Chronicle

Heritage

A house built in Hamburg. A cognac selected in France. A bottle for a man who is no longer here.

  1. 1852

    Jakob Ferdinand Nagel founds J. Ferd. Nagel in Hamburg. Spirit house. 550 workers. 23 million litres annually through the port.

  2. 1873

    Vienna World Exhibition. Highest medal in class. The three-faced bottle dedicated to Emperor Franz Joseph. Then: withdrawal.

  3. 1873–

    The Black Forest. The fir resin, the forest herbs, the copper still. The spirit he names TANNENBLUT. The last legend.

  4. 2023–24

    Dr. Raphael Nagel revives the J. Ferd. Nagel heritage through JFN Spirituosen Hamburg GmbH. The Tannenblut Bereshit Series is launched — 3,000 numbered bottles of Black Forest gin, kosher certified. Press coverage across Germany and Switzerland.

  5. 2024

    The search for the Cognac. Two years of selection in the Charente. The criterion: a ten-year X.O. with complete alcohol integration, visible rancio, and a mineral finish. Found. Sixty bottles filled and numbered.

  6. 2024

    Dr. Raphael Nagel's father passes. The Réserve Privée was already in preparation. The dedication is written. The selection becomes a tribute.

  7. 2025

    J. Ferd. Nagel Cognac Réserve Privée X.O. is released. Sixty bottles. Kosher certified. Each numbered. Each documented. The insignia of the house.