History

Distillerie Tessendier was founded from the Tessendier family's involvement in wine and spirits. In 1880 the family bought its first vineyards, and shortly after, Gaston Tessendier, who was a mathematics teacher, began planting vines on the estate in Borderies cru in Javrezac. What started as a hobby developed into a family business whose knowledge and experience have been passed down through generations. Brothers Jérôme and Lilian Tessendier take key roles as Cellar Master and Master Blender and possess expertise in all stages of spirit creation.

Overview and Approach

Distillerie Tessendier controls the entire production chain from vineyard to distillery, cellar and bottling, using an integrated approach to ensure quality and consistency in their products. They describe a continuous striving for high quality and adaptation to market needs for bespoke spirits.

Grain-based Spirits and Wash

For grain-based spirits they malt (germinated grain) with a focus on environment and employee well-being. Fermentation forms the wash, which is the basis for future whiskies. The wash is an important base for the distillation process and the subsequent maturation of the products.

Distillation and Equipment

There are six distillation stills and the Charentais method with double distillation is used to maintain high quality, even on a large scale. Tessendier maintains consistently high standards of cleanliness and safety and ensures precise control of temperatures and other parameters during both fermentation and distillation to achieve the desired aromatic profiles.

Maturation and Tasting

Aging is a crucial phase with many parameters that can affect flavor. They ask themselves which type of cask provides the desired aromatic profile, how long it should be aged, and in which cellars. The process includes regular tastings to allow the spirits to develop their full aroma and structure over time. Blending is an art that requires experience, mastery and emotional investment to create consistent and complex products.

Vineyards and Malting

The Domaine du Buisson is maintained by the whole team on a daily basis to ensure high quality of grape-based spirits. Tessendier places a strong emphasis on the roots of the vines in the vineyard and describes a cycle from pruning to harvest, where the plants receive the necessary attention to ensure the quality of their grape-based spirits. Their approach emphasizes control of the process from vineyard to distillery and onward to the cellar and bottling.

Visitor and Customer Experiences

After years in the cellars, the spirits are presented to distributors and consumers so they can enjoy the result of the work. Tessendier also collaborates with other spirit producers for distribution in the French market.

Key Figures and Infrastructure

• 6 stills
• 2 packaging lines
• 22 hectares of vineyards
• 1 distillery
• 1,000 blends per year
• 14 cellars
• 20,000 new oak barrels
• 12 million liters stored

Products / Whisky Series

Arlett French Whisky

Arlett is the Tessendier family's French whisky, which develops a powerful aroma and a combination of intensity and generosity in the flavor.

Seven Yards Scotch Whisky

Seven Yards is a Scotch Whisky aged in cellars with carefully selected casks that give complex aromas and depth of flavor. The whisky portfolio also includes other types of spirits, but Arlett and Seven Yards are explicitly mentioned as the core offerings within their whisky range.

Philosophy

Creating Spirits for Ambitious Customers

Distillerie Tessendier describes a constant striving for the highest quality to meet consumer demands and trends through adapting methods, creation and production of bespoke spirits. They have a fully in-house setup, from a laboratory and two filling lines to distillation and brewing equipment, which enables them to realize today’s and tomorrow’s products efficiently.

Mastery and Values

Mastery is nothing without values is a central idea. They emphasize that they cultivate the grapes, carefully select the wine, distill and mature the spirits in casks from local cooperatives and bottling facilities on site so they have full control over every drop that is sent or bottled. The brothers Jérôme and Lilian Tessendier form the heart of the company and combine three generations of experience with a continued search for new techniques to achieve the desired aroma and flavor at an appropriate price.