Description
Strict French regional law stated that copper stills could only be used for the distillation of Cognac between October and March, every year.
Cognac Ferrand owner, Alexandre Gabriel, thought this was a waste and lobbied so that he could use the stills to distil gin during the other 6 months.
Now, Citadelle is the only gin to be distilled in a gas fired Cognac copper pot.
They have recently redesigned the bottle, too, and the new bottle compared to the old tells you the Citadelle gin story in visual cues.
Copper Accents on the bottle refer to the pot stills used to distill Citadelle. Citadelle is the only gin distilled in small, Charentais copper pot stills, the same ones used to make the company’s famed Pierre Ferrand Cognac.
“Distilled with time” means that it takes time to make Citadelle: distilling only one small batch at a time (not column distillation), allows them to precisely cut the ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ and only keep the precious, flavorful ‘heart’ of every batch.
This method of distillation isn’t cheap to do, but imparts a smooth and creamy texture that’s only found in spirits distilled this way.
A cold infusion process is then what is used to infuse each botanical into the gin which takes a week’s time.
Citadelle is the only gin infused with its’ unique combination of botanicals, which enhance the juniper and create one of the most sophisticated, juniper-forward London dry gins available today.
These include, juniper, of course, nutmeg, cinnamon, jasmin and grains of paradise.
After Cognac, gin is Alexandre’s passion and you can see that in this gin and can certainly taste it!
Only 12,000 bottles, of the Reserve, are produced annually, and each one is individually numbered and signed.
From 2012, Gabriel added three new botanicals: yuzu, genepi and bleuet.
It is aged, for 6-9 months, in limousin oak barrels. The golden coloured Citadelle Reserve is deep and complex in character with an initial juniper hit blending into citrus, spices and floral aromas balanced by mellow wood character.
Such was the success of this gin, back in 2008, at launch, the Spanish press called Gabriel the ”Master of Spirits.”
We most certainly can see why!
This gin needs to be truly savoured, so we suggest that you enjoy it neat, with a little ice.
