43°57'23.0"N 0°22'36.3"E
About Us
OADE Armagnac was founded in 2023 by Dan Hakker, following a 20-year career in the tech industry. Through his experience, he prioritized the value of relationships, the art of persistence, and the thrill of chasing something meaningful, all skills that would prove essential in his second act. During this period, Dan and his wife Robyn were developing a passion for quality spirits. Throughout the 2010s, they visited over 100 distilleries across four continents, meeting producers, exploring methods, and diving into the stories that make each spirit distinct.
In 2018, a first taste of Armagnac revealed a spirit unlike any other, rich with complexity, depth, and character. That moment led to an intense exploration through reading, tasting, and learning about its traditions. The journey soon led to Gascony, the small region in southwest France where Armagnac has been crafted for centuries. One visit was enough to inspire a mission to share this unique discovery with fellow spirits enthusiasts back home.
While Armagnac has a long and storied history dating back to the 14th century, it has largely remained under the radar outside of France. The region is home to over 500 producers, many of them small, family-owned operations with deep roots in the land. Most produce only a few barrels each year and hold inventories of fewer than 250 in their cellars. The spirit is aged for decades in French oak, and every variable—such as grape varietal, terroir, vintage conditions, and cooperage—shapes the identity of each unique barrel. No two casks are alike. Each one is a time capsule, holding its own legacy.
Over the last several years, there have been regular returns to France, spending time with producers, listening to their stories, and tasting countless casks in their cellars. Every cask selected for OADE is chosen directly from the source, based on its uniqueness, quality, and representation of the place it came from.
At OADE, each release is a single-barrel, cask-strength Armagnac with no additives, just as it is tasted in the cellar. By focusing on rare, high-quality barrels, OADE aims to bring authentic expressions of Armagnac to a broader audience with bottlings that reflect the people, land, and traditional methods behind them. This approach honors one of the oldest and most distinctive spirits in the world while celebrating the families who have been perfecting it for generations.
This is our journey. And we’re honored to share it with you— one barrel at a time.
