Nuts about malt
Tell us about your whisky list.
I have 150 whiskies in all. About 110 are from Scotland, the rest are from the USA, Japan, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada.
Tell us about your bar. It's in the Conrad hotel, Brussels. There's only one other place in the city where you can get such a large selection of whisky. Whisky consumption is soaring in France and Belgium. People are drinking less, but they are trading up - drinking much better stuff.
Who comes? Many local people and, of course, hotel guests, who are mostly Americans and British, but we also get many Japanese staying here and they just love their whisky.
When do they drink whisky? About 40% drink whisky as an aperitif, and around 60% as a digestif.
What's your favourite whisky on the list? It really depends on the time of the day. At the beginning of the evening, I'm a Lowlands man - something like a Bladnock, for example. For the end of the evening, I'll want something more powerful - An Cnoc, say, or I'll move on to Islay, to something from Bowmore or Caol Ila. If I had to come up with an all-time favourite, it would be a malt from Port Ellen. The distillery has closed now, but there are still a few bottles knocking about.
What's the priciest whisky on your list? It's 1964 Black Bowmore, at €250 (£172) a glass.
What are your top three best-selling whiskies? Caol Ila, Laphroaig 15-year-old, Bowmore 17-year-old.
Do you sell blended whisky? I have 15 on my list, but that's enough. We don't want to go down that route.
What happens if a customer asks for Coca-Cola in his whisky? It doesn't happen. They go to other bars and ask for that.
Do you ever drink whisky with food? We tried to do a whisky dinner here once, but Belgians are stick-in-the-muds when it come to trying anything new - only one-third enjoyed it. But I drink whisky at home with food sometimes, and I even cook with it - scallops served with a Bowmore whisky sauce is a great combination, with a glass of 12-year-old Bowmore on the side, of course.
Do you have a favourite whisky book? Anything by Michael Jackson - he's the best reference in the world..
Where did your passion for whisky come from? I went to catering school in Brittany, where I was brought up. After I finished my course, I decided to spend an extra year specialising in bartending. We covered whisky, of course, and it interested me right from the start. Then, while I was still in Brittany, I met the manager of the Bowmore Distillery. He was such an impressive person, and so passionate about whisky, that he got me hooked.
Have you ever been to Scotland? I went for the first time five years ago, for my 30th birthday. I stayed at Bowmore and became even more passionate. And I got to meet even more Scottish people - they are so wonderful. There's a lot of synergy going on between the Bretons and the Scottish.
If you could do anything, what would you do? Buy the Port Ellen distillery on Islay and get the stills working again.
Interview by Fiona Sims
