfiltered distillation style show fully.

Currently available is the rare single cask release Glann Ar Mor 2014 Single Cask #20026.

Facts and figures

Founded 1997 by Jean Donnay in Pleubian, Côtes-d'Armor. First production 1999, first official bottling 2008. Temporarily closed in 2015, active again since 2020 under Maison de Villevert as Celtic Whisky Distillerie.