Hi there! October 27th was the apple festival in Normandy! This fruit is a symbol of the Norman culture because we use it so much (juice, sauce, cakes…etc)! I’m taking you to a second distillery, as I’ve already visited Grandouet, which was more family one. However Château du Breuil is one of the most impressive in Normandy.

To celebrate the apple festival, the Château du Breuil opened its doors and offered a free tour of the site. This is the perfect opportunity to visit the area and learn more about the apple “juice” process. I’m using juice in quotation marks, as of course the distillery is making apple juice, but also cider, Pommeau and Calvados, which are alcohol specialties. The process will be explained to you when visiting the castle. Also, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the place as it’s absolutely beautiful with the various half-timbered buildings. They are indeed typical of Normandy.

In the room with the stills, the guide will explain that the Calvados coming out of the vats is at 70 degrees of alcohol. Then it’s placed for 2 years in barrels where it will lose its intensity. The guide made us smell a sample of the Calvados coming out of the vats … imagine her surprise when I told her that I thought it smelled like a crêpe?! Strange? Not really, I remembered that my grandmother was putting some in the crêpe mix we ate during afternoon tea!!! #awkward

With this humorous note, please feel free to share your impressions and questions in comments!

Boujou (the “Norman”way to say XOXO)