DELAMAIN UNVEILS RARE CASK ANCESTRAL 25.1 AND 25.2:

TWO SINGLE CASKS INAUGURATING A NEW SERIES OF EXTRAORDINARILY OLD COGNACS FROM GRANDE CHAMPAGNE

 

BALANCING EXCITEMENT WITH PATIENCE

Eaux-de-vie from the terroir of Grande Champagne, Premier Cru de Cognac, have the potential to be aged in cask for extraordinary lengths of time, revealing themselves slowly and gradually as many years – and even decades – pass. Yet curiously, some individual casks of eaux-de-vie have the ability to long outlive the rest, continuing to grow and evolve to even greater heights, and sometimes transcending multiple generations of Cellar Masters.

The discovery of a Rare Cask presents a particular responsibility for the Cellar Master. When it can be identified and set aside, its distinct personality can be preserved over time, offering a rare opportunity to pass on a true testament of the House’s legacy from one generation to the next. Cognac Delamain’s treasured collection of Rare Casks is named ‘Ancestral,’ paying tribute to the ancestors who have enabled today’s generation to enjoy such wonderful creations.

In 2025, two exceptional casks — Ancestral 25.1 and 25.2 — are ready to be unveiled, each distinguished by its unique character yet bound by a remarkable heritage. These casks, the first expressions of an annual release series, offer a glimpse into a continuing journey of craftsmanship, refinement, and tradition.

Chosen more than half a century ago for their strikingly vivid aromatic profiles, these casks capture the curiosities of Nature in all their wonder, and as they aged, they revealed a seemingly limitless depth of expression. With great patience and respect, these rare casks have been carefully nurtured and preserved across three generations of Cellar Masters: from Alain Braastad, who selected them in the early 1960s, to Dominique Touteau, and now to Charles Braastad, the 9th generation of the Delamain family.

 

CRAFTING WITH THE CURIOSITIES OF TIME

Inquisitive and obsessively meticulous, each of Delamain’s Cellar Masters takes great care in order for the eaux-de-vie to be expressed with remarkable clarity and in its purest, most natural form. Making only minute and precise adjustments, they allow the curiosities of time to work their magic, and for each eau-de-vie to express its full personality.

Whilst the essence of each eau-de-vie is left untouched through its long journey through time, the eaux-de-vie are imparted with the curiosities of their surrounding environment.

Laying in front of the South-facing window of Delamain’s 18th century cellar, Le Grand Chai, Rare Cask Ancestral 25.1 occupied a quietly prominent place. Positioned beside a staircase leading to the underground cellar, bathed in natural light and exposed to a constant flow of fresh air, the cask was regularly observed by Cellar Master Charles Braastad, who paid particular attention to its slow evolution over the years. With its own discreet importance, this cask was often presented as a living example of the richness and potential of the Grande Champagne terroir.

The Rare Cask Ancestral 25.2 holds particular importance as the cask itself is one of the last casks hand-crafted at Delamain – its traditional chestnut hoops a reminder of the era when the House had its own cooperage. Also kept in the historic Grand Chai, yet tucked away in a secluded corner, Ancestral 25.2 was seemingly forgotten and lost to the curiosities of time. Lying next to a wall that absorbs and releases humidity from the cellar below, the cask aged even slower than the rest, quietly and softly gathering complexity with each year that passed.

After their lengthy journey through time – bearing witness to Delamain’s enduring heritage – Cellar Master Charles Braastad has finally chosen to share these two Rare Casks with Delamain connoisseurs, honoring the dedication of his forebears. Bottled at cask strength and filtered under low pressure, the expression of their curious, timeless, yet humble spirit is to be enjoyed with the most authentic detail.

 

DISTANT, YET UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES

Each of these Delamain Rare Casks offers the intense emotion of an unforgettable memory from the distant past.

Ancestral 25.1 begins as a fine sliver of imagination. It slowly opens and lengthens, offering both the phenomenal, intriguing qualities of an extremely old Cognac, whilst maintaining a distinctive liveliness and exciting presence. Teased out to its fullest extent on the palate, its longing impression softly merges into a heavenly, wispy finish.

Ancestral 25.2 offers immense power and curiously paradoxical qualities only possible from the absolute finest eaux-de-vie of Grande Champagne, Premier Cru de Cognac. Its richness and depth are balanced by extraordinary finesse and delicatesse, while its refined elegance reveals layer after layer of fascinating complexity.

Rare Cask Ancestral 25.1 and 25.2 join the Delamain Pléiade collection as an exceptionally rare, limited-edition release of only 190 and 180 bottles from single casks at 43.6% ABV and 44.4% ABV, each individually numbered.

Their unveiling will be celebrated through a series of exclusive events across key markets, dedicated to private clients and VIPs, a special opportunity to discover these extraordinary expressions of Delamain heritage.

The highlight of this extraordinary release will take place at the end of year with an exclusive auction in partnership with the esteemed auction house Bonhams, where a singular lot uniting the two 2025 expressions will be presented.