Maison Surrenne Cognac

Maison Surrenne Cognac

Over three decades ago, Ansley Coale picked up a hitchhiker along Route 101 just north of San Francisco. The hitchhiker Hubert Germain-Robin was of French origin and came from a family that had been producing cognac since 1782. As the two drove northward in Coale's car, Hubert spoke of his family's background in distillation. "Hubert wanted to distill using craft methods handed down for centuries from master to apprentice," recalls Coale, who eventually teamed up with the hitchhiker to found Craft Distillers in 2003. After purchasing an antique cognac still from an abandoned distillery, Hubert and Coale built a redwood shed in northern California and began distilling spirits. Craft Distillers Maison Surrenne range is a collaborative effort between Germain-Robin and Cognac's largest remaining family-owned producer: "Surrenne's eight aging cellars hold extensive stocks of aged distillates that have been maintained pure and unblended. There are four distilleries, including the ancient installation in the chateau of Triac. The home distillery is on the Quai de lIle Madame on the banks of the Charente river in Jarnac. Great cognac reflects the land and climate from which its grapes were taken. The bottlings come from specific regions, and we further emphasize their individuality by using cognacs from a particular vintage, or a single distillery, or even an individual cask. Many of these bottlings are unblended, and the rarities are unfiltered." (Craft Distillers). Maison Surrenne Galtaud is an exceptional cognac that is from the single-still Galtaud distillery, founded in 1800 in the village of Mainxe. Rated the #14 Personal All-Time Favorite Brandy of F. Paul Pacult, Editor of F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal: June 2016.