Leading the UK Armagnac Renaissance with World-Renowned Sempé
Over the past 35 years we’ve pioneered the UK Armagnac market and we’re delighted to continue our efforts with world-renowned Sempé Armagnac who has joined our premium spirits portfolio.
The initial launch includes four different expressions of Armagnac and two traditional aperitifs, including a very rare single-barrel cask strength Armagnac which is expected to be snapped up by collectors and connoisseurs.
The range has been masterminded by father and son team, James and Jack Rackham, who between them have over 40 years of expertise in Armagnac. James has spent the last year working with Gérard Paiau at Sempé, blending and hand-selecting casks especially for the UK market.
Founded in 1934 by Abel Sempé at just 22 years old, multi award-winning Sempé has always been celebrated as a forward-thinking and pioneering Armagnac house, modelled in the image of its founder. Sempé was a legendary character in the region who devoted his life to two pursuits: Armagnac and the French republic. A leader of the French Resistance, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his heroic wartime efforts, before turning to his expertise in cask maturation and blending. He continued to champion his Armagnacs at home and abroad – becoming the first Armagnac house to export its wares.
Despite an innovative outlook, a deep-rooted respect for savoir-faire and terroir remains imperative to Sempé’s growers and cellarmasters to this day; they still work with the short column stills that are traditional in the region and its grape growers continue to uphold the reputation for quality that Sempé cultivated.
Jack commented: ‘We’re so pleased to be bringing such an iconic brand to the UK. It has been so exciting to blend the new expressions for our market and to carry on in Sempé’s innovative tradition with the new single cask Armagnac releases. There’s a real appetite for Armagnac in the UK right now and we’re excited to be part of the journey as the category continues to flourish.’
“James has spent the last year working with Gérard Paiau at Sempé, blending and hand-selecting casks especially for the UK market.”
Jérôme Lassus, Export Manager Sempé added : ‘We are very excited about this collaboration and sharing our Armagnac with the UK. Without the English, Armagnac wouldn’t exist, so it feels right to be working with James and Jack on this release, sharing our expertise with the Emporia Brands team which shares the family spirit that is so central to our Armagnac house.’
Discover the full range available here. Now available to order in the UK, distributed by Emporia Brands.
