Today, we’re taking a look at Hagmeyer, an Alsatian distillery long known for fruit distillation, but which also makes whisky since 2016. We review two of their whiskies, with the Hagmeyer Wah! Classic and Single Cask.
Distillerie Hagmeyer
Today we step away from our usual malt-centric ramblings – the very old Speyside independent bottlings and Islay festival releases and such – to explore something a little different, yet driven by the exact same passion for copper, fermentation, and tradition. We’re heading to Alsace, specifically the small sub-Vosges village of Balbronn, to visit Distillerie Artisanale Hagmeyer.
While my recent sessions have focused heavily on whisky, I’ve developed a growing fascination for the small, family-run distilleries scattered across France and elsewhere. Hagmeyer has been producing exquisite eaux-de-vie for decades, but lately, they’ve started turning heads with their malt. As always, before we dive into the liquid, let’s start with the history.
Hagmeyer sits very naturally in the Alsatian tradition, where distilling has long been tied to farm life, orchards, and seasonal work rather than to a standalone industrial whisky identity. In that context, a place like Hagmeyer makes a lot of sense: it is part fruit grower, part distiller, and part keeper of a regional craft that has always been practical as much as it is cultural.
The Alsace distilling tradition is built around the Brennhaus idea – the distillery as a working house where fruit, marc (must), herbs, and other agricultural materials are transformed into eaux-de-vie, liqueurs, and other spirits. That matters because it frames distilling less as a luxury business and more as a continuation of local farming and preservation. In other words, the still is not an exotic add-on; it is often the next step in making sense of the harvest.
Hagmeyer fits that model well. It is a family distillery in Balbronn, not far from Strasbourg, and its identity is rooted in orchard produce and artisanal spirit-making rather than in a flashy brand story. The house produces eaux-de-vie, liqueurs, and an Alsatian whisky, but the broader impression is of a real working distillery with one foot in agriculture and the other in regional craft.
What also comes through is that this is not a place trying to reinvent itself as something else. It feels closer to the older Brennhaus spirit: local fruit, careful distillation, and a relationship with the land that shapes the spirit before it even reaches the still. That kind of background gives the bottlings a different kind of appeal from more industrial producers, because you can usually taste the fact that they come from a house with a clear regional purpose.
So Hagmeyer is interesting not just because it is a distillery, but also because it belongs to a very specific Alsatian way of thinking about distilling. It is a reminder that in Alsace, spirits are often part of the agricultural calendar and the family workshop, not just a standalone product designed for export.
But let’s be honest, you’re reading this blog for the malt. In 2014, while debates surrounding the Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) for ‘Whisky Alsacien’ were in full swing, Willy Hagmeyer began toying with the idea of a single malt. By 2019, the first whisky emerged from their stills. They named it WAH!-an enthusiastic acronym for Whisky Alsacien Hagmeyer.
What’s brilliant about WAH! is that it doesn’t try to imitate Scotland; it leans heavily into the distillery’s fruit-forward DNA. It is a genuine local product, mashed with organic barley grown in their own family fields.
Their oldest expression, which carries a 7-year age statement, is matured in Pinot Noir casks. Their non-age-statement expressions are also matured in Alsatian wine casks. They also experiment with single casks, for instance with their Cask No. 23, which we’ll review below.
It’s a fascinating crossover. You have a family that has spent fifty years perfecting the extraction of fruit aromas, now applying that exact same philosophy to malted barley. It proves that the line between a great eau-de-vie and a great whisky is thinner than we think.
Hagmeyer WAH! Classique (2024) Review
This organic French single malt from Distillerie Hagmeyer in Balbronn, Alsace, is made from estate-grown barley. After brewing at Brasserie Perle in Strasbourg and double distillation on Hagmeyer’s stills, it matures for three years in ex-Alsatian wine oak barrels in the family attic, finished in ratafia casks. It is bottled at 43%. The retail price is €59 a bottle.
Colour:
Jonquille.
Nose:
Neat: Warm and inviting, developing notes of yellow fruits, candied grapes, grape must and baking spices, supported by a gentle floral hint. Some freshly ground almond hints and vinous notes reminiscing of Riesling wine.
Palate:
Neat: Almost sweet on the palate, bringing solid roasted cereal and malt aromas. The fruitiness (pears, apples) is balanced by a subtle, well-integrated woodiness from the local wine casks, which also bring grapes, almonds, grape skin, and a little wood.
Finish:
Soft and approachable, fading on cereal sweetness, candied fruit and delicate oak spice.
Comments:
A pleasing young French single malt from the lovely team at Hagmeyer. Rather than following the now-(unfortunately)-familiar route of heavily influence-driven casks such as STR, virgin oak, or ex-red wine, they stayed close to home and leaned into their local terroir with Alsatian wine casks. The result works very well: the wine influence is balanced, the whisky remains fruity with just enough bite, and there is no harshness. Young, characterful, and full of promise.
Rating: 6/10
Hagmeyer WAH! 2019 Single Cask (2022) Review
Released three years after their initial single malt, this expression from Distillerie Hagmeyer is a 3-year-old organic single cask (Cask N° 23), distilled in 2019 and matured exclusively in an ex-Riesling wine barrel from the Alsace region and bottled at 45% ABV, without chill filtration nor added colour. The cask had an outturn of 470 bottles, filled on the 27th of September 2022, sold for around €69 each.
Colour:
Jonquille.
Nose:
Neat: Intense and dessert-like, the nose leans toward pastry notes with butter caramel, candied yellow fruits and orange marmalade, but also some malt, grape skin and must, hints of poached pears, and a hint of toasted wood.
Palate:
Neat: Powerful and rich, bringing roasted cereals, toasted malt, forest honey, candied fruits, caramel and a noticeable nutty character (almonds and hazelnuts, as well as Spanish turrón), all supported by a bright, vinous framework imparted by the Riesling cask at mid-palate.
Finish:
Long and lingering, fading distinctly on peanut and toasted grain notes with a refreshing, wine-like tension with citrus zests and a light wood note.
Comments:
Another appealing young French whisky, with a wine influence that is present yet beautifully integrated, unlike so many whiskies from France and elsewhere, Scotland included, that are weighed down by clumsy red wine cask finishes or maturations (I guess it shows I don’t like those!). Here, especially if you know the distillery, you can tell this was not done hastily, but with a clear sense of identity that reflects the very character of the house. That said, the youth still shows through, and I’d love to try their 7-year-old to see how the whisky develops with a few more years in cask.
Rating: 6/10
Thanks a lot, Elsa! The sample of Wah! and the bottle of the single cask were provided by the distillery, the single cask being for a masterclass at Malt in France 2026.