Whisky Created in the Greater Region Launched in Luxembourg

On the evening of Wednesday 22 May 2025, Chronicle.lu attended the official launch event for Gëllene Léiw whisky at Updown Bar in Luxembourg-Grund.

The event saw guests welcomed by the whisky’s creators, Luxembourgers Benoît Bail and Franck Sbodio, and General Manager of Gëllene Léiw Sàrl-s, William Sbodio, welcomed the guests and invited them to sample what they described as “a whisky created for Luxembourg, with Luxembourg”.

Gëllene Léiw, a single malt whisky, is matured for between three to six years in sherry and bourbon casks obtained from across Spain and the United States and was crafted and matured in the Greater Region with ingredients sourced from France.

The name Gëllene Léiw (Golden Lion) was derived from two familiar icons of Luxembourg: the statue of the Gëlle Fra (Golden Lady) and the Roude Léiw (Red Lion) flag. The bottles also carry the slogan "De Whisky vun Doheem" (The whisky from home), reflecting its creators’ intention that the whisky is “a tribute to the land, its identity and its quality”.

Benoît Bail described to Chronicle.lu that the intention was to “create a whisky that could be enjoyed by everyone”. He added: “We even specifically chose a design of bottle that people would instantly recognise was a whisky.” He added that the brand’s future plans include sourcing red wine barrels from Luxembourg’s Moselle region and potentially releasing limited editions of their whisky, including single-barrel versions and longer maturations.

Tastings of the whisky were offered to guests in both neat form and as part of a variety of cocktails and were accompanied by a variety of finger food supplied by the hosts.

Gëllene Léiw whisky is distributed exclusively in Luxembourg by Boissons Heintz and is now available in wine shops, specialised bars and fine dining establishments throughout the country.