“To start, we decided to select a rum from one of the best distilleries in Barbados, going for a rum from 12-year-old barrels that would then be finished in the Wagemut cellars in Germany.
Next, we needed to scope out some old French oak Cognac barrels that we could take to Germany to complete the final stages of our experiment. So we invited Nicolas over to our estate Logis de Beaulieu the Cognac region, where we introduced him to the culture and lifestyle of Charente.
What a coincidence, during Nico's visit we had a bunch of friends visiting at our estate, some of them were working on a Charente-inspired cookbook. So there was lots of culture, lots of degustation and dining.
We went on a treasure hunt of the Charente region.
Nico and I visited some small Cognac producers, winemakers, distillers, hidden cellars and of course – trying lots of different Charente-based produce, mainly Cognac, Pineau des Charentes alongside an array of food pairings and culinary wonders.
Along the way, we looked for barrels that we could use for aging; of course, when looking for barrels, we came across some interesting Cognacs, too, some of which I've been able to use for other projects. Eventually, we found some high-quality barrels at the distillery Moisans – a bigger Cognac producer; therefore, we took advantage of the fact that the quality was high.
After trying several Pineau des Charentes, an often forgotten Charente-based fortified wine (beyond the confines of Charente) that we both love to enjoy – Nicolas came up with the idea to add a final stage of the finishing process by aging the rum in a Pineau des Charentes cask.”
