Armagnac has long lived in Cognac's shadow, but one Massachusetts family has quietly changed that. Heavenly Spirits, founded in 2008 by Christine Foubert Cooney and Daniel Cooney, now controls nearly half of all Armagnac sold in the United States, making it the unlikely gateway for American drinkers discovering France's oldest brandy.

The story starts in Saint-Jean-de-Liversay in Charente-Maritime, where Christine spent childhood summers with her grandparents, whose farm included a small winery and still. A 1986 flight from Iceland introduced her to Dan, and after stints in San Francisco and then France — where they lived in her grandparents' old house and met producers wanting US market access — the couple settled in Massachusetts and launched the business formally in 2008.

Today the company runs a portfolio of more than 100 premium French spirits from small, family-owned producers, distributed to roughly 38 states. Its anchor is Armagnac Delord, a historic house now run by its fifth generation, brothers Jérôme and Sylvain, and the best-selling Armagnac brand in the US. Around it sit five more Armagnac labels — Dartigalongue, Artez, Hontambère, Marie Duffau and LaRoche-Vacquié — spanning all three sub-regions: Bas Armagnac, Ténarèze and Haut Armagnac. The firm also leads in organic Cognac, organic Calvados and French whisky, with names like Jean Fillioux, Claque-Pépin and Brittany's Armorik single malt. France has taken notice: Christine was made a Chevalière de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 2023, and both Cooneys are lifetime members of the Compagnie des Mousquetaires d'Armagnac.

Why should travellers care? Because Armagnac country — Gascony, in France's southwest — remains one of the most rewarding corners of wine tourism, far less polished and crowded than Cognac. Visits to houses like Dartigalongue, the oldest house in the region, or small growers in Bas Armagnac mean tasting vintages decades old, often poured by the family who made them. The Cooneys' roster is a ready-made map of producers worth seeking out, from the rolling vineyards around Eauze and Condom to the eastern reaches of Haut Armagnac. Many domaines welcome visitors by appointment, and cellar-door prices for vintage Armagnac routinely undercut what the same bottle costs in the US.

For drinkers who want a head start at home, Heavenly Spirits' brands make the region's style accessible — often single-distilled, vintage-dated and more rustic than Cognac. Then book the trip: Gascony pairs its brandy with foie gras, Armagnac-infused prunes and sleepy bastide towns, plus easy day trips to Toulouse or Bordeaux. The d'Artagnan country that gave Armagnac its swashbuckling reputation is still gloriously under-visited.

First reported by France Today.