BM Signature
Whisky
Jura, France
French whiskies aged in wine barrels, emblematic of the local region
Created by
A visionary in the field of alcohol
Bruno Mangin
The Origin Story
Looking into the future
Back in 1994, craft beers were barely even a blip on the horizon. Bruno Mangin, however, had spotted that blip from afar. He set up his own brewing company, the Brasserie Rouget de Lisle, in the Jura region of France, and many people marvelled at his apparent folly. As the brewery enjoyed success and craft beers took off across the world, Bruno was vindicated – but he wasn’t done yet.
Whiskies can be French, too
In 1999, Bruno turned his attention to whiskies. In general, France is not a whisky-producing country, but Bruno’s ideas were different. Rather than trying to produce a faithful copy of a Scotch or a bourbon, Bruno aimed to invent an entirely French whisky. He created a special beer to be the base of the distillate, full of the malts of his local region. Once distilled, the spirit was aged in wooden casks, which had been used for yellow Jura wine.
A lot of personality
These spirits express not only the region they come from, but Bruno himself. As he puts it, “they’re 200% me!”. While other French producers are now hurrying to jump onto the craft whisky bandwagon, some of Bruno’s whiskies have already been ageing in their wine barrels for twelve years or more, with some BM Signature single cask whiskies dating back to 2003. Once again, Bruno had seen into the future.
The secret sauce
A little help from his friends
While Bruno is the mastermind behind BM Signature, he turns to his friends nearby to help him put his plans into action. He works with a chain of local farmers to ensure a constant supply of fresh, Jura barley. The distillation takes place in a tiny, local distillery, where the smell of fruit hangs heavy in the air (this place usually distills eaux-de-vie). When regional wine producers find themselves with leftover barrels, they call Bruno to let him know. These regional whiskies are truly a community effort.
A madman, or a genius
All of BM Signature’s whiskies are entirely, unequivocally, from Jura. “I grew up in the middle of the countryside, where there are more fields than shops,” explains Bruno, and this deep-rooted knowledge of the fields of his region is apparent in every step of the process. Some people think he’s a madman; others believe him to be a genius. Whatever the case, Bruno has shown himself to be consistently ahead of the pack and his innovative, contemporary craft whisky line is the most recent jewel in his crown.