Whisky Live Paris is celebrating its 20th anniversary! This major event in the world of spirits has never been so important, and this great annual celebration is more than anticipated by all enthusiasts, but also by all professionals who come to meet their audience. To find out a little more about this edition, we spoke with Nicolas Le Brun who has been working for several months to make it once again an unforgettable moment.
It's the 20th year of Whisky Live!
Yes, it's the twentieth year, and it's a great year! We like to look back to do cool things in the present, and especially to give our vision of the future. That's the goal of Whisky Live, it always has been. In this edition, we're going to take a quick look back with a bridge dedicated to the 20 years, in which we're going to look back at the elements that made Whisky Live.
Before discovering this bridge, can you tell us how Whisky Live was built?
It's funny because it's a story that first comes from a hard core, tiny, of about ten guys in the Paris region. It was at the end of the 90s, with a first fair called the Paris Whisky Festival. There were several editions between 1998 and 2004, with incredible experiences.
And then in 2004, we launched the Whisky Live franchise. The first years, when you look at the photos etc, it's funny, beyond the slightly old-fashioned aspect (even though it was the early 2000s!), you see that they were very small counters, and there were about ten distilleries. It was a bit confidential, but there were already crazy whisky stands. I think it was in 2007 that the first rum appeared: Savanna .
And then, there was a defragmentation in the late 2000s, where we welcomed all the "fine spirits". In 2013, we had three floors. There was a whisky floor, powerful, and above that, there were the experiences. It was at the Maison de la Mutualité.
We already had the equivalent of the Rhum Gallery, the Cocktail Street, and the Patio des Agaves, which we'll talk about again. You had a bit of all that, compiled. In 2014, we did the same thing, in the same system, then we went to the Cité de la Mode in 2015.
“And then things really started to change.”
This is the version of what we have today, which came about with the appearance of the Rhum Gallery. At the time, everything was moving very quickly in the spirits world, trends were very dynamic. In 2015, rum was booming. The Rhum Fest had just launched too. There was a real craze, which is still there, but different, more mature I think, in rum.
From memory, the first Rhum Gallery was in the Musée des Arts Ludiques which was closed. They just knocked down the walls, and we were able to set up in this very craft space. We have continued to work on the rum category at the show, and today the Rhum Gallery is a real companion to Whisky Live.
Whisky remains strong. Within it, there are plenty of interesting categories that you see evolving. You have the hegemony of Scotland of course. But the other big statement is France. Today we have 23 French whiskies , it's becoming powerful and it's great.
"Whisky is pretty square, the Scotch Whisky Association has done things well."
French whisky is also well defined. With rum, we always have this regulatory problem. I don't think I'm the only one to say it, it's a slightly more complicated partition.
Everyone speaks, but the first thing is to know who speaks, and where they do it from. There are rum brands everywhere. I think that since we started talking, at least ten have been launched in the world! Laughter . So there is a pioneering work, obviously.
We are lucky to have great partners. Of course, we have Alexandre Gabriel, who supports us with Maison Ferrand, Planteray , Citadelle and then on cognac. There are always things that are done with him, whether it is bottling, masterclasses, etc. He is always a privileged partner, in the same way as La Maison & Velier, with Luca ( Luca Gargano ). Their presence is really a considerable asset. When you organize a trade fair around Rum, today, and you have personalities who are very strong, it is important.
Alexandre has a great reputation in the United States, on social networks, especially among bartenders. He is someone who is a driving force for proposals, he loves that. Obviously, the work that Luca has done over the last few decades is enormous. He is a pioneer.
"But in his own way, Alexander is also a pioneer, a genius."
He will always be a driving force, and even more so now, with West Indies ( Maison Ferrand acquired the large Barbadian distillery West Indies Rum Distillery ), and then what is happening with Stade’s too, that will be huge.
So we are at the beginning of a new chapter that Alexandre Gabriel has written. But we must not forget that in rum, we also have this French tradition, to which I am always very attentive.
Another personality who is very important to me and to us, the organizers, is Gregory Vernant ( director of the Neisson distillery ). I have referents in all categories. For example, in Armagnac, there is Vincent Cornu from Encantada; when I go to Cognac, the same, I have a contact; when I talk about collector, I tell myself that I will call Serge ( Serge Valentin from the blog whiskyfun.fr ).
You can't do things alone, and these people are like satellites that send you waves. Gregory, in Martinique , is the privileged contact.
“He is one of the pillars of the rum category.”
There is also the very beautiful house La Martiniquaise, whose support, participation and commitment we can always have. I am thinking in particular of Marc Sassier ( responsible for the production of Saint James, president of the Syndicat l'AOC Rhum de la Martinique ) who will also be present, and who is every year. Bally and Saint James always make very beautiful proposals. These are very prestigious houses.
And then if you pull the thread of each geographical area, you have what you need. One day, perhaps, there will be a platform dedicated to each major tradition. This is almost the case already, with a scenography that is more dedicated to Martinique, Guadeloupe and Marie Galante, the French tradition in a way. Then there is the English tradition, and the Spanish. I know that this is not the path that producers seem to follow on regulations. In any case, on the scenography, it is a basis that allows you to say "well, yes, this is a pure juice, it is more French, often white, not too old, etc...".
On the Spanish side, we're going to have some really interesting things too, with a big comeback. Since I've been working on Whisky Live, I've only had this distillery once, but it was a very small stand. Now, we have a big stand from Zacapa . So that's really interesting, because we know that they're also coming with Lorena Vasquez, the Master Blender, who will be doing a masterclass. We feel that the brand also wants to meet its audience.
"There is commitment, speaking out, personality"
It's always exciting, by the way, to be a bit of a meeting point between brands and the public. There are other shows, all over France, but we know that Whisky Live will give a bit of a programme for the coming year.
We have personalities who are essential, but above all, I think there is a person who acts as a "Godfather". We must not forget that Whisky Live is also the commitment of a company and the vision of a man, Thierry (Thierry Benitah, director of LMDW ), thanks to whom we have legitimacy. And it is true that today, 20 years, it is also the work of all the teams of the Maison du Whisky; those who have passed, and those who are still there.
One of the great new features of this edition is the Patio des Agaves…
This will be the first time that we will fully invest the Grande Halle de la Villette. It will be powerful. There will be a footbridge at the entrance, which we have called Patio des Agaves. We are writing a new chapter, a bit like we did with the Rhum Gallery, with Cocktail Street or the Sake District.
In fact, we are always a little connected to the market. We look at which categories are working well, which make proposals. If you look at the American and English markets, mainly, something is happening with Agave. This is not the first year that we are trying things. Historically, Del Maguey, for example, and Altos were very present. Tequila 1800 was present last year on Cocktail Street. But in tasting, it stumbles a little. So this year, we asked ourselves the question of how we could promote this category which deserves to be known in tasting. Today, there are big locomotives, but there is also a craft side. Today we have 11 or 12 brands that are present.
So it's modest, but we have an advantage, which is that we're going to have a complete palette between the very big brands like Don Julio , and Siete Misterios which is a mezcal. Between the two, you have Codigo, or Herradura which is a little more substantial.
" Tequila is dynamic, it makes proposals, it is a category that is aligned."
It can be very democratic at the same time: after the era of tequila paf, we have already moved on, and the Mixo scene has taken over. It legitimizes the category. Today tequila has an ambassador who is the Paloma. It is like the Mojito for rum, the Old Fashioned for whisky, the Negroni for gin, etc.
Once again, Whisky Live is also a reflection of what will happen in the future. In any case, we say to ourselves that agave, indeed, could be a category that will become a classic. For now, mezcal is mostly a geek thing, and it's really tequila that is taking hold.
If we had stayed in a world between 2010 and 2018, where I think it was really very geeky, it would be different. But we feel that today, it has imploded a little, because the guys were so geeky, so snobbish, that in the end, it doesn't work. You have to open the door, take a look, I think. In any case, that's my approach.
I believe that at Whisky Live, and more generally at the Maison de Whisky, this is our approach, namely the pyramid. In any case, we are dealing with products that are extremely qualitative, but which are capable of addressing everyone. With 40 euros, 30 euros in your pocket, you can start discussing a Whisky and certain rums.
We are also looking forward to seeing Cocktail Street again!
Cocktail Street, without seeming to, becomes more than a companion to Whisky Live, it also becomes something important. There are a few rums inside, with a bit of Martinique in particular, Neisson in ti'punch, Saint James, Trois Rivières. But there is also a big surprise, a brand that has never come and that we are very happy to welcome: Don Papa. There is also Diplomatico, Angostura, as well as Havana Club, of course, and Bumbu.
The famous Daiquiri Machine is transformed, it's a surprise, it becomes Classic Rum by LM&V. It's a program that is necessarily driven by Angelo ( Angelo Canessa, mixo manager at LM&V ), in particular.
Any news from Rhum Gallery too?
So there is a big surprise at the entrance, which does not come from France, but it will remain a surprise! And then we will have, Bally, Saint James, Planteray, Karukera, Montebello, Neisson, Père Labat, Depaz, Rivière du Mât. We have Bielle, who had not come for a long time, Papa Rouyo, Longueteau , Papillon, Trois-Rivières, Savanna, New Grove which is making its return, and a newcomer, Famille Ricci.
And if all goes well, there will be leather and Dictador! Laughs
Then we will have La Hechicera, Renegade, Zacapa, Barbancourt, Eminente, Havana Club, Santa Teresa, Anne Bonny, Rum Nation, Equiano, Phraya, Mhoba, Isautier, Black Tot, Kirk & Sweeney, Providence, Hampden, Shakara, Arhumatic and Les Chais Saint-Éloi. You find a fairly classic scene, there are quite a few new arrivals recently.
We had a period of excitement, especially with social media; the rum craze, the French whisky flame that was taking hold, the mixo that really blossomed. Then there was Covid, and the stocks were emptied, so we had to restock. 2022-2023 were really good years for Whisky Live, and we feel that now, a new period is beginning.
I feel like we're seeing a kind of polarization at the moment, with the very high end on one side and accessible rums on the other, and that between the two, it's becoming more and more complicated to find things at the right price.
There is something quite astonishing happening with spirits in general, whisky in particular. There was a phenomenon in France, and we are still in it: the arrival of Macallan and the opening of the Edrington office in France. It reshuffled the cards because all of a sudden, we focused on the collector.
The amateur of yesterday, who is on Facebook, who follows Luca Gargano, who reads Dave Broom, who subscribes to Whisky Mag, today we say that we are going to make him a collector. Because Macallan pushes us to go a little in this trend. And I think that many amateurs have become actors of this.
Many have also remained as spectators, because you have to have the means. Below that, it has continued to diversify, but despite everything it is a passion that does not cost nothing. It all depends on where you position yourself, but if you are a real enthusiast and you treat yourself regularly, it is still a budget. I think that the average basket, today, in spirits, is rather between 80 and 100€, where it was perhaps around 40 or 60€ a few years ago. We can see that it has been shifted. The problem is that it is becoming very elitist.
"That may ultimately be it, in fact, the next big trend in spirits is to return to something more controlled, because some brands no longer have this control."
In any case, on Whisky Live and at the Rhum Gallery, our approach is really to democratize. You see, when I talk about Cocktail Street, what I like is that with the free entry, it really allows you to have a first approach to the world of mixology and spirits: "I'm 18, I'm 25, I'm 35, I didn't necessarily know, or I have a friend who takes me there, it allows me to have a first contact with the bartenders, I discover that it's like cooking in fact, it's nice..." There is really this side of sharing, we must not forget that. It is above all a three-day moment of sharing, bartender with consumer, and then producer with consumer, with amateur...
You have people who come for the first time, people who come for the second, third, fourth time, who know, who are starting to get their bearings, with their brands… Sometimes, some make appointments, the brands make appointments with their customers. And then you have the third category, it's the ultra geeks who have been there for some since 2004.
I imagine that we will also have some great masterclasses…
This year there is an evolution in the field of masterclasses. That is to say that we have been doing them for 20 years, and we said to ourselves that it was the opportunity to go a little further by organizing round tables, to pose a subject and share it via different points of view. It is a way of raising the content of the show. Each day, over the 3 days, you will have a room dedicated to round tables, and a room dedicated to masterclasses.
On rum, we have a round table on Saturday at 5 p.m., hosted by our friend Christine ( Christine Lambert, journalist for Whisky Mag in particular ), with Alexandre Gabriel, Marc Sassier and Marc Reynier ( Waterford, Renegade , etc. ) on the importance of origins.
The second round table on rum will address the subject of Pot Still vs Colonne vs Double Retort. It will be more technical, fermentation, distillation, and still hosted by Christine, with Luca Gargano ( Velier ), Grégory Vernant-Neisson, and Herbert Linge (Providence, Vieux Labbé ).
On the masterclass program, we have Zacapa on Saturday with Lorena Vasquez ( cellar master ). On Sunday, we will have Providence and Stade's, then on Monday West Indes Rum Distillery and Isautier.
(For the round tables and masterclasses, no special ticket or reservation is required, you just need to show up early enough in front of the rooms.)
“We do everything to make it a great meeting, to make it friendly, and there’s a good chance it will be!”
On that note, we'll all meet at Whisky Live! Thanks Nicolas!
