At Château de Lacquy, each grape varietal is distilled separately to obtain full expression of each variety’s characteristics.
Distillation takes place shortly after fermentation, in October-November, using a still built in 1939, owned by the estate and made of 3 tons of copper and 90 meters of coils. This continuous still is perfectly suited to making Armagnac. Wood-fired and very slow, it makes 2 barrels of 420 litres each, per day. It has one column with five layers through which the alcohol vapours rise in and wash through the wine, which flows downward via a highly ingenious system of condensers that look like spider legs, and which purify the volatile ethers.
The Armagnac coming out of the still measures 52% to 54% alcohol by volume. At this stage it is a transparent, round, highly aromatic spirit that is very fruity and smooth, with no aggressivity whatsoever. It flows directly into a 420-litre oak barrel that will later be brought to the ageing cellar.
