La Maison du Whisky

La Maison du Whisky

Paris, France often conjures images, tastes and smells that pertain to justified stereotypes: foie gras, red wine, and crepes among others. These all are certainly true, and very much appreciated. But they should not obscure the fact that Paris can be very friendly to the scotch-drinker as well. No self-respecting Scotch Chick needs to leave her whisky credentials at the door. Today we’ll address acquisition and later we’ll look at straight drinking.

Scotch is prevalent in Paris. DC Scotch gent found Laguvulin 16 in several different grocery stores, along with Glenlivets and Aberlours. The French obviously have a demand for the dram and no reluctance to line the local shelves with our libation of choice.

Meandering around Pigalle and Montmartre for a day, we also noticed that French wine stores often have impressive whisky selections. Visiting in October proves particularly valuable, since the crowds have disappeared, and proprietors have more time to talk. In general, we found that the wine specialists were very adept at whisky as well.

For all your whisky needs, however, you should definitely plan a stop at the Maison du Whisky, on the rue d’Anjou near the Madeleine underground station (and just north of Champs-Elysees). DC Scotch Chick could hear choirs of angels singing when she crossed the threshold into the incredibly-stocked corner store. A quick glance at the clientele and their sophisticated orders indicates that this is the go-to place for local connoisseurs.

For the traveler, Maison du Whisky has every favorite label you might want – along with some rarer years that you might not be able to find at home. Even better, Maison du Whisky boasts an array of small / travel size single-malts that the Scotch Chix have not been able to find in other locations. This is really ideal for the times when you are not certain about a certain whisky and need something for the hotel room. Or perhaps you want to branch out into Japanese single-malts, but want to take it one step at a time. 

In any case, Maison du Whisky is a healthy testament to Paris’s unspoken love affair with scotch whisky. And if one is in Paris, isn’t an affair du coeur something of a requirement?