Otard
| Baron Otard Cognac | |
|---|---|
| legal form | |
| founding | 1795 |
| Seat | cognac |
| Branch | spirits |
| Website | www.baronotard.com |
Otard is one of the most traditional Cognac - distilleries based in the Castle of Cognac in France . Until the brand was bought by the Italian group Martini & Rossi SpA in 1991, the company was family-owned. Today Otard is a subsidiary of the American Bacardi group, which, however, has its headquarters in Bermuda .
Family history
Ancestors
The founder of the company was the French nobleman Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard (1763-1824), who traced his family tree to a Viking named Ottar; who fled to Scotland in the 9th century. The family seat was Dunnottar Castle near Aberdeen in Scotland. As followers of the Catholic Stuarts followed the great-grandfather of the founder's King James II. (Engl .: James II. ) During the Glorious Revolution (1688), into exile in France.
James O'Tard fought successfully in the service of Louis XIV and therefore obtained the hereditary baron dignity in 1701. The family settled in the Cognac area and dedicated themselves to the distillation of wine into eau de vie , certainly using knowledge - and probably professionals - of whiskey distilling from their Scottish homeland.
Company founder
A member of the French nobility, Jean-Baptiste Antoine Otard, temporary mayor of the city, was arrested and sentenced to death during the French Revolution in 1793, but he and other inmates were liberated by the mob. He fled to England, but returned after a short time and one year after the company was founded in 1796 he bought the castle of Cognac, which had been confiscated by the revolutionaries as a national good ( bien national ), at auction.
In 1804 he was elected mayor of Cognac and held that position until his death (1824) at the age of 61. Two years earlier he had been appointed a member of the Legion of Honor ( légion d'honneur ). His heart was buried in the Saint-Léger church.
Castle cellar
The Otard cellars extend over large areas in the castle of Cognac and in newer outbuildings, with the barrique barrels stacked on several levels. The walls and vaults of the old castle cellars, some several meters thick, are - due to the high humidity of approx. 90% and a constant temperature of approx. 15 ° C in summer and winter - covered by a dark fungal tissue ( torula compniancensis ), which stands out from the Nourishes vapors. The high humidity ensures a lower evaporation rate than in dry storage rooms; on the other hand, proportionally more alcohol diffuses.
Products
- 1795 Extra - top cognac made from grapes of the 'Grande Champagne'; matured in a separate vaulted cellar in the castle
- Fortis et Fidelis - Cognac in a class of its own
- XO Gold - blend of Grande Champagne grapes with those of the 'Fins Bois' and the 'Borderies'
- Napoleon - blend of 'Grande Champagne' and 'Petite Champagne' with shares of the 'Borderies' and the 'Fins Bois'
- VSOP - blend of 'Grande and Petite Champagne' with a share of at least 50% 'Grande Champagne'
- VS - blend of the best grapes
Special editions
- 1972 - Vintage cognac made from 'Petite Champagne' grapes (only 2,500 bottles were produced)
- 1975 - Vintage cognac made from 'Grande Champagne' grapes (only 1,000 bottles were produced)
Web links
- Website of Otard (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Philippe Gloaguen, et al .: Le Routard - Le guide de la visite d'entreprise . No. 79/0425/0 . Hachette Livre, Vanves 2016, ISBN 978-2-01-323703-1 , pp. 24 .