Louis Roque was part of a family of distillers whose roots can be traced back to 1835. In 1905, he moved to a former convent in Souillac, where he began distilling pears and plums provided by local farmers, and creating brandies aged in oak casks in the property’s cellars, which he then sold. The business was continued by his descendants after his death and is today run by his grandson.

La Vieille Prune de Souillac de Louis Roque is probably the best known brand of this drink. A dozen varieties of plum are used in the recipe. It is bottled after at least two years’’ ageing in cask.