GoKawiilMaison Lineti applies wine-making science to produce a new style of French whisky
A small Bordeaux-region producer, Maison Lineti, is fermenting, distilling and maturing whisky using oenology techniques rather than traditional distilling methods, including concrete-egg vessels borrowed from winemaking. Founded in 2018 by chemical engineer and oenologist Magali Picard with Alex Cosculluela and Xavier Payan, the company hosted the World Whisky Forum in June 2025, where its approach drew attention from the industry. The resulting spirit is described as floral, fresh, mineral and textured, and reaches bottling faster than whisky made by conventional methods.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Applying winemaking science to whisky production could open a new technical pathway for spirits makers outside Scotland and Ireland, potentially challenging assumptions about how maturation time relates to flavor complexity. If Lineti's faster production methods prove reliable and scalable, they could influence how other producers approach fermentation and aging, though it remains to be seen whether the industry broadly adopts these techniques.
- Maison Lineti makes whisky in France's Bordeaux Right Bank region using wine-science methods instead of traditional distilling approaches
- The company's techniques reportedly produce whisky faster than conventional processes while yielding a distinctive floral, mineral flavor profile
- Founders Magali Picard, Alex Cosculluela and Xavier Payan launched the company in 2018 and presented their methods at the 2025 World Whisky Forum
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Published there as: “There’s a Completely New Type of Whisky. It’s French and Made in Concrete Eggs”
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