Our exceptional partners: Radoux cooperage

For the launch of its range of aged genepis, Maison Meunier has collaborated with Radoux, a great name in French cooperage, founded in 1947. And what better time to highlight their expertise and know-how? Discover the history of the cooperage, and the collaboration with the Meunier Distillery through the Hors d'Âge genepi.

The barrel and aging

Oak has many virtues, and can have a real impact on the aromas of wines and spirits. The latter can be aged in oak barrels for several months or years, which will modify their aromatic expression and their structure.

It is during this ageing in oak barrels that a spirit becomes richer in color, aroma and texture. This maturation stage will make all the difference on the final product.

To age a spirit, the choice of wood is therefore very important, because it will extract aromatic and structural compounds. Two types of oak are traditionally used in cooperage: French oak and American oak. The latter will bring more or less aromatic complexity, greed, roundness, tannins, depending on their species.

Then, during its manufacture, the barrel undergoes phases of toasting of a more or less pronounced intensity. It is this toasting that will allow the development of very specific aromas, more or less roasted, more or less smoked.

The collaboration between Radoux and Meunier

Located in Jonzac, in the heart of the Cognac vineyards, the Radoux cooperage specializes in the manufacture of brandy barrels. It is also a reference in the spirits market, so it was an obvious choice for Maison Meunier to work with it.

For the cooperage, it was an exploratory approach because it had never worked with plant liqueurs before. For many months, a series of tests followed one another. A long work of wood and toasting to find the perfect marriage. 

The objective was to preserve the delicate aromas of Génépi. The toasting was therefore set to a medium intensity to respect the plant and bring a woody aromatic complexity in the background. This process preserves a certain freshness and tension necessary to a product that can inspire beautiful combinations with dishes or in mixology.

Our Hors d'Âge genepi has been aged for several years in 300L French and American oak barrels. This ageing has given the liqueur the patina of wood and oxygenation allowing the different ingredients to melt and bind together.

On the nose, woody and spicy notes accompany the herbaceous and floral aromas of the Génépi.

In the mouth, a round and greedy attack reveals a range of woody and pastry flavors with notes of caramel, toast and vanilla. A spicy finish where we find at the end of the mouth the vegetal universe of the bouquet of aromatic plants.

Find our génépi Hors d'Âge on the e-shop here !