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Famille Cabanne
Interview with cellar master Alexis Cabanne
Famille Cabanne
Famille Cabanne is a name deeply rooted in the Cognac tradition, with a history spanning more than two centuries. In this interview, Virginia sat down with Alexis Cabanne, the cellar master and current head of the family business, to explore the unique philosophy and approach that guide their Cognac production. Alexis shares the importance of family heritage, their history and experience with wine production to professional distillation, and how these influences have shaped the business's values today. From their long-standing partnership with iconic brands, like close neighbor Grand Marnier, to the development of their own label, Famille Cabanne and the different brands it consists of, this interview offers an insider’s look at how Alexis and his team are always striving to move forward and deliver inherently interesting and qualitative products for its own brands and for the brands it supplies. This all to ensure the preservation of their family enterprise for the generations to come.
Let’s jump right into the interview below…
Famille Cabanne Lot 79
Bons Bois Single Cask
Purchase 2 bottles and get a 10% discount on each bottle.
Purchase 3 bottles or more and get a 15% discount on each bottle.
If you loved the Famille Cabanne Lot 24 and Lot 58, you’re going to want to meet its incredible new Famille Cabanne release: the Lot 79 Bons Bois Cognac. Aged 46 years, this single barrel beauty delivers everything we admire: pristine & precise aromas, tremendous intensity, advanced age, and elegance—all without much fluff. And at this age, it's a rare Bons Bois find.
| Growth Area | Bons Bois |
| Cognac age | Lot 79 - 46 years old |
| ABV | 62.5% |
| Bottle Size | 70 cl |
| Cask strength | Yes |
| Filtration | No chill-filtration |
Color: Deep amber with golden reflections.
Nose: Intense and mature aromas of dried fruits, candied orange, honey, and ripe peach. Subtle notes of oak spice and a touch of vintage tobacco box.
Palate: Powerful and concentrated at cask strength, delivering layers of sweet fruit, acacia honey, and candied citrus balanced by structured wood and spice. A robust mouthfeel that showcases the natural strength of the spirit.
Finish: Long, warm, and expressive, leaving traces of fruit, oak, and gentle rancio.
Following the remarkable Lot 24 and Lot 58 releases, Famille Cabanne now unveils a rare and mature Bons Bois from their damp, earthen-floored cellar: the Lot 79 Bons Bois Cognac. This lot, distilled in 1979 and bottled as "Lot 79", offers the unfiltered intensity of a brut de fût Cognac. With only 256 bottles produced, it is a limited edition release that speaks to the individuality of Bons Bois terroir.
Presented at 62.5% ABV (bottled at natural cask strength), the Lot 79 retains the full character of the eaux-de-vie as they rested in oak for decades. The result is a Cognac with both power and refinement, displaying fruit-driven aromatics complemented by depth and maturity. It represents an authentic glimpse into a single-cru expression of Bons Bois Cognac, rare to encounter at such natural strength.
Presentation of the bottle
The Lot 79 comes in the modern "Galaxy" 70cl bottle. Its sleek lines and tall profile highlight the deep amber Cognac inside. The label is clean and minimalistic, emphasizing the Famille Cabanne name, the cru, and the lot number. Limited to just 256 bottles, each carries an aura of exclusivity and collector appeal.
How to drink
This Cognac is best enjoyed neat, allowing its full strength and complexity to be appreciated without dilution. For those who prefer to soften the intensity, a few drops of water can help open up additional layers of aroma and flavor. Suitable for contemplative sipping, it is a Cognac that rewards patience and attention.
We have our own driver, our own truck, everything is done in-house. We do not sub-contract these operations. Like I mentioned earlier, our driver has been with us for an entire career, and he shows up often with his son in the truck, saying he's next. It's true that his son wants to be a driver for us too.
Virginia: How has this family heritage shaped the company's values and vision today?
Alexis Cabanne: The Cabanne family has a deep-rooted history dating back to 1810. This heritage has created a strong family attachment and a desire to carry on this tradition by those in the company from generation to generation. The seventh generation, represented by my eldest daughter Marine, currently works at the distillery. We're all working for the next generation, and I'm sure that we'll be able to do so in the future.
Again, we're all working for the next generation. We're not here to empty the accounts or to live a life of luxury or a life that isn't our own. That's not what we're looking for. We want to preserve this traditional family image. The proof is that we have an employee, our head distiller, whose father used to be the head distiller and whose daughter also works with us. It's a traditional family business where you feel good and you stay, and you even think of your children working there, because it lasts, and in everyday life, you can see that you're there to pass on.
Virginia: How did the phylloxera crisis affect your family and its business at the time?
Alexis Cabanne: Well, the phylloxera crisis devastated everything. The vines were all dead. I think we saved a few vines from memory - not mine, however. All the vines that flooded in the winter close to the banks of the Charente, and thanks to all this water, phylloxera didn't develop. When it floods, phylloxera doesn't go there. And in sandy soils, which are extremely sandy, phylloxera doesn't develop. At the time, it couldn't move. We did what everyone else did. We reduced our lifestyle or reviewed our investment capacities. In any case, we managed to survive. So what little we managed to salvage, in the meantime, we kept our heads down. We managed to get through this crisis and forge even stronger bonds within the family.
Virginia: So how did the Cabane family get through it? Did it go from viticulture to distillation, and what major milestones have marked the company's growth over the last four generations?
Alexis: My grandfather Marcel Cabanne, and Philémon his father, had an alambic or two. We transitioned from being wine producers to professional distillers over the years, thanks to our proximity to Grand Marinier, Château l'Apostole, which is just a kilometer away. We wanted to grow and support Grand Marinier, thinking that it would be a shame to not work with and support our neighbors.
My grandfather Philémon put together four or five alambics, which was already good in those days. My grandfather Marcel Cabanne made it a dozen, and my father and my uncle Lucien Cabanne and Maurice Cabanne developed things further, bringing us to 15 alambics.
And that's a generational thing. And in fact, we've kept pace with the growth of our customers, notably Grand Marinier. Proximity was already a big factor as in those days it wasn't the same means of transport. It was slower, so the proximity helped us a lot.
So that's really good, but we're still growing.
Virginia: Can you share how your upbringing and family heritage influenced your decision to become a maître de chai?
Alexis: It happened very naturally. I have to admit that a few generations ago, the notion of parity between women and men wasn't entirely obvious. Let's call a spade a spade - I'm talking about 50 years ago today. My uncle Lucien has a daughter. My aunt Nicole has a girl, and my dad Maurice only has a boy. The boy would have to take over from the grandfather, the father, the uncle, the great-grandfather and so on. Unfortunately, that's the way it used to be. Fortunately, mentalities have changed nowadays, but 40 or 50 years ago, it wasn't quite like that. So it was always quite clear that the succession was my destiny. A nice destiny perhaps, but there, it was kind of written.
Virginia: Times have changed, I hear from some producers that the kids do want to take over at one point but from others, I also heard that they want to do something completely different. Maybe at one point they might come back. But I guess in earlier days that was not really possible.
Alexis: Working in the old-fashioned way in the countryside has changed. The company was recently renamed the Famille Cabanne. Why Famille Cabanne? Before, the business was essentially a distribution company. We had our own spirits that we sold and distributed on behalf of certain groups, sometimes large ones, their spirits and/or their wines. Over time, we stopped this distribution activity, as it was taking up too much of our time and space. So we thought about stopping this activity and pushing our own products further. When my eldest daughter Marine came along, we felt it was right to develop the name, a company that produces its own products which it sells, and to integrate the family name to emphasize the notion of family. Since my daughter is now in my office, things just happened naturally.
Historically, we're the oldest official distiller of Grand Marinier, so we always come back to the same story: proximity.
Virginia: And customer reaction?
Alexis: We didn't even ask our customers to accept, we just did it. And everyone went along and said yes, which is legitimate. And even more so those who came to visit. We wanted it to be really, really family-oriented. All in taking care to distinguish the Famille Cabanne brand, which deals with our very own production, and the distillery operation, which is active for our brand but for others as well. There's a négoce and bulk activity mainly serving France, and there's Famille Cabanne, which is our own bottles destined for export. So two separate entities.
Virginia: What are some of the unique methods and techniques that distinguish the region's distillation processes? To what extent is distillation for others an important part of your business?
Alexis: The Cabanne family is renowned for its experience in distillation. Objectively speaking, distillation for others is very much a major part of the business. Historically, we're the oldest official distiller of Grand Marinier, so we always come back to the same story: proximity. Then, we distill a lot for Courvoisier. And then for the Bacardi group for Otard, of which my grandfather was the general manager, who has had links created over time.
These volumes are far more substantial than the volumes we allow ourselves to keep for our bottle business for the Famille Cabanne brand. We don't have the pretension, the qualifications or the money to become a major house. After that, we also worked a little for Martell, and a little for Hennessy. We're not official distillers, but we do a bit of business together with those houses.
Virginia: Do you only distill for other houses, or do you also age?
Alexis: Mostly distillation but we do wholesale bulk sales when those houses need it. But yes, absolutely we age a lot of eaux-de-vie. We're lucky enough to have large stocks. With eaux-de-vie from 1806. The stock is large. We can easily meet just about any demand. For our eaux-de-vie, we distill them and then leave them to age for a long while. And then we let the seconds and the years pass, just as they did in the old days. It's like the story of the winegrower, the farmer who, from his alambic, goes off to tend to the grape vines. He didn't always look at what time he had to be back, but sometimes he's half an hour late, rarely early. And then the time keeps flowing. Seconds, hours, years go by and you realize all this time that you've got some very good eaux-de-vie, many even that have become remarkable brandies. Just don't be in a hurry, but without it, these are what we call “eaux-de-vie excédentaires”. In other words, they have a little too much of everything, a little too much lees, a little too much seconds, a little, but which, over time, changes and evolves.
These eaux-de-vie are really very interesting from many points of view. They haven't been marketed yet, objectively, but we're working on it, and as all these eaux-de-vie are maturing, we do our very best to assist them. We'll take these eaux-de-vie with us over time, traversing generations even. My daughter, or whoever, will one day bring them out of the woodwork.
Virginia: Do you distill spirits other than Cognac?
Alexis: No, we are, we are 100% Cognac. We didn't go into gin. We didn't go into whisky. Why, you may ask? Because these are markets in which I don't think we have enough hindsight. The French whisky producers seem to me to be really expensive in terms of positioning, and I'm not convinced that they'll last long at those prices. For me, it's hard to understand how a whisky, even a very good French whisky, can be more expensive on the market than a good 15-year-old Scotch whisky.
If a house told me to make whisky for Courvoisier or Grand Marnier, I'd do it. But for now, I'm not touching anything right now, I'm just observing.
Virginia: I see. So there's not much point from your perspective at the moment.
Alexis: I think there's a lot of risk, yes that’s it. Here's why. Our distillery has fifteen stills, making it one of the largest in the region. We're certainly above the average with that amount of stills. So when there's more production, how does one maintain the quality and scale?
Virginia: True. You are organized for those 15 alambics for the distillation of Cognac. If you distill something else, you'd probably need to expand. Can you share more about your environmental and food safety certifications, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001? How do these standards impact your production and business practices?
Alexis: When we embarked on the ISO certification process, instead of doing one, we did three at the same time. And right from the first exam, we were certified for all three. We have 14001 (Environmental management), 9001 (Quality management) and 22000 (Food safety management). We have all those certifications. After that, we embarked on a process of real social and mental responsibility, which for me is now an obligatory part of the transmission of the company's way of thinking, sharing and exchanging. We were awarded two stars after six months.
Virginia: Congratulations.
Alexis: And for the past month to month and a half we've been three exemplary stars. There are two companies with such a rating in the Charente, one of which is absolutely not in the spirits business. So, in the spirits business, we’re the only company in the Charente and Chatente-Maritime with such a rating. It seems to me that everyone will be obliged to go for this in one form or another.
Virginia: Wow really, that is great effort! Going back to the distillation for others, how do you organize the distillation for them?
Alexis: We’ve integrated everything. In other words, we have our own driver, our own truck, everything is done in-house. We do not sub-contract these operations. Like I mentioned earlier, our driver has been with us for an entire career, and he shows up often with his son in the truck, saying he's next. It's true that his son wants to be a driver for us too.
Virginia: Great. If you do the distillation for Grand Marnier and then you also receive the eaux-de-vie from Courvoisier, do you finish everything that's Grand Marnier or do you do it in a bit of an order?
Alexis: We start with our own vineyard production. Then we distill Grand Marnier, then Courvoisier and then Otard, typically in that chronological order.
Virginia: Has it always been like that?
Alexis: Almost. In fact, It's a question of crus. For us, our vineyards are dedicated to Fins Bois and Petite Champagne. So we try to combine everything we have to do. Courvoisier buys a lot of Fins Bois from us. So we're trying to be logical; we're not stopping the distillery for nothing. We make one cru right to the end, then start another, and so on. Depending on the houses we work with, we have to plan ahead, but it's pretty much the same every year.
We do all the Bons Bois together, all the Fins Bois together, all the Petite Champagne together. Now we're doing quite a bit of Grande Champagne too. We'll start with the Grande Champagne and then move on to our Petite Champagne vineyard, which is not a huge quantity. And then, we'll really start on the Fins Bois, the Courvoisier Fins Bois, and for Grand Marnier, etc.
Virginia: How does terroir influence the eau-de-vie? What do you think is the key factor in terroir?
Alexis: Soil composition is the key element. So there aren't 50,000 things to terroir. We're on two types of soil. We're on sandy soils in the Pays-Bas, where we don't have very strong soils. Unfortunately for us, we rarely get big yields. Second, the distillery is located on 80 meters of clay underneath - it's all clay. So we're not on an excellent terroir in terms of how it is to work with but for quality it's very good - just not easy to use. Not easy in terms of cultivation and exploitation. We can very quickly suffer a drought, which can lead to catastrophe as soon as it's hot. Nevertheless, all the Petite Champagne and part of the Fins Bois are really located 800 meters from the Bourg Charente. Bourg is a commune that can easily be flooded. And the Fins Bois are more in the direction of Jarnac.
Virginia: And the weather was a bit difficult this year. Can you explain?
Alexis: The weather has indeed been difficult. The vines were a bit sick, but on the whole they’ve ended up quite clean. There's even a decent yield, a little more than usual for us. We don't really know why, but the problem is that today we don't need as much as we used to. Nature has a lot of surprises in store for us. But that’s the way it is.
Our Petite Champagnes are in fact really close to the Grande Champagne. They're really quite alike. And then the Fins Bois, in addition to those near Jarnac, are on the road to Rouillac and all those corners of the Pays-Bas, what we call the Pays-Bas, of which some of the Fins Bois lie.
Virginia: So what are your aging cellars like?
Alexis: We have one part which has rather thin walls and is dry. Unfortunately, we had no other solution, but it's a big cellar with a lot of barrels. All our other cellars are damp with earthen floors and filled with barrels. We're really on extremely damp ground because we're in contact with the beaten earth. We're on wooden planks assembled in piles in the old-fashioned way. So we didn't want to change it, because it gives our eaux-de-vie a typicity that's enough in itself for good aging. Why change such a thing? Especially as modernity doesn't work all that well, and a certain number of research groups, I believe, at Hennessy or other houses, are thinking that there isn't enough exchange in these ultramodern concrete cellars we see more and more. That is, not enough exchange with nature, in contact with the soil, and the surrounding air and cellar atmosphere.
We follow the seasons and the temperature variability is extremely low. It's a bit sticky underfoot. That's all there is to it. We love this type of cellar and for us, it brings something interesting to the table.
Virginia: Can you talk to us about the casks used to store the eaux de vie?
Alexis: When it came to storing other eaux-de-vie, we had our own habits and customs. At one time, it was common for us to buy casks from the big houses, in this case Rémy Martin. At one time, we bought a lot from Rémy Martin and Taransaud. Because they had barrel rotations and since we're not particularly into new casks. We are interested in more coarse-grained four-five year old barrels. We then blend the eaux-de-vie as we see fit, respecting the customer's specifications, or letting our own eaux-de-vie age as much as possible, which also brings typicity to the liquid.
Virginia: And for the barrel toasting, or chauffe?
Alexis: As far as the chauffe is concerned, we use a medium chauffe. So medium chauffe and large grain. That's exactly what Remy Martin's specifications are. In general, when we buy new barrels, we use Remy's profile. That's really what we go for. And the majority of our stock is in Grande Champagne. So we try to stick to what works best for us.
Virginia: So what's a typical day like for you?
Alexis: I'm especially busy in the morning, discussing with colleagues and the person in charge of the distillation. Then I go next door, to the meet with the person in charge of the cosmetics and perfumery part of the business. I'm a bit unusual in that I come on Saturday morning and Sunday morning too.
Virginia: Every day working?
Alexis: Practically. It's strange because if I don't come, I'm not at ease. I've seen it all my life: my father, my uncle, my grandfather, who used to come every day, even in the morning, on Saturdays and Sundays in those days too. There was something every day. And Dad today, even at 82 years old, comes in almost every day in the morning. Yes, it's stayed that way just to see if everything's okay. We come to work a little, to make the rounds. It's fun. So we're regularly three generations in the same office, which is how it’s always been for me. My grandfather Marcel, my father, my uncle Lucien and me. Three generations of us were in the same office. It can be a bit difficult for families to discuss if we have different points of view on certain things.
"Monsieur Cabanne's brand name is La Truffe, but there's no truffle in it. So you'll have to put some in.”
I told them if we wanted to call it Cognac, it would be complicated to put truffles in it. And that was that.
Virginia: Moving on to the brands Richard Delisle, La Truffe and KingSpirit. Can you tell me what each of these brands represents?
Alexis: Richard Delisle is the historic brand we bought during the war from the Mitterrand family. I told you this because it was the only way we could sell Cognac under occupation, which was to own a bottle activity brand, a trading brand. So that's the historic brand, but one that was only developed by us regularly from '99 onwards. It's what, in quotation marks, we rely on most for our development and image. It's our racing car.
La Truffe is a brand name I registered in '99, precisely because I had very, very, very damp cellars as I was living right next to the Charente River. I've since sold that house because it's in a flood zone. It was really close to the Charente, with a beaten earth cellar on which the walls and floor were covered with mushrooms. Everything was white and frankly, it smelled of truffles. Yes, and I had the eaux-de-vie that had that truffle aspect. It was kind of fun. And so the idea came to me to have a range of Cognac a little more terroir, a little more marked by terroir with this rustic truffle mushroom character. The range is quite classic, blended with the Petite Champagne and Fins Bois from our own vineyards.
It’s a range really marked by mushroom notes. It was quite fun. And when I launched this brand, well, it was tough to get it off the ground because the fraud inspection told me, “Monsieur Cabanne's brand name is La Truffe, but there's no truffle in it. So you'll have to put some in.” I told them if we wanted to call it Cognac, it would be complicated to put truffles in it. And that was that. It's a brand that's been with us for a few years now, which we're developing in certain markets. It's really a product that's definitely a little original.
Then there’s KingSpirit. It's a partnership. It's a friend from Angoulême who supplies the brand and the dry goods, and we supply the liquids. It's a partnership, it's a bit of a white label with brand owner Rénal Geoffroy. It's really very good. It's very original too. There's a clientele for this type of product. It's snappy. It's very heavy.
Out of stock
Famille Cabanne Lot 58 Petite Champagne Cognac
Famille Cabanne Lot 58 Petite Champagne Cognac
Sold out. Sorry, you missed it.
- Cognac age
- Lot 58
- Growth area
- Petite Champagne
- Bottle size
- 700ml
- ABV
- 45.8%
Tasting review
Color: Vivid amber with orange reflections.
Nose: A fascinating balance between fruit pastes and exotic aromatic wood. Quince paste, orange lozenges, nectarine, and earthy honey evolve into leather tones and sharp cedarwood. Despite its age, the spirit remains lively and expressive.
Palate: Powerful and precise with layers of quince, apricot jam, vine peach, and tangerine. Orange peel and zest introduce a bittersweet edge. The texture is chewy and the evolution is linear, highlighting cedar, leather, and subtle savory bitterness through the long finish.
Finish: Warm, lingering, and defined by its balance between vibrant fruit and seasoned wood. A Cognac that holds your attention until the final drop.
Product description
Famille Cabanne Lot 58 Petite Champagne Cognac
Following the remarkable Lot 24, Famille Cabanne now unveils a rare and mature expression from their damp, earthen-floored cellar: the Lot 58 Petite Champagne Cognac. Distilled with the lees following a classic Rémy Martin-style method and aged in a medium-toast, 30-year-old coarse grain cask from Seguin Moreau (originally used by Rémy Martin), this Cognac showcases nearly 70 years of patient aging and quiet evolution.
Remaining in cask until bo...
Read more about Famille Cabanne Lot 58 Petite Champagne Cognac
Read more about Famille Cabanne Lot 58 Petite Champagne Cognac
Virginia: You launched some Vintages under the Richard Delisle brand. How does the process look like before you actually launch a vintage?
Alexis: Here's a little bit about that. There are two ways of approaching a vintage and/ or lack of space: You put the eaux-de-vie for storage and aging at Oreco. We put them at Oreco before the change in age count, so since we've never really touched these eaux-de-vie, we have proof that they were stored at Oreco before the change in age count and we have proof that the eaux-de-vie has been at Oreco for 15 years, 20 years, 30 years, or whatever. It doesn’t matter if the alcoholic degree has gone down or the volume has gone up or the degree has gone down or the volume has gone down or both, but in a few cases it's actually gone back up, and there’s complete and perfect traceability that proves that there's never been any interaction on these batches. We've got a lot of that. We systematically have the batches validated by the BNIC. We've always done it that way.
We've also had vintages here on site for twenty years or so. The BNIC typically handles these. The BNIC doesn't systematically intervene on all vintages, and they might only come afterwards. We can have “coups de cœur” or surplus eaux-de-vie, which is what I'm talking about, but right away we tell ourselves we'll see these eaux-de-vie in a few decades. They can be very good.
Virginia: And if you decide this year, you have a vintage cask that you want to keep, do you call BNIC to come, or how does it work?
Alexis: Yes. You have to be able to prove that it's an eau-de-vie of the year, for example. If it's before the change of age - so right after ditillation, the BNIC has to taste it, check that it's an eau-de-vie that complies with the regulations, and so on. We then get the barrel sealed up here, and we don't touch it anymore. And we have the BNIC come back once a year for inventories. This is a vintage single cask. Once it is sealed, it doesn't move anymore. We've decided to love these eaux-de-vie right away and see what happens later on.
Virginia: Each year, do you decide to always have vintage eaux-de-vie?
Alexis: Yes, absolutely. It doesn't really even cost more. If the batch is interesting and qualitative, it's worth taking it.
Virginia: And is there also the moment when you decide you want to make several barrels to have vintage Cognac for one year?
Alexis: Yes, of course. That's the case here in stock. We have different casks in terms of volume, height and width, but they can be different casks of the same vintage, which, in the long run, will always lead to a small difference between each eau-de-vie.
Virginia: What do you think of this vintage and/or single cask trend?
Alexis: It's something that clearly works in whisky. It's something that works in general. Single Cask on small batches, obviously. If we can make the most of them, it's always interesting. After that, it's complicated because if you have 600 bottles of a Single Cask and you want to export it, there aren't enough bottles. Or, there are too many bottles for a very small market.
Virginia: Yes, it's hard to know how to balance.
Alexis: Exactly. You can have a big distributor capable of buying three or four thousand bottles. He doesn't give a damn about 600 bottles. So, for the moment, we don't really do these kinds of bottlings, but we could do it, no problem.
Virginia: Do you think single cask Cognacs are more for the French and European market?
Alexis: Yes, clearly. When you produce a 600-bottle cask, you've got to make it for the French market or the Internet, but you're not going into a market that's more mature, or more established. For an American market, or a Chinese market, with only 600 bottles from the single cask, the importer won't bother. He'll think it's too much work. Too much marketing, too much money to sell only 600 bottles.
Virginia: No doubt.
Alexis: Sales are too expensive. It won't sell. It's complicated. I'll probably do it when I really have a specific request. I can do it, but today, it's not what I do most of the time.
Virginia: What inspires the creation of new products in general?
Alexis: Well, it's the quality of the eau-de-vie, frankly. Depending on the quality of the eau-de-vie I have in front of me, I think that's the best way to convey a new product. Something very atypical, very particular, etc. We're then trying to find the right packaging to go with it. We're doing a lot of work right now with Belgium with The Whisky Jury. We’re doing more of small runs of 300 bottles,120, 150 and so on for particular batches of Cognac that I like.
I'm looking after the family business, so we're keeping a lot of these eaux-de-vie and batches for now. We'll see later what we do with them.
Virginia: How many barrels do you have, roughly, at home?
Alexis: A lot. I've got everything in my lab. In fact, when we take inventory every year, we take samples in duplicate. But I am always tasting to maintain my nose. So let’s say about 4,000 barrels.
Virginia: That's a lot.
Alexis: Yes but not all of them are mine, but I operate about 4,000 barrels.
Virginia: Do you have a particular manner of tasting? How do you taste best?
Alexis: In terms of tasting, we taste without water. And we have a glass, a very special glass that my distillers call “the criminal”, because you can see and sense the slightest flaw right away.
Virginia: Wow, really?
Alexis: That’s its nickname: le criminel. It was originally developed by Courvoisier and it’s very interesting to taste with. It has nothing to do with a classic tulip glass. That's one of the special features. This glass refines the eaux-de-vie enormously. It's the only thing that's special about us and our tasting habits: le criminal.
It's the notion of family and always the notion of traceability and correctness. How can I put it, we've got decent people, we don't abuse. We don't try to get more for less. We don't procrastinate. We don't waste time with the people we work with. We are small. You have to stay humble and put yourself within the customer's reach. If the customer is not going to be within reach, then it’s dead. One of our special features is the ability to react, to be super, super active, always going fast, saying fast and well to always be easy to be supple. To be flexible, that's a must, you have to be really flexible. And the market is flexible. You have to stay humble.
Virginia: What's your favorite Cognac?
Alexis: I've been asked 1,000 times which Cognac I prefer. They're all different, there's not one I prefer. I guess a big question is: Who are our competitors? I don't have any competitors. I have colleagues, period. Yes, no notion of competition. We're talking about the identity of Cognac. With the number of bottles of Cognac sold in the world, there are quite a few of us doing this. As producers, we're more brothers than competitors. In some regions, there are many more winegrowers who produce and sell their own bottles. In the wine business, that's all there is to it. There are four or five big houses that account for 99% of sales. The rest is a joke. You have to stay, you have to stay where you belong.
Virginia: That's true. As the industry evolves, what do you see as the major challenges facing Cognac producer opportunities over the next few decades?
Alexis: No. I'm hoping that the difficult period we're in again will serve as a lesson. How can we say, Cognac, it's still very small in the world of spirits. We need to be vigilant and not to start again with extraordinary forecasts which are unachievable. So it's complicated. After all, we're dealing with companies and groups that are all listed on the stock exchange, and the shareholders want them to sell. There's pressure from all sides. So we're spreading ourselves too thin. And then badaboom. It's not the first time. So today, it's all about going round in circles and praying for things to pick up again, which I doubt in the very short term. I don't know what we're going to do with the stock. It's there.
So what can we do to try to maintain our position in a most deplorable economic climate? It's to be exemplary, it's to be certified. To be exemplary is to be certified. Through environmental quality, through social responsibility, through economy, through all that. And complete traceability. We did it because we believe in it and wanted to share it with our employees. And now we're trying to share with our colleagues. It's the societal and the environmental role. It's about getting others to evolve. I think it would be very beneficial for the region to give a very socially and economically responsible image from all angles.
That could distinguish us from another product, say Tequila or even whisky. That's the way it is. That's what we're all about.
Virginia: Looking to the future as the Cognac and spirits industry evolves, what is the role of the Cabanne family?
Alexis: Our role is to try and keep up. You have to be aware that if you're a leader without a big house, you can't do anything. There's a train. So sometimes you take the TGV, sometimes you take the slow-moving Michelin train. There's a locomotive called Hennesy, and there are other companies. There are wagons, wagons, wagons, trying to get behind a wagon in a wagon and let the big guys do it because they know how to do it and the whole new open market is a brand market, always.
It's always about the brand, it's always about prestige. So, as time goes by, these people open up a little more. You see? That's how things evolve. The big guys open up the markets. And then the small ones with the crumbs can get through, but you have to be aware that we're the crumbs, we run behind the train and we manage to get on sometimes.
Virginia: It's a great image with the train.
Alexis: That's the truth. We have good relations with the Cognac houses we work with. You have to realize that in this region, it's historic. I can't compete with our customers. That's the rule. Hence no distribution. Fortunately, for me, I think, I've never bothered the big ones, even some of the medium ones. So that's what we are and what we do.
I actually bought 1806s and 1865s dated using carbon 14. The traceability, the inheritance, the dowry, the marriage certificate. We have a whole set of documents.
It's incredible because old doesn't always mean good, but when it's there it can be incredible. It's something that you keep safe in memory. It's very, very, very surprising.
Virginia: Finally, what is your personal favorite from the Famille Cabanne products and why?
Alexis: The Marie Lemain legacy. An 1806. It's an 1806 Cognac that was distilled in Saint-Cybardeaux, a Cognac that was made in our family by cousins. This person was mayor and as a dowry, for the marriage of his daughter, Marie Lemain. He had 200 liters or so of Cognac distilled, and in fact this Cognac has remained in the family. I bought it from cousins at the time. I actually bought 1806s and 1865s dated using carbon 14. The traceability, the inheritance, the dowry, the marriage certificate. We have a whole set of documents. The fact is that I sold a little too much at the time, we sold a lot, especially to one client. So I stopped selling it because I told myself I wasn't going to leave anything to the kids, to the others.
I do not keep it in my house; I don't dare. But it's so good. It's incredible because old doesn't always mean good, but when it's there it can be incredible. It's something that you keep safe in memory. It's very, very, very surprising.
And we also have Pineaux that we also found in barrels. It must have been during the war. I think 1914, 1918. My great-great-grandfather must have had three or four barrels walled off behind a low wall, or they didn't declare them. I've no idea. Pineaux that have spent a hundred years in barrel. It's completely insane. The downside is, when you taste it, you can't taste anything afterwards. It's remarkable. Seriously!
Virginia: Many thanks for the conversation.
Alexis: Thank you. Take care.
Conclusion
Through this conversation with Alexis Cabanne, it's clear that Famille Cabanne is built on a strong foundation of tradition, quality, and respect for Cognac, the region, the spirit, and the city.
Their dedication to crafting exceptional Cognac spread out amongst Famille Cabanne’s three Cognac brands, while honoring their family’s passed-down generational values makes them a unique presence in the region. As they continue to evolve and grow, the commitment to their own craft of Cognac production remains steadfast—always with an eye toward the future and the generations of Cabannes to come.
Consider us fans and followers of this fun house. We encourage readers to take a close look too. Cheers!
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