There are those events where you feel privileged to attend, where you count the days until they arrive. The Aberlour Hunting Club is undoubtedly one of them. So it was with great pleasure that we joined the Polo Club de Paris a few weeks ago for a rare moment of tasting with three-starred chef Emmanuel Renaut.
Welcomed by the sound of a hunting bugle, we were soon in the mood.
Once inside, we discovered a Polo Club redecorated for the occasion with an autumnal, woodsy theme. We were treated to a magnificent tasting of the house’s great whiskies, and discovered the Aberlour Wood Essence gift set.
A handcrafted creation inspired by the hunter’s pouch, the ABERLOUR Wood Essence box combines the nobility of wood with the elegance of leather. This bespoke accessory has been conceived and designed to highlight the virtues of wood. While most ABERLOUR Single Malts are aged in two different casks, the ABERLOUR Wood Essence box offers for the first time a unique collection of four 100% Sherry cask bottles: three ABERLOUR Single Malts accompanied by an original edition of the prestigious A’BUNADH. Thanks to its expertise in double maturation, in Sherry and Bourbon casks, the distillery’s signature, ABERLOUR is able to exploit “the maximum and obtain the best from Sherry”, according to the Master Distiller, initiator of this collection.
Aging in Sherry casks, first or second fill, gives rise to Single Malts with colors and flavors as intense as they are contrasting. The quintessence of Sherry cask-aged whiskies, this unique box bears witness to the specific characteristics of this precious wood, which works for many years to give ABERLOUR Single Malts their unique character and intense aromas.
Thanks to the two quaichs, traditional Scottish bowls, and the tasting tray that are revealed on opening this polished wooden box, ABERLOUR offers the authentic experience of whisky tasting according to the rules of the Scottish art.
Because this year, the ABERLOUR HUNTING CLUB pays tribute to wood: to its secrets, to its influence in the making of exceptional whiskies, and to its astonishing contribution to game gastronomy. The menu, proposed and prepared each evening by Chef Emmanuel Renaut, will reserve a special place for mountain game.
The dishes on offer, tailor-made to match each of the ABERLOUR Single Malts, will be tasted throughout the meal. The subtle and sometimes surprising introduction of wood at different moments of the dinner will allow you to fully appreciate each stage of the evening. In a setting evocative of Scottish hunting lodges and the dreamlike world of the forest,
guests will be able to taste, as an introduction to the dinner and in the company of the ABERLOUR ambassador, each of the four 100% Sherry cask whiskies from the ABERLOUR Wood Essence box set, an original collection presented for the end of the year in a limited edition.
Awarded Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2004, Emmanuel Renaut cut his teeth with the great French chefs Christian Constant, Yves Camdeborde, Marc Veyrat and Éric Fréchon.
In 2012, he was crowned with a third star for his Flocons de Sel establishment, opened in Megève in 1998. Faithful to his values, the author of a cuisine that is as subtle as it is inventive, Emmanuel Renaut creates in his own image a cuisine that is gourmet, lively, colorful, engaging and contemporary. To awaken the senses, he introduces wild herbs, wood and hay into his dishes, bringing them ever closer to nature.
MENU
“A few salty mountain flavors”
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“Autumn-flavored cobbler”
ABERLOUR 2004 White Oak
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“Thin slices of willow just cooked in salt, lightly smoked with spruce”.
ABERLOUR 16 ans Double Cask Matured
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“Lake monkfish and pike cookie, buttered onion and wood broth”
ABERLOUR 12 ans Non Chill-Filtered
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“L’Eau vive ABERLOUR”
ABERLOUR 18 years Double Cask Matured
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“Roast fillet of venison, with Grand Veneur sauce” –
ABERLOUR 18 ans Double Cask Matured
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“Like a painting, A’bunadh, hazelnut and wood”
ABERLOUR A’bunadh
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“Water from the woods
If the photos of this memorable dinner from which our taste buds still haven’t recovered have made your mouth water, sign up!
ABERLOUR HUNTING CLUB RESTAURANT ÉPHÉMÈRE,
Tuesday November 4 to Thursday November 6, 2014
Dinner by reservation only, €300 per person, limited to 40 covers per evening.
Polo de Paris, route des Moulins, 75116 Paris
Reservations at www.aberlour.com/fr
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
