Légendaire is a wonderfully decadent Grande Champagne Cognac from the makers of Ferrand, made using some extraordinary eaux-de-vie. The producers mature the spirit in a “zebra” cask; within which the casks are gradually replaced every few years, which they say adds more complexity and finesse to the resulting spirit. The incredibly fantastic crystal decanter was hand blown by Waltersperger in Upper Normandy. A must have for any Cognac enthusiast.
Nose: It starts on a very traditional rancio profile with chocolate, plum, sandalwood, tobacco and nutmeg. It then develops on a very floral profile of dried rose, jasmine and saffron with delicious notes of passion fruit and old Colheita port with an elegant woody background of cedar and walnut.
Palate: Creamy and full-bodied, it follows the nose’s impression with more spicy and woody notes such as pepper, cloves, cardamom and paprika, all coated with toffee, almond, vanilla and acacia honey. It then develops into a more fruity profile with tangerine, blackberry and hawthorn, while oakmoss, cocoa and incense add to the sense of depth.
Finish: Lingering, the very old rancio style extends to a repertoire that is both classic, with leather, hazelnut, cinnamon and licorice and original, revealing gooseberries, cantaloupe and honeysuckle.
Limited to only 500 bottles per year.
Maison Ferrand, led by spirits guru Alexandre Gabriel, is the company behind some of the most essential cognacs, rums and gins in the modern spirits landscape. Under the umbrella there are, among others, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Plantation Rum and Citadelle Gin, rum under the Kaniché brand and cognac under the name Claude Chatelier. In addition, a number of luxury wines are produced, of which their curaçao in particular has caused excitement in cocktail bars worldwide. The company is broad, but common to every drop is an unwavering dedication to quality.
Maison Ferrand was created with one mission: to preserve the gastronomic treasures of France. Alexandre has made a virtue of breathing life into old and long-forgotten traditions, and the eternally eager Frenchman is known, among other things, for dusting off and buying up old archives from bankrupt houses, in order to learn more about the production methods of the past. But at Ferrand you also understand the value of renewal, and today innovation is valued as highly as tradition. This is clearly seen in the Citadelle Gin brand. Getting permission to distill gin in Cognac required five years of bureaucratic struggle against the area’s stubborn spirit giants.
Since then, the company has spread beyond France’s borders, and today Ferrand is perhaps best known for its series of rums. Under the name Plantation, Alexandre buys rums from many different countries in the Caribbean and stores them in France in cognac casks. In the series there are rums for both the beginner and the connoisseur, for both the daiquiri and the Glencairn glass. In 2017, the company bought the Barbados distillery West Indies Rum Distillery, and now also has its own rum production from scratch.
