The Good & Great Cognac Houses – Delamain
Delamain is one of the oldest cognac houses, it’s history dates back to around 1759 when James Delamain returned from Ireland. The family had emigrated there in 1625 in the suite of Henrietta Maria, the sister of the French King Louis XIII and wife of Charles I.
Three years after his return he joined his father in law, Isaac Ranson, perhaps one of the most famous names in 18th century negoçiant’s. La Rochelle was widely regarded by foreigners around 1700 as the port where brandies were shipped and the Ransons were believed to be trading around 1700 but were involved in a famous brandy dispute in 1604. After James Delamain returned from Ireland, Isaac Ranson gave James the Paris business which effectively safeguarded him from the Irish recession in the early 1760’s. The firm became known as Ranson & Delamain and were almost certainly the biggest shippers at the time and were associated with other famous names such as Augier, Richard, Guérinet, Brunet and Riget.
In the early 19th century the Delamains cousins, the Roullets entered the business and it became known as Roullet & Delamain, a name which existed for more than a hundred years. By 1920 the firm reverted back to just Delamain and remains a family firm: mothers and grandmothers of the directors Alain Braastard and Patrick Peyrelongue were nêe Delamain. The firm is now managed by Alain’s son Charles is situated on the Charente at Jarnac and supplies quite oaky cognacs from its attractive cellars.
Many of the cognacs it supplies are quite pale in colour and giving rise to the best known brand, Pale and Dry. Today, and for commercial reasons most of their more modern cognacs contain sugar syrup and caramel but some of their early vintages are regarded by many as traditional English cognacs.
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