brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
that is produced by the Groult family at the Clos de la Hurvanière, located in
Saint-Cyr-du-Ronceray
Saint-Cyr-du-Ronceray () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Valorbiquet.Pays d'Auge, noted for its
cider
Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...
The Groult family moved to the Clos de la Hurvanière in the 18th century. Pierre Groult (1830–1918) began to distill
cider
Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...
around 1850. Pierre Groult expanded production by purchasing a
pot still
A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as eff ...
and building a cellar. He also began to bottle the Calvados; previously it had only been sold in casks as was common practice at the time. Upon succeeding his father, Leon Groult (1874-1923) built a further aging cellar to meet the increasing demand. Roger Groult (1905–1988), son of Leon, expanded the
distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
. In 1975 he established the public company "Calvados Roger Groult SA" for the production and marketing of calvados.
Once at the helm, Roger's son, Jean-Pierre Groult (1946–2008), created a company that allowed him to buy the neighbourhood apples to increase his production. He built in 1980 the two largest cellars of the area to store and age more significant amounts of calvados. This allowed him to develop the company's stocks for export and start marketing them to hotels and restaurants abroad.
Jean-Pierre Groult was succeeded in 2008 by his son Jean-Roger. Jean-Roger Groult is a founding member of a new Calvados association, Esprit Calvados. Esprit Calvados is the association of 5 family owned Calvados estates in Pays d' Auge.
Sustainability
The Calvados Roger Groult SA remains an independent
family company
A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by blood or marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business and the willin ...