A family affair
Descended from a long line of wine and spirit merchants whose origins date back to the 17th century, Bertrand Auriol created his own trading and consultancy business in 2009.
Bertrand Auriol is the grandson of Henriette Gautier, the last to bear the family name, and herself a descendent of the Protestant family who founded the renowned Guy Gautier & C° in 1697 – one of the oldest cognac trading companies.
But well before 1697 and from 1625 onwards, the company traded all sorts of commodities in addition to wines and Eaux-de-Vie. The commodities they traded included spices, indigos, fabrics and salt. Bertrand Auriol is thus a member of a family that has been linked for over three centuries to the economy of the region of Cognac, and to Eaux-de-Vie in particular.
"The founder Jean Guy GAUTIER at his store in approximately 1698" >
Career
Throughout the course of his career, Bertrand Auriol has been awarded the complete trust of some of the biggest names in spirits, having been initiated, after his university studies, into the mysteries of distillation, ageing, blending and marketing. He joined the LVMH Group in a subsidiary of Hennessy cognac, the company Pellisson, which later became Raynal & Cie. He quickly received the title of Cellar Master.
Responsible for the purchasing and processing of these Eaux-de-Vie, he created a wide range of blends for the international Three Barrels and Raynal brands, which at the time were widely sold in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world by Diageo.
As a member of the Company Management Committee, he played a central role in making strategic decisions on behalf of the successive shareholders; most recently the Scotch Whiskies company William Grant Distillers & Sons. Administrator for many years of the National Pineau Committee, Bertrand Auriol was also a member of the Board of the French Brandy Federation (FFB) until 2009.
- The company Bertrand Auriol & Cie benefits from unique assets:
- A long family history dating back to before the founding of New York.
- The exceptionally rich and varied professional experience of its manager.
