The story of this artisanal company began 50 years ago, when Jean Boyer decided to import whisky from Scotland to the Landes region. He became a major player in French Scotch whisky distribution, supplying big names such as Bowmore, Bruicchladich and Glenturret.
Eager to make their own brands, Jean Boyer’s successors decided in 1994 to create a company based in Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, named after him. The company’s aim was to develop quality spirits, working closely with producers to “offer authentic products, produced using traditional methods and guaranteeing their excellence”. Under the impetus of Jean-Marie Kovacs, the company developed its ranges to include over a hundred references, mainly Scotch whisky, but also pastis, rum, armagnac...
Since October 2015, Dominique Ribéreau-Gayon, who has extensive experience in wine and spirits production, has been ensuring Jean Boyer’s demanding, high-quality image and expanding the ranges.
First French leader in the independent Scotch whisky bottling market, the company has developed an expertise in selecting the finest casks from Scottish distilleries, importing them and bottling them in France or Scotland. Scotch whisky is still the company’s flagship product.
The company’s other marvel, pastis, is just as passionately blended. The plants are processed using a variety of techniques: maceration, spirit, distillate, etc., to extract different aromatic expressions. It takes around six months to make a pastis: “We let the pastis decant throughout the winter, so it doesn’t need to be filtered and retains all the richness of its aromas.
This craftsmanship is the key to all Jean Boyer references. In total, more than 220,000 bottle equivalents are produced annually, all ranges combined.
As a pioneer in loose spirits concept, Jean Boyer launched its first “Puits à Whisky” in 2009, focusing the distribution of its products on wine merchants. In order to meet their needs, the company does not offer entry-level products, but a complete range of around ten quality whiskies sold in 5-liter carboys. These products are presented to customers in “Le Puits à Alcool”, an eco-responsible piece of furniture made from French Basque country pine, adjacent to recycled glass carboys. In this way, wine merchants can fill bottles or carafes sold to their customers on demand, or even better, fill the bottles they bring back. Products sold in this way are naturally less expensive.
Today, the range includes a dozen whiskies, six rums, ten infused rums and soon to be launched gin and pastis.
A concept that has already won over more than 1,000 professionals. Who’s next?
Photos : Jean Boyer
I have spent most of my life since I was 18 in England where I discovered the world of fine spirits, cocktails and mixology.
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