Florence, you are the sixth generation of Castarède, the specialist of excellence. Please tell us its DNA.
Castarède is the oldest Armagnac trade house, founded in 1832, still independent. Our family owns a 19th-century chateau right in the heart of the Bas-Armagnac region at Mauléon d'Armagnac in the Gers department: Château de Maniban whose vineyard produces Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc and Colombard.
It enables us to keep the control over the production, over the distillation until the ageing of our Armagnacs in oak barrels of the region. To answer an international clientele, we opened a showroom right at the heart of Paris (8th district), 140 Boulevard Haussmann, reference to the Baron Haussmann, the sub-prefect of the city of Nérac who incited our ancestors to register on the trade register.
You propose a wide range of vintages. Your strength?
Our collection of vintages selected from generation to generation has always been a priority, our objective being to make discover to the amateurs a very diversified aromatic range for them to exeprience exceptional moments. Specialist of the vintages for a long time, we thus watch over one of the most important collections out of which the oldest Armagnac dates back 1893.
In what does Armagnac Castarède distinguish itself?
Our Armagnacs mainly stem from the Bas-Armagnac area, a terroir the connoisseurs appreciate a lot, its sandy soil giving the finest and fruitiest brandies.
We are present in more than 50 countries in the traditional networks (restaurants, hotels, bars and wine cellar shops). Often selected for the great tables, our Housedefends the art of elevage and thus markets its blended eau-de-vie far beyond the minimum age required by the regulations with a VSOP of at least 8 years old, a XO and a Hors d'Âge of at least 20 years of ageing in oak barrels. The time does its work …
You recently fostered a partnership with Diva Spirit France, can you tell us a little more?
Since the end of 2013, Diva France proposes to the cellar shops and the restaurants a range of selected spirits. Our range of Armagnacs is a part of them since April, 2015 with novelties … Thanks to its sales force, we are going to strengthen our presence in France and more particularly in the Provinces. It is a beautiful opportunity for our House, we are delighted.
Some novelties for 2015 ?
For several years we have been organizing events promoting Armagnac-based cocktails. At the beginning of April, we invited influential professionals in our showroom in Paris for the launch of our new VS. With 42.5° proof, it was particularly appreciated by the barmen. It has the particularity to have aged at least 3 years in our oak barrels. Some will use it as an after dinner drink as its very aromatic character is already complex and singular.
Furthermore, we launch exclusively for Diva France a New Collection Brut de fût. We call “Brut de fût” a spirit not diluted at the exit of the barrel in which it matured. The first one to be selected by Diva was our barrel no. 43. This 6-year-old Brut de Fût armagnac comes exclusively from our domain. It has a 59° proof. It is made at 100% of Folle Blanche which provides freshness and fruitiness in the first years of ageing in oak barrel. Other barrels will be proposed at the end of the year.
Interview by Charlynne Zirah
The story of this artisanal company began 50 years ago, when Jean Boyer decided to import whisky from Scotland to the Landes region.
I have spent most of my life since I was 18 in England where I discovered the world of fine spirits, cocktails and mixology.
“What if the French had invented whiskey? Which direction would we have taken?” That is my philosophy. That of creating whiskeys that reflect our terroir and our know-how in wines and spirits. And...