Nelcius Premium French Whisky
45% ABV (90 proof) | 700mL | 100% French single malt whisky | Château Laujac, Médoc, France — Nelcius Premium is a rare thing: a single malt whisky grown, malted and distilled entirely in France. Made by René-Philippe Duboscq at Château Laujac — a 400-hectare Médoc estate his family has farmed for over a century — it is double-distilled in small Carle-style stills and matured in French oak, with a final year in barrels that previously held the estate's own AOC Médoc wines. It won Silver at the USA Spirits Ratings 2022 — available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Nelcius is named for a family racehorse — Nelcius won the Prix du Jockey Club in 1966 — and carries the same pedigree obsession: French barley, French oak, French wine barrels, finished under one roof in the Médoc. The wine-barrel influence shows in a cognac-adjacent richness on the nose, while the single malt backbone keeps it unmistakably whisky. For American whiskey drinkers hunting something genuinely different, this is France's answer to the single malt question.
Tasting notes
Brand/retailer notes: nose of butter, butter cookie and baking spices "almost like a cognac," with vanilla and caramel; palate light and delicate — orange caramel, cocoa, a hint of toast; a long finish with Cabernet Sauvignon character.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 100% French single malt — grown, malted, distilled and matured in France
- From Château Laujac, Médoc — wine-estate whisky with a wine-barrel finish
- Silver medal, USA Spirits Ratings 2022
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat in a tulip glass to catch the wine-barrel aromatics. It also makes an intriguing split-base for experimental Manhattans.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nelcius a single malt or a blend?
A single malt — 100% French barley, double-distilled in small stills at Château Laujac. (One retailer's "premium blend" wording is a copy error.)
Does it have an age statement?
No — no numeric age statement appears on the label; only the maturation method (French oak, then a year in the estate's Médoc wine barrels) is documented.
Why is it called Nelcius?
For Nelcius, the family racehorse that won the Prix du Jockey Club in 1966 — the whisky is maker René-Philippe Duboscq's tribute to his father's horse.