« Moon Harbour », the name may ring a bell… It is the distillery next to the Bordeaux submarine base. We had the chance to visit this legendary spot, laden with history, and above all to explore this distillery (which is open to visits) and to see how the « Moon Harbour » spirits are made.
We show you everything!
A story of two friends…
Jean-Philippe Ballanger and Yves Médina became friends on the benches of their first job (well, on the benches…), in the Chartrons district, a role specialised in exporting wine barrels. Fans of whisky and bourbon, they had the urge to produce and sell a 100% Bordeaux premium whisky.
A 100% Bordeaux whisky, sure, but above all a 100% Bordeaux whisky aged in Bordeaux casks (which gives the drink incredible aromas… more on that in a moment…).
The idea is there! The story begins!
Moon Harbour, Port of the Moon
As a reminder, the Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon) has been the nickname of the Bordeaux port since antiquity, thanks to the wide crescent-shaped bend the Garonne makes as it passes through the city. It is the origin of the crescent moon that appears at the bottom of the city's coat of arms.
It is a unique, almost confidential production site!
To anchor the distillery in Gironde heritage, it is set in the very heart of the Grand Port Maritime of Bordeaux, a district undergoing economic and social renewal since 2012. This new construction is combined with the restoration of a monument dear to the city's history, a former bunker built by the Germans during the Second World War.
This bunker was built between 1941 and late 1943, aimed at housing a diesel tank to supply the submarine base and the surrounding rolling stock. The metal tank was dismantled between 1946 and 1947. What remains today is a concrete tank 11 metres in diameter and 50 metres long, protected by walls more than 6 metres thick.
The huge quantities of fuel required were to be stored in this second bunker, a massive construction with a capacity of 4 million litres. It was to be linked by an underground pipeline to the pens housing the submarines.
Moon Harbour is not a distillery like the others and, having stepped inside, when you enter the ageing and storage chain, you feel the weight of history: what an incredible building!
How about a tasting?
Whisky, rum, gin… (OK fine, we went home by bus… thanks TBM)
The whisky
The whisky, which makes up 95% of the range, is produced only from grains grown in Nouvelle Aquitaine. Between 2015 & 2018, the grains were harvested on the land of Saint-Jean d'Illac (33).
Since July 2018, an unusual spot in Gironde, the Île de Patiras, has hosted its first barley harvest for the whisky: Benoit Vielet is the one and only farmer on this land, irrigated exclusively by the Garonne. Since then, Moon Harbour's barley has come exclusively from this island.
What makes these whiskies exceptional is their ageing in Bordeaux casks. And when I say Bordeaux casks, I don't only mean Sauternes with Château Rieussec, I'm talking about casks from Château la Louvière and Château Pipeau, for example, giving the whiskies red-fruit notes very typical of red wine.
2020 is a special year for the Moon Harbour brand, as it was the launch year of the corn whisky! The corn malting is done on site at the distillery, in a side room of the bunker (DOCK 2).
It is a pure malt of Bordeaux origin: brewed, fermented, distilled in a local still and aged in barrels coming exclusively from Bordeaux châteaux. This whisky, unique in the world (UNIQUE IN THE WORLD!), was made from corn grown and malted in France. A 30-month Sauternes ageing and a 6-month finish in Château Cantenac-Brown barrels, and an incredible aromatic and gustatory palette!
Well done, guys!
The rum
The rum, obviously, is not Bordeaux, not yet at least… But it is made from muscovado, a blend of unrefined cane sugar and molasses, with notes of vanilla and smooth caramel.
The gin
On to the gin: the making is complex, with a unique recipe that brings freshness, intensity and an exotic touch to this juniper-berry spirit.
- Combawa lemon (a lime originating from Réunion Island)
- Goji berries (red berries originating from China)
- Coriander berries
- Timut pepper (or grapefruit pepper, originating from Nepal)
- Espelette pepper from the Basque Country
There you go, you (almost) know it all!
Moon Harbour is a unique spot in Bordeaux and an experience in its own right. The tours on offer are truly worth the time you will spend there. It is interesting, surprising, and the tasting section is simply captivating. Thanks Moon Harbour for letting us discover your distillery, we will happily come back!!
MOON HARBOUR
492, boulevard Alfred Daney, 33300 Bordeaux
(+33) 05 56 29 86 60, contact@moonharbour.fr
Tour: 20 €/pers. → http://moonharbour.fr/visites/
Website http://moonharbour.fr/
