Maison Ferrand () is an independent French company specialized in the production and distribution of spirits worldwide. The company's products include

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

(Cognac Ferrand),

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

(Planteray) and

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

( Citadelle). The company's foundation is rooted in the history of the centuries-old Ferrand family from the

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

region. Since 2017, Maison Ferrand has been the owner of the

West Indies Rum Distillery The West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) is located in Blackrock, Barbados, and was established in 1893 by George Stade. The distillery produces its own rum brands, as well as rum for other brands. History The West India Rum Refinery was built by ...

(WIRD) in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, and a 1/3 shareholder of the National Rum Company of Jamaica.

History

Cognac's Ferrand family

The presence of the Ferrand family in the

region can be traced back to 1469. Elie Ferrand was born in 1630 and gave his first name to the first-born of the following 10 generations of his family. In the early 17th century, Elie Ferrand the 6th became the owner of a vineyard, and started to produce and sell wine and spirits. The cognac made by Elie Ferrand the 8th was awarded a gold medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition in Paris. Elie Ferrand the 10th died during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and the last male of the Ferrand lineage passed away in 1930. The Ferrand family house, which was built around 1860, had been the house of Henriette Ranson-Ferrand, the last descendant of the Elie Ferrand family. She had kept the entire family archives, and after her death in 2016, the house was acquired by Maison Ferrand and became the Fondation Maison Ferrand.

Expansion to gin and rum

In 1989, Alexandre Gabriel and Jean Dominique Andreu acquired Pierre Ferrand's vineyard and cognac distillery in La Nérolle, Segonzac. The two founders also had access to stocks of aged

Grande Champagne Grande Champagne is a French district, called a ''cru'', known for its cognac. It produces the finest cognacs in a zone of 34,703 hectares, of which 17% is dedicated to production of cognac, which can be marked as Grande Champagne or Grande Fi ...

cognac from the neighboring Logis d’Angeac distillery. They packaged and registered the Pierre Ferrand cognac brand, and flew to the US to start sales. A decade later, Pierre Ferrand fought for the ownership of the brand but lost in court. The German subsidiary Ferrand Deutschland GmBH was created in 2000. Distribution grew slowly in the US. In the early 2000s, cognac became a trendy drink of the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

community, leading to a boost in sales in the US, and

mixology ''Mixology'' is an American sitcom that aired during the 2013–14 television season on ABC. The series was co-created by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who also serve as co-executive producers with Ryan Seacrest and Nina Wass for Ryan Seacres ...

became a worldwide trend, giving room for smaller brands to exist through iconic drinks. Since the distilling of cognac is seasonal, the company fought for the right to use its empty stills for other purposes, and launched the gin Citadelle, France's first craft gin, in 1996. Then in 1999, the company launched the rum brand Plantation. Jean-Dominique Andreu left Cognac Ferrand in February 2008. In 2017, Maison Ferrand acquired its first distillery in the Caribbean, the 19th-century West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in

, and 1/3 of the National Rum Company of Jamaica (Clarendon and Long Pond Distilleries). In 2021, the company inaugurated a new distillery entirely dedicated to the production of Citadelle gin in

Ars, Charente Ars is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Charente department The following is a list of the 359 communes of the Charente department of France on 1 January 2025. The commu ...

, and In 2023, it inaugurated the world's first floating spirits cellar in a typical Parisian barge ('' péniche''), the Barge 166 which is moored on the Seine. Maison Ferrand bought the British distribution company Identity Drinks in July 2024 and renamed it Maison Ferrand UK.

Description

Maison Ferrand is a French company specialized in the production and distribution of spirits worldwide. The company is independent and owns the following brands: In its production process, Maison Ferrand favors the crossover of traditional distilling and aging techniques. The Planteray rum is first distilled and aged in

and other rum-producing countries in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and Asia-Pacific, and aged a second time in Ferrand cognac barrels in France. The Ferrand Renegade collection is cognac aged in rum barrels. Maison Ferrand owns commercial subsidiaries in the USA, Germany and the UK.

Foundation

The Ferrand Foundation was launched in 2016 to study and preserve the intangible cultural heritage of cognac and rum. The foundation is located in the historic house of the Ferrand family, the Manoir de Mademoiselle, in Segonzac, Charente. The foundation published the following books: * * *

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://maisonferrand.com/ 1989 establishments in France Food and drink companies established in 1989 Distilleries in France Alcoholic drink companies Luxury brand holding companies Holding companies of France French companies established in 1989 Rum produced in France