The history of the Braastad family stretchesover centuries, but the story of Braastad Cognac started in 1875 when a young man founded his very own House of Cognac on the banks of the River Charente. Five generations later, we are still making world-class cognac, applying the same care and craftsmanship as our founder did over 130 years ago.

Médéric Tiffon founded the Tiffon House of Cognac on the banks of the river Charente at a time when about 30 other such houses existed. Médéric chose his spot wisely, near the centre of the village of Jarnac, close to other world-renowned cognac houses. And as the distillery was sited on the southern bank of the river, it was, and still is, located in cognac’s premier cru, the grande champagne.

Our grandfather Sverre Braastad was born in the small town of Gjøvik, Norway in 1879. Afterstudying in Germany and England, he eventually travelled to Cognac, France in December 1899. Following his passion for Cognac, he joined his uncle, Halfdan Braastad, who was already working at the Bisquit House of Cognac. With knowledge of trade and foreign languages, he started working in the sales department, in charge of exports to North America, England, Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

Our grandfather soon found other passions besides the Cognac trade. Edith Rousseau, a striking young woman who was heiress to her uncle’s House of Cognac, Cognac Tiffon, caught Sverre’s eye, and before long they were a romantic item. After a long courtship during the first decade of the 20th century, they werefinally married in 1913. It would, however, take another six years before our grandparents started developing their company into one of the leading Houses of Cognac.

While Sverre was seeing Edith, he started working for Cognac Tiffon, while still in employment at Bisquit. Due to theFirst World War, there was a shortage of male workers in the French countryside, and Sverre had promised to stay with Bisquit until the end of the war. True to his word, Sverre stayed until the war ended in 1918, but when peace came, Sverre could finally join his family at Cognac Tiffon. In 1919 our grandparents officially took charge of the company, and they never looked back.

Just two months short of his 100th birthday, our grandfather passed away on May 16th 1979. He had worked hard all his life, but fuelled by his passion for cognac and the love for his family, his life became a long and eventful one. In his time he saw members of the Braastad family at the helm of world-famous cognac houses. He left eight children in this world, and died knowing what a profound effect his family had had on the world’s cognac industry, and still has.

Five generations after Médéric Tiffon founded the company, and three generations after our grandfather took over the reins, we are still producing cognac in accordance with ancient laws and old family traditions. We are still in charge of our true House of Cognac, doing everything from harvesting grapes, producing wine, distilling cognac and maturing the noble, golden liquid for generations in our own humid cellars by the river Charente in the heart of Cognac.

CHATEAU DE TRIAC. Our grandfather, Sverre Braastad, bought Château de Triac in the 1940s. He and our grandmother, Edith, used to gather all their eight children and numerous grandchildren together for dinner every Sunday at the castle. It was an important tradition and there was no excuse for not showing up. Our grandfather loved the place and lived there until he died, collecting firewoods outside the castle at the age of 99.

COME VISIT. Today we use the castle for meetings and events, and welcome visitors through its doors. If you wish to visit, simply write to us, and we will provide information about the possibilities of a private tour or stay at the castle.

GRAPES. By owning 40 hectars of vineyards we are in control of the entire process from grape to bottle. The grapes are harvested at the beginning of October every year and last about a week. A very busy week, we must add. The honourable title of Cognac may only be used for distilled wine produced within a particular district. This district is further divided into six different areas known as ‘Crus’: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires. The Braastad vineyards are within Grande Champagne and Fins Bois.

DISTILLATION. As a true house of Cognac, we take care of the distillation process ourselves. Even our master blender used to work in the distillery, so today he is blending cognacs that he distilled in his younger days. The distillation season begins on November 1st and continues, day and night, until March 31st. Cognac is distilled twice, ensuring a product of the highest quality. The first heating produces brouillis, a distillate containing around 25-30% alc/vol. The second heating produces eau de vie (water of life) at an alcohol level of approximately 72%. The fresh distillate is then drawn off and placed in oak casks for maturation and the entire season’s production is set to be aged 0 years.

AGEING. In our dark, damp warehouse by the river Charente, thousands upon thousands of casks are maturing, many of them stored by our grandfather Sverre Braastad himself. This helps us ensure quality and taste-consistency. As the cognac interacts with the oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about three percent each year, slowly losing both alcohol and water. After 7-8 years of maturing, major changes occur: The cognac softens, the vanilla aromas start to dominate and the wooden taste in the liquor diminishes. The cognac is gaining greater complexity. The continuing process of maturation gives the cognac a more rancio character. This is a type of oxidised aroma adored by connoisseurs of cognac.

BLENDING. The nose of our master blender plays an important role in the making of our cognacs. Following the previous master blender, he oversees our stock of casks of cognac from different crus and of different ages to keep track of and to choose from when seeking perfection in our products. For instance, if he feels that the sensation of vanilla in his latest VSOP blend is a little low, he might track down an old cask containing a certain 15 year old Petite Champagne Cognac that he knows has a distinct tone of vanilla and use this to balance his VSOP blend perfectly.