Jasmine: Maisonnette’s delicate signature

Beloved by perfumers, jasmine meshes perfectly with the core flavor profile of our award-winning craft gin, Citadelle. These flowers grow right at Château de Bonbonnet, just behind the distillery’s little house, where we hand-pick them for our gin.

Since the blooms last only a brief one to two-week period, we keep a close eye on them, harvesting at peak freshness to lock in the delicate aromas you’ll taste in Citadelle Maisonnette.

Mastering the art of micro-distillation

But jasmine’s delicacy also makes it extremely fragile. It practically “cooks” the moment it touches alcohol. What’s more, the high temperatures inside a Charentais pot still would trigger flavors we want to avoid. After many trials, our team concluded that the best way to preserve jasmine’s elegant beauty was to use a vacuum rotary evaporator, or rotavap. We place the buds in a flask with water gently heated to 40 °C, preserving all of the flower’s natural aromas and flavors.

For pinpoint precision, each ingredient (jasmine, thyme, and yuzu) was distilled on its own, then carefully blended into our original Citadelle Gin, which is crafted through progressive distillation of 19 botanicals. This patented method, created by our founder and master distiller Alexandre Gabriel, adjusts both maceration time and alcohol strength for each ingredient, optimally extracting their most subtle aromatic characteristics.

An ultra-limited edition available only at the distillery and aboard Barge 166

You can pick up Citadelle Maisonnette in our distillery shop or aboard our beloved Barge 166, just 996 bottles are available, a wink to Citadelle Gin’s birth year, 1996.

"Citadelle Maisonnette embodies our drive for innovation and authenticity. We created it as a one-of-a-kind experience for our visitors." - Alexandre Gabriel, Master Distiller of Citadelle Gin

Every bottle of Maisonnette is meant to bring you back to your visit and the meticulous care Maison Ferrand poured into this unique gin, making each sip a moment to remember.

Book your tour at Château de Bonbonnet today and uncover the secrets behind Citadelle Gin and Maisonnette!