Spirits

La Gabare’s Cognac de Collection begun with very modest means but with sincere aspirations. The collection emerged from the ruins of the cognac industry as it switched from the hands of family trading houses to the iron rule of wine and spirits multinationals. The entire region and many different professions were forced to adapt to survive. The first to be affected were the winegrowers who, in order to live and do business with the industry’s new masters, had to accept very strict specifications that were often inversely proportionate to the payment they received.

Those winegrowers or intermediaries that were refused access to this new economic order, either because their properties were too small or because there was no place for them in this new structure, were forced to change the way they worked before it was too late. They were in danger of losing all their assets and disappearing altogether. The idea of La Gabare’s Cognac de Collection range was born as a result of this pressing need for change.

Jean Grosperrin : "Over the years, working as a broker, I have developed a very special and close relationship with my clients. In addition, I have been actively helped in my search by a sworn broker and colleague of mine who is systematically contacted to evaluate inheritances and who has excellent contacts with many old Cognac families. This allows me to know when a family intends to sell or divide up its inheritance.

At such times, I am often presented with samples of very old cognacs. We only select cognacs aged in casks that have not been systematically topped up over time as the quantity of liquid diminished through evaporation. 

I also require official paperwork or archives tracing the product from the time of distillation. I then taste the cognac, first at full strength and then with water, and if satisfied - i.e. if the aromas and ageing of the cognac are of real interest - then the cognac is carbon-dated by the French National Scientific Research Institute to confirm the age indicated. Only if these three conditions are fulfilled is the new cognac permitted to enter our own cellars.

Another source for our Collection are the state-controlled warehouses where I am occasionally able to obtain cognac that has been stored there since its distillation. However, this is mostly young cognac distilled"