Janneau Armagnac distillery doubles capacity

Maison Janneau is to invest in the future of Armagnac by doubling its capacity to distill in house.

Janneau is one of the few large négoçiant to fully distill, age and bottle its production at its own premises in the appellation d’origine Armagnac. Based in Condom, with two production sites, including a distillery built by previous owner Cognac Martell in the early 70’s and a magnificent ageing cellar dating back to 1850, Janneau owns probably the best production site in the region of Armagnac.

In 1972, thanks to the know how brought in by Cognac Martell, then the owner of the Grand Marque, Janneau reintroduced the Double Distillation method with pot stills to the region. This was the original method of distilling Armagnac before 1909 when French President Fallières made the continuous still compulsory in Armagnac. Since early 70’s therefore, Janneau has been known by connoisseurs around the world for mastering this “Cognac style” method in Armagnac.

Today, Janneau’s expansion will include the continuous “Armagnacaise” still, called Simple Chauffe. Full capacity is set to expand to over 5,000 hl of pure alcohol within a regular distilling campaign which, by requirements of the AOC Armagnac regulation, can last only about four months from November to end February, every year.

Maison Janneau bottles and markets a wide range of Armagnacs, produced either by only one method of distillation, or by blending the two methods together, such as for its classic VSOP and XO. At Janneau, quality production without compromises, and a specific know-how, have led to the brand’s success and recognition at the most important tasting competitions events worldwide.

31 May 2013 - Felicity Murray