About

what
we do

Creators &
Producers

Since our founding in 1989, Maison Ferrand has created exceptional spirits that embody their terroir and heritage. We honor the past and find new inspiration in it. From that foundation, we let our imaginations take over as we experiment with exciting new ways to create authentic spirits.

At Maison Ferrand, as an independent family business, we are all-in. We not only create our own brands and produce our own fine spirits… we designed and built our own distillery and greenhouse, we pick the grapes in our own vineyards, and we restore our historic pot stills by hand. Every bottle of Maison Ferrand cognac, gin, rum and liqueur was born “in-house” – the original concept, the award-winning spirit inside the bottle, the collection-worthy packaging.

All Maison Ferrand spirits start as an idea, often sparked by Alexandre Gabriel’s intensive research into traditional techniques that disappeared with the advent of more industrial production. His knowledge of this historical legacy is matched only by his creative approach to reviving them! Our Research and Creation team take these inspirations and bring them to life, exploring the potential of unexpected ingredients and ageing methods to develop new flavor profiles. As independent, family-sized producers, we are very proud to have these technical talents onboard to translate fresh ideas into exceptional craft spirits.

Feet on the Ground,
Head in the Stars

The brands we create – Ferrand Cognac and Dry Curaçao, Citadelle Gin, Planteray, Canerock and Stade’s Rums – are more than just authentic products. Through each brand we share our passion for creating memorable experiences with an engaged community of spirits enthusiasts, connoisseurs and curious alike. We open our distilleries’ doors to visitors and collaborate with customers and partners all over the world. This extended family is at the heart of everything we do.

Maison Ferrand’s Can-Do spirit and commitment to excellence unites our teams from Europe to the Americas and Asia. The enthusiasm is contagious! We dream big, we do it ourselves and we do it together. As Alexandre Gabriel likes to say, “We have our feet on the ground and our heads in the stars.” Impossible is not Ferrand!

See all

The Great Terroirs of Rum Planteray rum

Gin de France Citadelle Gin

Cognac’s Infinite Possibilities Ferrand cognac

Distilled in Jamaica Canerock

Ferrand Dry Curaçao

mellowed by the sea Stade’s Rum

Rooted in
Agriculture

Where the Journey
Starts

Because a spirit is, above all, the product of the land, Maison Ferrand pays meticulous attention to every detail, with a special focus on the origin and quality of its ingredients. We proudly own and manage over 150 hectares of HVE-certified vineyards in the Cognac region, primarily in the Grande Champagne where we grow our own Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes for our cognacs and dry curaçao.

Nature Nurtured

Taking a step beyond conventional sourcing, we also cultivate some of our own raw ingredients. We planted our own juniper trees across from the Château de Bonbonnet so we can harvest organic juniper berries for selected Citadelle Gin expressions. In 2024, we built a dedicated Orangerie for citrus fruits where we experiment with unique varieties and applications. We even harvest our own jasmine flowers for limited edition gins!

In Barbados, Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery exclusively uses Bonsucro-certified molasses to produce our rums and we are planting fields of sustainable sugarcane and coconuts to restore these native agricultural crops to the island and supply local ingredients. The distillery also teamed up with the West Indies Sugar Cane Breeding Station to build the Harper Sugar Cane Mill. The mill crushes cane into juice for research and development of ideal sugarcane varieties for the Barbadian terroir.

Distillation
Savoir-faire

The Art
of the Still

Ferrand cognacs and Dry Curaçao start life in the vineyards of the Cognac region. After the yearly harvest, we distill our eaux-de-vie in traditional copper pot stills, notably at the Maison Rechou distillery where we are longtime partners. These handmade stills, historically used exclusively for distilling cognac, inspired Alexandre Gabriel to create France’s first craft gin using the same ancestral apparatus and techniques. Alexandre has built an unparalleled personal collection of antique copper pot stills and designed the Citadelle Distillery at Maison Ferrand’s headquarters, the Château de Bonbonnet. In this cathedral-like space built by our own stonemasons, he and his team experiment with both vintage and state-of-the-art distillation equipment to develop exciting fresh takes on craft gin.

Where Rum History
Is Reborn

Maison Ferrand’s explorations of the art and science of distillation led us to Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados, which became part of the family in 2017. Many Planteray Rum expressions are distilled here, alongside the distillery’s own brand, Stade’s Rum, named after founder and distiller George Stade. At this historic beachfront location, the world’s largest collection of still types – including traditional pot stills, modern column stills, and the Vulcan, the only original chamber still in existence – continues the legacy of rum-making that originated in Barbados almost four centuries ago. The distillery’s invaluable archives inspired Maison Ferrand to design a new hand-hammered copper pot still based on antique blueprints, and to undertake the renovation of the world’s oldest rum copper pot still. The 18th-century Rockley was lovingly restored in France and returned to Stade’s in 2024 to distill Barbadian rum once again.

Discover

When Maison Ferrand acquired Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery, we also became co-owners of National Rums of Jamaica, including the legendary Clarendon and Long Pond distilleries. Here we distill our distinctive Jamaican rums for Planteray.

Learn more clarendon distillery

Learn more Long pond distillery

The Art of Ageing
and Blending

Alexandre Gabriel has honed his expertise as Master Blender at Maison Ferrand for over 30 years. He is fascinated by the magical process of cask-ageing spirits and the art of blending to create perfectly balanced and unique expressions.

Where Time
Shapes Character

In our historic cellars in the southwest of France, with its gentle continental climate and proximity to the coast, Ferrand Grande Champagne cognacs mature in French oak casks according to centuries-old methods. We also can’t resist experimenting with other wood species that were once used to age cognac, such as chestnut, for our Renegade expressions. We age our cognacs in both dry and humid cellars to encourage floral or spicy elements, smoothness and vibrancy. They rest and refine for years before our Cellar Masters declare them ready for bottling or blending, to layer aromas and flavors for depth and balance.

Planteray expressions are distilled in the great terroirs of rum around the world, and start their ageing process in their tropical home environment. After a sea voyage to the south-west of France, they mature in ex-Ferrand casks in the temperate Continental climate. This double-ageing method – rooted in history, but forgotten until Planteray pioneered the practice in the modern era – adds structure and finesse to enhance each rum’s distinctive character. In Planteray’s Single Cask range of limited-edition rums, we take the artistry of cask finishing to a new level with a third maturation in beer, wine or spirit casks. Every expression is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Maison Ferrand’s teams in Barbados and Jamaica are virtuosos in the art of ageing and blending rums in their tropical climate. Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery, situated on Brighton Beach on the Caribbean side of the island, makes the most of its enchanting location to mellow its Stade’s Rum expressions right by the sea. The warehouses at our Kendal Plantation on Barbados’ east coast are custom-built to store thousands of barrels of Planteray rums so they can mature and develop over the years. Across all Maison Ferrand brands, meticulous ageing and blending are the final touch that makes our fine spirits so nuanced, versatile and easy to enjoy.

Private Barrel
Experience

Maison Ferrand launched our most personal experiment yet with Barge 166, the world’s first floating cellar. The custom-fitted barge, moored in the Seine just south of Paris, explores the possibilities of ageing small barrels of cognac, rum and gin below the surface of the Seine. Members of our Private Barrel program participate in the adventure by selecting a spirit and the wood species it will age in. Each custom barrel develops its own special character as it is gently rocked by the motion of the river in this totally unique humid ageing environment.

At the heart of the Château de Bonbonnet, our Chai Satgé is where we age Maison Ferrand’s most exceptional private casks of Ferrand Cognac and Planteray Rum. This historic cellar houses some of our oldest and rarest spirits in a dry and static environment, waiting to be discovered by spirits retailers who choose among them in our Private Cask Program. This is also where the final maturation phase takes place for 30L barrels of rums, cognacs and gins selected by members of our Private Barrel Experience, who taste their spirit as it evolves and choose the perfect moment to bottle it.

Distribution

In addition to crafting exceptional spirits, Maison Ferrand operates distribution subsidiaries in key markets such as Germany and the UK, and is the exclusive importer to the US market.