Michel Couvreur with Jean-Arnaud Frantzen Show Notes

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Dec 2

Notes and Reviews for Whiskey Ring Podcast Episode 214: Michel Couvreur with Jean-Arnaud Frantzen

Michel Couvreur has been on my “must talk to” list for a long, long time. First introduced via their Michel Couvreur Overaged, I was instantly captivated: a blend of Scotch whiskies matured in Burgundian caves, with no age statements but noted ages of between 10-26 year-old whiskies, all for around $60-$70. Unheard of.

Michel Couvreur, the man, began buying Scotch whisky in the 70s when the first single malts were starting to emerge from Glenfiddich and the like. The wave that would come in the 80s was nascent, and Michel seems to have seen it on the horizon. He began buying barrels from multiple distilleries and either bottling or blending as he saw fit. Meldrum Castle near Aberdeen was purchased as a potential HQ for a Scotland-based company.

And yet, France called him back. Today, France consumes more single malt per capita than any other country. It drinks more single malt than cognac, its national spirit. That wasn’t the case in the 70s and 80s.

Michel passed away at the age of 85 in 2013, and control of the company turned over to the next generation. Alongside his children, though, was Jean-Arnaud Frantzen, who joined as Cellar Master in 1998 and remains in that role today.

Jean-Arnaud has seen the full spectrum of Michel Couvreur as a whisky company and knows its ins and outs better than anyone except perhaps Michel himself. He has full access to the Burgundian caves that Michel had dug out, a tradition in winemaking that goes back to repurposed mines during Roman times. These caves are uniquely suited for aging spirits - usually brandies like cognac - and Michel turned his whisky to their care.

With stable year-round temperatures around 53ºF (12ºC), set areas of wet (humid) and dry cellars, and a native thorula lining the walls, the caves offer gentle aging that leans heavily into oxidation rather than forceful barrel interaction. The results are some of the most flavorful, complex, and stand-out-from-the-crowd whiskies I’ve ever had. Start with the Overaged, then explore the Unexpected, their line of French-distilled whiskies that they began sourcing in 2010. In a few years’ time, we’ll be able to try Michel Couvreur’s own spirit, first distilled in 2022 as old sources in Scotland became more difficult to come by (thanks, Brexit).

This isn’t a huge brand: they sell around 70,000 bottles per year, half of which are domestic sales, and they’re only in a handful of states. They have no on-site shop and only sell through wine merchants. But if you see a square bottle that looks like a slightly-off Johnnie Walker bottle (true story of one man’s trash is another man’s treasure), grab it and give it a try.

Just remember - pierce the wax with the corkscrew, turn four times, and lift like you would a regular cork. The cork stopper is paraffin-coated and reversed in orientation from wine corks, with the “closed” side towards the whisky, so don’t puncture it!

Thank you to Michel Couvreur Whisky for providing a bottle of The Unexpected No. 3 for consideration as part of this episode. All opinions are my own.