The Roger Groult cognac house was founded in the 19th century on the Clos de la Hurvanière farming estate in the upper part of Pays d’Auge, in Saint-Cyr du Roncerary, where cider pears are grown. In 1860, Pierre Groult began distilling the spirit and the move soon bore its fruit, with his son Léon Groult building a second cellar and installing two stills that are still used today. Wounded in the Great War, he was unable to continue working and his son Roger took over, in the process adding his name to the family brand. The house is still run by the Groult family today. It now owns 27 hectares of high and low orchards where some 30 varieties of cider apple are grown. The Calvados are created through double distillation in pot stills according to the criteria of the Calvados Pays d’Auge appellation, and aged in various types of cask and barrel. Some are finished in more original casks.

Roger Groult Réserve Ancestrale is the most prestigious cuvée in the range. It is a Calvados Pays d’’Auge produced from the estate’’s oldest calvados. Ageing and blending are completed in a solera-style system, with only a small quantity being bottled from the cask, before the cask is then topped up with younger—but already very old—calvados. This ensures consistency between cuvées but also enables the oldest spirits to continue to age without losing steam. Annual production volumes for this cuvée are therefore very low to protect the heart of the blend.