A ninth-generation descendant of James Delamain, Charles Braastad stepped into the role of cellarmaster this year. He discusses the 200th anniversary of the house, taking over from Dominique Touteau and creating celebratory Cognac.
YOU’VE JUST CELEBRATED 200 YEARS OF DELAMAIN. HOW HAS THE HOUSE CHANGED?
My family has been involved in Cognac even longer than 200 years. We can trace it back through to the 17th and 18th centuries. There has been a lot of change, but there has also been a common line. I represent the ninth generation and while I bring my own stone to the building, it’s with a lot of respect for what has been done before. Delamain only exists thanks to the choices made by my ancestors. These are fundamental choices like using only Grande Champagne terroir; only ageing the Cognac in old casks; being by the river to bring the right amount of humidity. These are good decisions that we are determined to follow.
TELL US ABOUT THE ANNIVERSARY BOTTLE
There is a special dame jeanne [large bottle] which will be sold at auction, and then there are also 200 bottles that are for the market. It was special to make because it’s not only our 200th anniversary but also the year our previous cellarmaster retired after 42 years. We worked together on the blend and used the sacred treasures of old Cognac that we had never touched before. We made a micro-blend of five vintages and five Cognacs which represent the contribution of five cellarmasters. It felt like our goodbye moment together.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO STEP INTO THE POSITION OF CELLARMASTER?
It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been participating in every tasting for 28 years, first with my father and then with Dominique, so none of this is new. But it means I can finally focus on what I like the most, which is spending time in the cellar, in the vineyard, tasting the Cognac. Though I’m going to do it a little differently to my predecessor because I still want to be moving around and meeting people. At Delamain I’ve been very commercial and doing sales for a long time, so I’m still grounded in that.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOUR FUTURE CONSUMER IS?
The new generation is way more into who is making the drink and the story behind it. They really want to know about the grape variety and much more about the product, which is good for us because we have a story.
