ALEXANDRE GABRIEL
Owner & Master Blender, Maison Ferrand – France Owner & Master Blender, West Indies Rum Distillery - Barbados
Alexandre Gabriel was born and raised in France, on a farm in southern Burgundy, where his grandfather taught him how to make wine and distill spirits. In 1989, Alexandre Gabriel came upon an ancient Cognac house and built it into what is known today as Maison Ferrand, in the heart of the Grande Champagne district of Cognac. Through his passion and vision, Alexandre turned the small Cognac House into one of the greatest specialist of artisanal spirits today, producing an awardwinning portfolio of sought after brands – Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Citadelle Gin, Plantation Rum, Mathilde Liqueurs amongst others. Of the spirits he produces, Alexandre says he thinks of them as “aromatic sculptures” or “gastronomic paintings” and to him they are not merely products but the perfect embodiment of history, emotions and experience. In 2017, Alexandre received the prestigious “Outstanding Contribution to Distilling” Award from the Craft Distilling Expo, the first time in the history of the award that it has been presented to an individual.
Alexandre’s passion for creating exquisite spirits is boundless and the fruits of his labor are appreciated by many, whether bartenders or fine spirit aficionados. He has looked to the past to create spirits for the future – like the Plantation Rum portfolio, uniquely double-aged in Cognac casks according to a special technique he has developed – and has recently set his sights even further into the rumproducing future with his purchase of the famed West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados. In the purchase of the West Indies Rum Distillery, Ferrand will also have access to excellent Jamaican rum as West Indies Rum Distillery is one third owner of National Jamaican Rum Company with Monymusk Distillery and the famed Long Pond Distillery. It is very meaningful for Ferrand as Jamaica is the second source of rum for Plantation. Together, this gives Maison Ferrand and Plantation the tools to go even further in its mission for marrying terroir, passion and time for great spirits.