Born in 1996 in France, Citadelle was created by Alexandre Gabriel as a pioneering craft gin, setting new requirements for flavour exploration.
Many individuals lack the dedication to discover uncharted concepts. Luckily, visionaries like Alexandre Gabriel, the mastermind behind Maison Ferrand, mix boundless creativeness with perseverance to show goals into actuality.
After reviving the Ferrand Cognac home, Gabriel started to contemplate the artistic potentialities for the vintage copper stills that historically solely distil Cognac just a few months a 12 months. After 5 years of persuasion, Gabriel efficiently gained the French customs authorities’ approval to make use of the stills to create the primary premium craft gin, Citadelle.
Citadelle not solely paved the best way to the worldwide gin renaissance, but it surely stays a pioneer of a real ‘gin de château.’
The historic Château de Bonbonnet, within the village of Ars close to Cognac on the west coast of France, is the house of Citadelle Gin. Surrounded by fields of natural juniper timber and a ravishing orangerie with numerous citrus fruits, the distillery experiments with vibrant, distinctive flavours that make its gins sing.
Based as an impartial, household‐owned gin, Citadelle employs a patented infusion methodology to seize the essence of 19 unique and all‐pure botanicals. This modern method, developed by Gabriel, entails infusing every berry, citrus, and spice at totally different alcohol ranges. The method creates Citadelle’s flagship Authentic Gin, which serves as the inspiration for more and more artistic interpretations that turn into extra adventurous every year and are rooted in sustainability and custom.
Experimental laboratory
However Château de Bonbonnet is greater than only a distillery: it’s an experimental laboratory, permitting Gabriel and his workforce to discover conventional strategies and modern new purposes. A few of the adventurous expressions from Citadelle embody Jardin d’Été, which was impressed by the native fruits within the château’s summer time backyard. In distinction, Citadelle Rouge combines crimson berries and rhubarb for an additional kick, whereas the Outdated Tom aged gin revives a preferred fashion from the nineteenth century. The distillery additionally provides an eccentric array of restricted editions, indulging its wildest flavour fantasies with distinctive infusions equivalent to Sichuan peppers, smoked juniper berries, and even cornichon pickles.
The distillery and Spice Room are housed in a restored 18th‐century stone constructing, now reworked right into a cathedral of gin. Guests are invited to discover the whole gin‐ making course of, ranging from the property’s juniper fields and orangerie, and ending within the tasting room, bar, and boutique, which options unique gin expressions and different spirits from Maison Ferrand.
Guests are additionally invited to discover the distillery’s spectacular assortment of 10 stills, a few of which date again to the 1800s, whereas others are from the twentieth century. To spotlight and protect the historical past of copperworking within the Charente area, the distillery established its personal workshop in 2024, with a proficient coppersmith, to keep up its assortment of stills and uphold the area’s conventional craftsmanship.
Citadelle Gin continues to be a benchmark for craft gins worldwide, boasting a devoted buyer base in over 75 international locations. Since its launch in 1996, the gin has been recognised with greater than 180 business accolades. Most not too long ago, Citadelle Authentic was awarded a Grasp medal on the 2025 Gin Masters.
As a key ingredient in ‘the right’ gin and tonic, Citadelle Gin continues to captivate gin lovers with its premium high quality, distinctive character, and the perfect steadiness between finesse and depth.
