What Delamain Cognac does

Delamain Cognac (legal entity DELAMAIN et Cie) is a family-owned French cognac producer founded in 1824 and headquartered at 9 Rue Jacques et Robert Delamain in Jarnac, Charente, France. The company specializes exclusively in Grande Champagne, the premier cru of the Cognac delimited region, sourced in part from its own 21-hectare contiguous estate, Domaine La Rambaudie, which is HVE-certified. Its portfolio is organized into three collections — Prologue (entry tier, anchored by Folio Natura), Prestige (Pale & Dry XO, Delamain XO, Delamain XXO, L'Oiseau Rare) and Pléiade (vintage millésimes, single-vineyard and Ancestral single-cask bottlings) — and in 2024 the house issued L'Édition Rare du Bicentenaire, a 200-bottle anniversary release.

Production follows a traditional, non-interventionist methodology: eaux-de-vie are aged in old 350-liter Limousin oak casks that preserve fruit character over wood influence, and the flagship Pale & Dry XO, created in 1920, is elaborated without added sugar or colorant. Aging occurs across multiple historic cellars on the Jarnac property, including an 18th-century Grand Chai with limestone walls, dedicated single-cask cellars, and a 13th-century crypt, supporting a deep aged eaux-de-vie library that underpins vintage and brut-de-fût releases. Blending and cellar-master decisions are made by a Maître de Chai whose role has been held across generations, currently Charles Braastad (ninth generation of the Delamain family, direct descendant of founder James Delamain), who succeeded Dominique Touteau in 2024 after Dominique's 40-year tenure.

Delamain operates a direct-to-consumer and experience-led commercial model. Revenue is generated primarily through bottle sales via a proprietary global e-commerce storefront (Cognatheque) and through four paid estate experiences in Jarnac priced from €35 (Sensorial Introduction) to €295 (Cellar Dining). The company identifies two target segments — private luxury spirit connoisseurs and the luxury hospitality sector (high-end restaurants, hotels, clubs) — and its distribution is supplemented regionally through the Bollinger Group, of which Delamain is a constituent house. The business remains privately held, family-controlled, and capacity-constrained by the long aging cycles intrinsic to cognac production.

Name

Delamain Cognac

Legal name

DELAMAIN et CIE

Website

https://delamain-cognac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1824

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Delamain Cognac is a family-owned French cognac house founded in 1824, producing exclusively Grande Champagne premier cru cognacs across three collections (Prologue, Prestige, Pléiade) and serving luxury connoisseurs and high-end hospitality clients through proprietary e-commerce and paid estate experiences in Jarnac.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Cognac

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-category Luxury Maisons (Jewelry/Watches/Leather/RTW) (CRAKAFAA), Premium, Rare & Collectible Alcohol Retail (Fine Wine/Spirits) (CRANAAAJ)

Keywords

• Aged cognac spirits
• Grande champagne cognac
• Luxury cognac producer
• Single vineyard cognac
• Vintage cognac collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Jarnac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cognac Sales: Sale of premium and prestige cognac bottles across three collections: Prologue, Pléiade, and Prestige. Products range from entry-level XO to rare vintage and single cask expressions.
2. Estate Experiences: Revenue from paid visits and tasting experiences including Sensorial Introduction (€35), The Wonders of Ageing (€50), Patrimoine et Luxe (€125), and Cellar Dining (€295 per person).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Delamain Cognac is a family-owned Grande Champagne cognac house founded in 1824 that crafts, ages, and sells ultra-premium aged cognacs across three collections (Prologue, Pléiade, Prestige) along with limited bicentenary releases, complemented by paid estate tasting experiences and gastronomic dinners at its historic Jarnac property. The house produces exclusively from its own 21-hectare HVE-certified vineyard using long oak aging and a no-additive, non-interventionist method.

Product overview

Delamain Cognac is a family-owned cognac house founded in 1824, specializing exclusively in Grande Champagne premier cru cognacs. The company operates a 21-hectare estate in Jarnac, France, and crafts three collections: The Prologue (led by Folio Natura), the Prestige Collection (featuring Pale & Dry XO as the flagship, Delamain XO, Delamain XXO, and L'Oiseau Rare), and the Pléiade Collection (comprising single vineyard Domaine La Rambaudie, vintage Millésimes including 1986/1995, and rare cask Ancestral expressions). In 2024, the company released the Bicentenary Limited Edition to celebrate 200 years of operation. Experiences include cellar visits, tastings, and gastronomic dinners at their Jarnac estate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pale & Dry XO: The flagship emblematic cognac, created in 1920, known for its pale color and dry profile without added sugar or colorant
• L'Oiseau Rare
• Delamain XO
• Delamain XXO
• Domaine La Rambaudie
• Ancestral 26.1
• 1986
• L'Édition Rare du Bicentenaire
• Folio Natura

Products and services

• Pale & Dry XO The emblematic flagship prestige-collection cognac of Delamain, created in 1920 by Jacques and Robert Delamain. It is elaborated without added sugar or colorant, aged in old oak casks, and features a pale color and delicate flavor profile with notes of vanilla, apricot and orange zest, targeting individual connoisseurs and luxury collectors.
• Delamain XO A prestige-collection Grande Champagne cognac aged in the 18th-century Grand Chai cellar with limestone walls providing ideal humidity and temperature conditions, offering notes of undergrowth, oak, citrus, candied fruits and exotic passion fruit for individual connoisseurs.
• Delamain XXO A prestige-collection cognac aged in an elevated chai with windows, allowing drier environmental conditions and daily climate variations, distinguished by deep complexity and notes of pear compote, peach, wood, nutmeg, saffron and toasted flavors, for the individual luxury collector.
• L'Oiseau Rare The quintessence of the Delamain style in the prestige collection — a hors d'âge blend paying tribute to Jacques Delamain's writings on birds, featuring subtle floral notes, summer fruits (apricot, peach, pear), orange zest, cardamom and red fruits, with exceptional elegance and persistence for connoisseurs.
• L'Edition Rare du Bicentenaire A historic limited-edition prestige cognac released for Delamain's bicentenary in 2024, presented in a 10-liter dame-jeanne created by Maison Goossens, blending five exceptional eaux-de-vie from five generations of cellar masters and limited to 200 bottles for ultra-premium collectors and auction buyers.
• Folio Natura The Prologue collection cognac that introduces consumers to the Delamain style, drawing inspiration from nature and the artisanal approach, targeting individual luxury spirit enthusiasts seeking entry points into the Delamain range.
• Domaine La Rambaudie A Pléiade collection single-vineyard cognac from Delamain's own 21-hectare HVE-certified estate at Domaine La Rambaudie in the heart of Grande Champagne, with notes of ripe cherries, muscat grapes, fresh fig, quince, vanilla, spices and delicate leather, offered to advanced collectors.
• 1986 Millésime (Vintage) A Pléiade collection vintage cognac from a single 1986 harvest, monitored under strict BNIC supervision, expressing the unique nature of that year and terroir with notes of roasted pineapple, bitter oranges, poached pear, quince, cocoa, nuts and leather, targeting vintage-cognac collectors.
• Ancestral 26.1 A Pléiade collection rare cask cognac bottled brut de fût (directly from cask) from rare barrels preserved across decades by successive generations of cellar masters, designated 'Ancestral' and offered as a limited single-cask release to advanced collectors.
• Sensorial Introduction (Estate Experience) An entry-level paid tasting experience at the Jarnac headquarters (€35 per person, 1-hour duration) that includes a guided visit and tasting of Pale & Dry XO, designed for consumers seeking an introduction to Grande Champagne cognac.
• The Wonders of Ageing (Estate Experience) An intermediate paid tasting experience at Jarnac (€50 per person, 1h30 duration) that includes a visit to the Vintage, Single Cask and 13th-century Crypt cellars plus a guided tasting of three cognacs from the Pléiade collection.
• Patrimoine et Luxe (Estate Experience) A premium paid food-pairing experience at Jarnac (€125 per person, 2h+ duration) including Pale & Dry XO served frozen, rare single-cask and vintage Pléiade cognacs, L'Oiseau Rare and regional food pairings.
• Cellar Dining (Estate Experience) A luxury gastronomic paid estate experience (€295 per person, intimate group of 6-8 guests) offering an intimate multi-sensory dinner in the Grand Chai at Jarnac, available from May through September for luxury hospitality and connoisseur clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Grande Champagne - Delamain exclusively uses eaux-de-vie from the premier cru of Cognac
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maison GoossenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Goossens, one of the twelve Houses of Art under CHANEL, created the iconic 10-liter dame-jeanne for the Bicentenary edition. This masterpiece sculpture comprises 245 pieces inspired by birds of the vineyard and organic elements, representing exceptional craftsmanship that elevated the limited edition launch.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hennessy: Hennessy is the global cognac category leader (LVMH), selling across all price points and geographies. It is the dominant incumbent whose marketing spend and distribution define the competitive context for ultra-premium players like Delamain.
• Courvoisier: Courvoisier is a top-five global cognac house (Beam Suntory) with broad XO and VSOP tiers plus luxury expressions. It competes with Delamain in hospitality, gifting, and ultra-premium positioning.
• Martell: Martell is one of the oldest and largest Cognac houses (Pernod Ricard), with a wide portfolio including high-end Borderies and single-vintage releases, directly comparable in prestige-tier offer to Delamain's Pléiade.

Direct peers

• Rémy Martin: Rémy Martin is the closest direct peer: a Cognac house also focused on Fine Champagne Cognac (Grande and Petite Champagne blends) and the leading ultra-premium cognac brand globally. Directly comparable in target customer, distribution model, and premium positioning.
• Hine Cognac: Hine is a family-tradition-focused Cognac producer with estate-based production and aged, single-vintage releases, closely mirroring Delamain's artisanal Grande Champagne approach and limited-edition collector strategy.
• Larsen Cognac: Larsen is a Cognac producer with a strong premium and reserve offering, particularly in travel retail, and competes with Delamain for ultra-premium on-trade and gifting occasions.
• Camus Cognac: Camus is a family-owned Grande Champagne cognac house, comparable in size and category, with a similar emphasis on terroir-driven blends and export-driven luxury positioning.
• Hardy Cognac: Hardy is a historic family-owned Cognac house with a long heritage (1863) and a portfolio spanning XO, vintage, and rare expressions, directly overlapping Delamain's premium and prestige tiers.
• Frapin Cognac: Frapin is a single-estate Grande Champagne cognac producer with a focus on single-vintage and Très Vieille Réserve expressions. Highly comparable in estate ownership, ultra-premium tier, and family heritage narrative.

Emerging players

• Château de Beaulon: Château de Beaulon is a smaller, estate-based Fine Champagne cognac and Pineau des Charentes producer with collector-focused vintage releases, offering a boutique alternative comparable to Delamain's Pléiade approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DelamainCognac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cognac-delamain
• Instagraminstagram.com/delamaincognac
• Xx.com/DelamainCognac

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Delamain Cognac