TASTINGS
EVENTS

Vodka, Rum, Gin and Cognac Tasting

Friday, April 2nd in Fort Lauderdale and Saturday, April 3rd in Aventura from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at Cellars Wine & Spirits Warehouse.
You will have the opportunity to taste the award winning spirits that are hand-crafted in small batches with the finest ingredients by master distillers with generations of experience! These are some of the best spirits you will ever taste so don’t miss this one.

Citadelle Vodka
• Apple $29.99
• Raspberry $29.99
• Regular $29.99

Citadelle Gin
• Gin $29.99
 
Plantation Rum
• Trinidad1993 $29.99
• Barbados1991 $34.99
• Jamaica8 Year Old $34.99
 
CognacLandy
• Landy XO $49.99

 
Background Information

While vodka producers have emphasized the purity and sometimes flavorless of their premium vodkas, Gabriel & Andreu, true to its philosophy of striving to achieve maximum flavor and smoothness in all their spirits, has developed vodka with taste.

After the 1998 launch of Citadelle Gin, the only gin made with the original 19 botanicals, Gabriel & Andreu wanted to produce the ultimate vodka, one with distinctive taste.
We gave the project to Dominique Réchou, our master distiller, who has 30 years of experience as a master distiller and master blender inCognac. We knew that Dominique would create a ‘one-of-a-kind’ vodka with great taste and not a bland ‘water-and-alcohol mixture,’ which, unfortunately, is too often the case with vodkas.

Réchou initially entered the wine-and-spirits profession studying winemaking. A fifth generation distiller, he learned the art of distilling by his grandfather and father at the small distillery of AngeacChampagne. After 20 years of training, he was made the master distiller of the Grande Champagne Cognac Pierre Ferrand.

Much like the award-winning Citadelle Gin, Citadelle Vodka is the culmination of centuries of distilling expertise. Both are named after the Citadelle, a historic French bastion and home of Dunkirk Distillery. Established in 1771, the Dunkirk Distillery produced the finest gin of its day. In an age of mass-production, no shortcuts are taken in creating Citadelle Vodka. Distilled in small, artisan batches in the heart ofFrance’sCognacregion; Citadelle has the benefit of 300 years of distillation craftsmanship.
 
Gabriel & Andreu’s two flavored vodkas are Citadelle Apple and Citadelle Raspberry. According toRéchou,Francehas a 500-year tradition of using apples in distillation with the making of Calvados, the famed brandy ofNormandy. Up to 300 varieties of apples can be used to make the drink. "Since G&A makes its own Calvados," Réchou says, "we thought this experience would be a great asset for making the finest apple vodka."

Gabriel & Andreu’s proficiency with raspberries in the making of its acclaimed Mathilde Raspberry Liqueur translated easily into Citadelle Raspberry Vodka. Réchou uses a mix of natural fruits and ingredients to make the raspberry-flavored vodka. "The proper use of fruits can create incredible, intense tasting vodkas with the pure aromas of the fruit itself. My goal here was to capture the pure essence of the fruit. When nosing our vodka, you should be experiencing the fruit itself," explains Réchou.

While Réchou’s recipe remains his exclusive secret, only 100% natural ingredients are used to achieve these two unique tasting vodkas. As a guarantee of perfect quality and respect for their traditions, Réchou proudly signs each individual bottle. In order to have a perfect balance, they are bottled at 70 proof. Citadelle’s three new vodkas are sure to delight vodka enthusiasts everywhere with their elegance and distinctive flavors.

The recipe for Citadelle French Gin was created in the Citadelle Distillery of Dunkirk in 1771.France's oldest registered gin distillery, Citadelle was uniquely placed to take the advantage of the flourishing maritime trade routes of the Middle Ages. Dunkirk was the first port of call back in Europe for many seafaring explorers returning from the Orient, their ships laden with exotic herbs and spices such as coriander and cinnamon.

The abundance of those spices, or botanicals, persuaded renowned French distillers Carpeau and Stival to build 12 traditional copper pot stills in the Citadelle, the historic fortress protecting the town. The same class of still is employed to make Citadellegin today. So is Carpeau and Stival's authentic original recipe, which was discovered by French fine liquor producers Gabriel & Andreu as they investigated the old Dunkirk distillery
 
 
There is no tasting fee for this special event.
 
We look forward to seeing you Friday in Fort Lauderdale and Saturday in Aventura.