Ferroni

The history of the Maison Ferroni

Maison Ferroni has its roots in the Marseille of the late 18th century, when the Phocaean city was, along with Bordeaux and Le Havre, one of the main ports of arrival for colonial goods. Among these exotic products was, of course, rum, which many traders made popular at the time.

Guillaume Ferroni was born in Marseille, and discovered the world of the bar in the early 2000s. He quickly developed a passion for cocktails and spirits, and became a collector of old books and manuscripts. He then recreated old cocktail recipes from the 18th century, then became more interested in rum, until he became a true historian.

This passion also led him to open his own establishments in the early 2010s. Thus were born the bars Dans les arbres and Carry Nation, in Aubagne and Marseille. It was also at this time that Guillaume moved to the Château des Creissauds in Aubagne, which became an ideal playground.

Ever more absorbed by this world of spirits, he has made his own blends of rums, and even resurrected ancient liqueurs with his "series of lights". To market them, he set up the Bariana company (named after the first French book on cocktails, published in 1896), together with David Roussier of the Breton whisky distillery Warenghem.

A few years later, Maison Ferroni wore the hats of independent bottler, spirits breeder, importer, blender and even distiller.

The spirits of the Ferroni House

Marseille has always been Guillaume Ferroni's home base. This is why there is always a part of Provence in his work.

The house's first amber rum was aged in barrels of natural sweet wine from Rasteau. Then, some rums from the Caribbean and elsewhere, bottled in a reduced version or as brut de fût, undergo extensive ageing under the sun of the south of France. This ageing also has the particularity of reproducing the extreme conditions of an American whiskey cellar, since it is done under sheet metal, thus causing enormous temperature differences between day and night.

One of Guillaume Ferroni 's first passions was white rum, especially agricultural, and he created the Dame-Jeanne series, grouping together various origins. These white rums, such as Dame-Jeanne n°4 (Madeira), have benefited from a rest in an open dame-jeanne, during which they have softened by taking on the gentle air of Provence.

In the cellars of the house, there are dozens of experiments. Barrels of peated whisky (for the Boucan d'enfer), mini-barrels of cognac, barrels of Rye... You can also find the tuns where the famous Pastis Millésimé of the house rests. Guillaume's pride and joy, this pastis is made from plants harvested in the château's aromatic garden. The conditions being different each year, the proportions of each plant change with each vintage, hence the decision to introduce a notion of vintage.

A varied universe

From this garden, Guillaume Ferroni also draws the botanicals necessary for his gin. He is also a distiller, and expresses his creativity in all sorts of eaux-de-vie, using old stills from the 19th century.

It doesn't stop there, because reading and studying old manuscripts dedicated to disappeared liqueurs inspired him to bring them back to life. Ratafia de Marseille and Merveilleux Falernum, among others, are successful examples of such resurrections.

Through Guillaume's travels, the Maison Ferroni has also become an importer of spirits such as Vulcao grogue from Cape Verde. It also contributes to maintaining Marseille's heritage, by giving a boost to emblematic brands of the old port, such as Old Manada or Manikou. Read less