Kgomotso Mathe
10 July 2009
Johannesburg — THE world's fourth-largest producer of brandies, Distell , has concluded a €3m deal for a 19th century chateau in the heart of Cognac in France, it said yesterday.
The chateau was bought from William Grant & Sons and will be the new home of Distell's recently acquired cognac brand, Bisquit. The company said the chateau will be renamed Chateau Bisquit.
Distell's head of spirits, Caroline Snyman, said: "Bisquit is a brand with an almost 200-year history that is steeped in family tradition and deserves a home of its own in line with its status and heritage."
Distell said the deal included the extensive facilities onsite as well as the impressive chateau, which is strategically located in the centre of Cognac and was thus a potentially popular tourist stop.
It said the property had sufficient space to house the inventories of Bisquit's finished cognac and stocks of eau-de-vie (cognac distilled) for blending that the company acquired in an earlier transaction from Pernod Ricard.
Snyman said when the property was refurbished, it would "provide a tangible base from which we can continue to build the face of the brand".
"The facilities are such that we can start developing production to serve our markets," she said.
Bisquit was founded in 1819 by cognac pioneer Alexander Bisquit.
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