She Said Goodbye to Ballet and Hello to French Whisky – Allison Parc: Interviewed
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llison Parc, a former ballet dancer with a professional career, changed lifestyles and went on to develop Brenne Whisky. At the age of 23, she gave up ballet dancing and found some success in the the luxury consumer goods space. Realizing she herself wanted to sip on whiskies made in non-traditional whisky making countries using all local ingredients, she set out to import something special and export American craft whiskies. Unfortunately, no one was making a terroir-focused whisky of her imagination so after traveling around (and receding a lot of “no’s”), she found herself in Cognac, France, where she teamed up with a third-generation cognac distiller who was producing a small batch single malt at his family’s farm distillery as the family’s house sipping spirit.
For this fascinating and enlightening interview, I presented a range of technical and personal questions to Brenne's founder and president. I also made some difficult, but unquestionably important, inquiries.
Read on to learn more about Brenne’s Founder Allison Parc…
I'm intrigued as to why you decided on France as the production place for your whisky. Are there any significant ties to Cognac? What was your reasoning?
The reasons are all centered around where in the world could make the most interesting, beautiful, and complex Single Malt using only local ingredients and showing off an areas terroir. That’s was it! I didn’t know how to speak French nor had any contacts or ties to the area before going over – it was always purely about the spirit.
Can you outline some of the strategies you use to distinguish yourself as a brand, from the other whisky distilleries?
I think the most important distinguish is in the taste. I believe it’s relatively easy (not fully!) to get that first sale, but what about the 20th? People will often be open to trying something new, but why they keep buying your product is a deeper connection and reason than a surface desire or intrigue. At the end of the day, Brenne is all about the incredibly smooth texture and surprisingly unique and easy taste.
Brenne Estate cask - Eiffel Tower
Terroir - What does that phrase mean to you, and how does Brenne represent it?
Brenne represents terroir in all ways – realistically, culturally, and metaphorically. Terroir means having a sense of place [in the smell and taste of a product].
When you smell and taste Brenne, the crème brûlée and bananas flambé that come immediately off the top will let you know you’re not in Scotland anymore! Then as you sit with it longer, you get the blueberry muffin tops, light orange and cherry notes, and some stone fruits. It whisks you away to sitting in the south of France surrounded by vineyards with a freshly baked croissant in front of you.
Through production, we use 100% organic local ingredients AND product styles, including using a Cognac still (Alembic Charentes still) vs a traditional-for-whisky pot still. And finally, metaphorically, we use the blue color in our branding as that is the color of the blue doors on the distillery – and it’s a symbol of walking through our doors into a whole new world of whisky that you have yet to discover.
Everything we do is about respecting the local place of Cognac and all of the incredible benefits making whisky there brings – from the stills to the water to the 100% limousine oak we use exclusively for maturation – there are no bourbon, sherry or port barrels to age our whisky! All French Oak – some virgin and some XO Cognac barrels – that help give us the incredibly whisky that you can now enjoy in your glass!
Do bottle collectors, auction flippers, and whisky investors worry you in any way? Could you kindly offer your thoughts on the situation?
I think every industry in the CPG space – from sneakers to diamonds to whisky – has its challenges. In healthy economies, the items that become cult products can struggle with keeping them circulating vs hoarded and traded. That’s part of the world we live in today. It will change again so in the meantime, I’m grateful consumers are super hyped about whisky. It takes years to make our aged so it’s an honor and a respect to slow production in an era when fast fashion and “I want it now” mentality is king.
Can you guide me through some of initiatives Brenne takes to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable?
Our whisky started in the land surrounding our distillery. When a different farm nearby decides to use chemical pesticides, we’re conscious of watching where the rain water might run to keep our land chemical free, healthy, and supporting of a natural ecosystem – which is important for the land, crops, and the people working in our fields. Organic – EU more stringent than USA. Use only natural corks – no synthetic to reduce our use of plastic.
When we redesigned the packaging a few years ago, we switched from a hard plastic top attached to the natural cork to wood so that the tops can be recycled in your compost and the bottles & gift boxes can be recycled as well.
How do you prepare for the company's future? Can you describe some of the steps you use and the problems you encounter while making such decisions?
The biggest prep we just made to ensure the lifetime health and sustainability of Brenne is partner with Heaven Hill Distilleries. Through their guidance, support, funding, and expert industry know-how, Brenne has moved into an amazing house with a large global family of care takers, ready to serve our community for many years to come.
Is transparency important to you, and if yes, could you give an example of how you apply it in your brand?
Transparency is extremely important and plays an interesting role in innovation brands as you want to make sure the consumer has all of their questions answered, while also making sure you’re not giving away the secret sauce for competitors to more easily replicate your efforts. That said, we’ve never been a brand built by a marketing firm – we’ve always been built on the quality of our liquid which is built on the quality of our production methods.
We’re transparent about where the blue color of our branding came from, for example, which is the color of the doors on the distillery. The name relates back to a funny story of when I had first met our distiller. So on and so forth. We’re really proud of Brenne and all of the many authentic pieces that make up our product and our brand’s story.
You consistently receive prizes for your entrepreneurial work, and rightfully so. How do you keep yourself motivated to perform at your best?
I advise and now consult for entrepreneurs at various stages of business development. One of the biggest pieces of advice I give to people just starting out is to make 2 conscious groups of friends: one of people at similar stages of business development inside your industry and one with people who love and support you and have nothing to do with your industry. This way, when you have industry-specific challenges, you have a tightknit community of trusted friends who might know someone or something to help you through – as you’ll do for them when they get stuck. The other, a healthy community to remind you that outside of your professional world, you are also loved, seen, supported and have a whole other space to nourish and give of yourself, too. This balance, for me, has been crucial to helping me feel upright during hard times and have been incredible communities to give generously to when things in my world are running well. I think having this
Can you describe Brenne to someone who has never tasted it?
Crème brûlée, bananas flambé and blueberry muffin tops … specifically, the tops. ☺
Brenne on barrels
What's next for Brenne? I know you recently launched a Special Edition that is only available in France; Would you like to do something similar but make it more accessible to the rest of the world?
Yes!!! And you’ll have to wait and see!
What do you do to unwind when you're not working? Do you have any passions outside of the company?
Many things! I am a ferocious reader & constant traveler, I try to practice yoga and/or meditation daily, spend quality time with my husband and our French bulldog Ernie, and I also recently started sitting down at a jeweler’s bench and playing with metal which I hope to continue doing more of in the Winter.
I want to thank Allison for taking the time to participate in this interview. I know it has been very challenging to get this out and for her to give me some of her valuable time, of which I'm grateful. Thank you!
If you’d like to learn even more about Allison Parc and her fascinating journey, please visit Brenne Whisky
