Bache Gabrielsen Cognac
The Cognac House of Bache-Gabrielsen was founded by Thomas Bache-Gabrielsen from Holmestrand in 1905. Several generations later the business is still owned and run by the Bache-Gabrielsen family. It is now being run by Thomas Bache-Gabrielsen's great-grandson Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen, who recently took over the day-to-day management from his father, Christian Bache-Gabrielsen. The cellar master, cognac blender or nose – the vital human factor in cognac who monitors the unique marriage between spirit and wood that makes a good cognac Jean-Philippe Bergier, Bache-Gabrielsen’s experienced Cellar Master, is responsible for looking after the maturing casks, as well as buying and blending all the products and giving the various cognacs the same character year after year.
Unique blend combinations can be discovered in the course of this taste testing – and new products and hidden treasures see the light of day. Jean-Philippe knows Bache-Gabrielsen’s cellars like the back of his hand, having practised his art there since 1989. He is passionately interested in spirits and enjoys exploring aromas, all types of flavors and fragrances, not only related to Cognac. A lot of time is devoted to cultivating the senses of smell and taste which are essential in his trade.
Jean-Philippe Bergier was born into a family of wine growers and distillers that have been active in the Petite Champagne region for generations. He has his own farm near the village Brives in Petite Champagne and is educated at the world’s only University dedicated to Spirits; Université Internationale des eaux de vie et boissons in Segonzac, Cognac. He is well recognized for his ability to identify aromas and is, as a result of this, a member of the tasting panel at BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac), the regulatory board of Cognac.
On the subject of job satisfaction he states:”It is a thrill to discover new aromas every time I taste a new cognac. I am frequently surprised by the differences I discover in various cognacs. I enjoy discussing cognac, sharing my passion for the development of a product over time, selecting products which I store for decades and then to discover something unique”. “A cellar master travels in time, and manipulates it. Some times as far back as the 1870’s (as in Bache-Gabrielsens Tribute, launched in 2005 celebrating our first 100 years), and future cellar masters will be able to explore and experiment with the treasures I have laid to rest in our cellars”.
