Pierre Ferrand cognac

The Classicist: Plantation Rum Collection, Finished in Cognac Casks

Last summer we told you about Citadelle, the delicious gin inspired by a recipe created in the 18^thcentury in the French seaport of Dunkirk, made by Cognac Pierre Ferrand during the downtime between brandy distilling seasons. Now Ferrand has embarked on another exclusive new spirits venture: the Plantation Rum Collection. These spectacular artisanal spirits come from Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and Trinidad, hand-selected by Ferrand's owner Alexandre Gabriel. Each rum in the Plantation collection is made according to its country's traditions and expresses the characteristics and flavor of its country of origin. While the rums are created in rum distilleries in the traditional fashion and aged in barrels in the tropical sun, they then undergo a unique finishing process not used by any other rum producer in the industry.

At just the right moment they're brought to the historic Ferrand estate in France and then refined for several more months in small French oak Ferrand cognac barrels. "Our love affair with true rum began when we sold the prized casks that once held our Cognac to better rum producers, and we fell in love with their product," Gabriel notes. "Ninety-nine percent of rums are aged in barrels that once held bourbon. We found that adding an aging process in a French oak cask that once held Cognac adds extra complexity to the rum. This is a practice that was done more commonly in the past but has almost disappeared now. We thought who better than Ferrand, with our knowhow and exceptional casks, to resurrect this ancient technique."

Gallery: Plantation Rum

Tags: Barbados, Caribbean, cognac, France, Jamaica, Pierre Ferrand, Pierre Ferrand cognac, PierreFerrand, PierreFerrandCognac, rum

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The Classicist: Keeping Warm With Cognac Ferrand

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, The Classicist

When fall and cooler weather arrive we look for something special to sip by the fire; this season we'll be reaching for a bottle of fine Cognac from Pierre Ferrand. Ferrand, considered "Premier Cru du Cognac", is lauded as a Grande Champagne specialist and is one of only a handful of Cognac houses in France that specializes in old Cognacs from the coveted Grande Champagne region that are not blended with lesser varieties. It is also quite a small house by most standards; as Ferrand President and Owner Alexandre Gabriel notes, "We are the jewelers of Cognac. It takes us a year to produce what the biggest company produces in a day." A core belief at Ferrand is the that to produce an exceptional Cognac you must first create an exceptional wine. To that end, Cognac Ferrand is perhaps the only house that has a full-time oenologist trained in making premium wine in Bordeaux.

Cognac Ferrand is very vested in the vines and the vineyards and the wines used in the distillation of its Cognac come from the heart of the Grande Champagne, long considered the finest growing area. "To produce an exceptional Cognac, we treasure our grapes and treat the vineyard as a great vintner would," Gabriel says. "Then we distill it right, age it well and blend it with precision. Only then are we ready to bottle it. Quality cannot be rushed." The award-winning result is a complex, yet subtle, aromatic spirit reflecting a unique history and great attention to every detail of production. Pierre Ferrand Cognac is double distilled in small copper pot stills according to the traditional Cognac method – one cask at a time. It takes them 12 hours to produce just one cask with each pot still. At Ferrand's estate, dating from 1776, it then takes several years for the Cognac to reach perfection in Limousin oak barrels.

Gallery: Cognac Ferrand

Ferrand (which also makes Citadelle Gin in the off season) offers a wide variety of bottlings, including Ambre, Reserve, Reserve des Dieux, Selection des Anges, Abel, Ancestrale and the Collection Privée Vintages, limited edition rare Cognacs of outstanding quality, including the 1914, 1970, 1971 and 1973. They recently unveiled the Pierre Ferrand Vintage 1972 Cask Strength Cognac, one of the only cask strength Cognacs available in the United States, which sells for $600 a bottle. Only two casks of this precious Cognac remained at the historic Ferrand estate, enough to fill a mere 600 bottles. We highly suggested getting hold of one if you can.

Tags: brandy, cognac, France, Pierre Ferrand, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, PierreFerrand, PierreFerrandCognac, vineyard, wine

The Classicist: Citadelle, the French Gin Made in a Cognac Distillery

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, The Classicist

Summer to us, even when it's late in arriving, is all about gin. Recently we got reacquainted with one of the best, Citadelle Gin from France, and discovered its fascinating story. Citadelle is inspired by a recipe created in the 18^thcentury in the French seaport of Dunkirk. Originally, French distillers Carpeau and Stival took spices from ships returning from the Orient and Africa and distilled them in 12 traditional copper stills at the Citadelle Distillery, one of France's oldest registered genievre (ancient juniper distillate) distilleries. It might have been consigned to the history books had not Cognac Pierre Ferrand dug the recipe out of the archives and adapted it.

The process was ideal for Ferrand, which was determined to create a spirit with a great mouth-feel and the thirst-quenching taste of juniper berries combined with the complexity of a very fine spirit. It also solved the problem of what to do in the distillery's downtime; strict French AOC laws allow the distillation of cognac to occur only from November through March. The breathtaking estate of the Logis d'Angeac where Pierre Ferrand Cognac is made lies in the heart of France's famed Grande Champagne Cognac region and features classic copper stills, works of art in their own right. Citadelle now keeps them busy for the rest of the year.

Few gins are produced in pot stills, and Citadelle is the only gin distilled in a Cognac pot still with a naked flame. Distilling gin on an open flame requires a deft touch and far more attention than a column still or steam distillation which is otherwise used. It also means the gin is made in smaller batches, one cask at a time allowing the master distiller to precisely discard the "heads" and "tails" of the distillation, keeping only the precious, flavorful "heart". This costly distillation method imparts a texture only found in spirits distilled that way. The result is a carefully crafted gin, made from whole grain wheat, natural spring water and infused with 19 botanicals that when intermingled allow the complex flavors to create a subtle bouquet with aromas of juniper and citrus.

Gallery: Citadelle Gin

Tags: Citadelle Gin, CitadelleGin, cognac, distillery, Dunkirk, France, gin, Pierre Ferrand, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, PierreFerrand, PierreFerrandCognac

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Pierre Ferrand Cognac

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

A recent article on cognacs brought my attention to the cognacs of Pierre Ferrrand. Cigars and cognac are a natural match so why not drink a cognac specially created to work with your smoke. The 25-year-old blend is hearty enough not to be overwhelmed by the strong flavor of a cigar. The cognac sells for around $80. Ferrand makes a range of 100% Champagne cognacs aged in 350-liter "Limousin" oak casks.

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Tags: cigars, cognac, france, pierre ferrand cognac, PierreFerrandCognac