Audemus Spirits

Audemus Spirits was founded in 2013 in the Cognac region by Australian-born Michael “Miko” Abouaf. Before establishing the company, Abouaf worked in finance and studied social psychology before moving into spirits production, spending several years distilling Cognac for Courvoisier and Martell. The company was legally created on 7 May 2013, initially operating from La Barde near Cognac before moving its establishment to Cognac later that year.

Audemus developed around small-scale vacuum distillation. Abouaf has described the original Cognac setup as two 30-litre glass reactors together with a rotary evaporator. Botanicals are generally macerated and distilled separately at reduced pressure and temperature before the individual distillates are blended, an approach influenced by both perfumery and laboratory extraction techniques.

Ian “Bob” Spink joined Audemus in 2014 and was responsible largely for the commercial development and international promotion of the company. The partnership between Abouaf and Spink ended in early 2024, while Abouaf has continued to operate Audemus Spirits from Cognac. The company’s best-known product is Pink Pepper Gin, alongside releases such as Umami, Covert Liqueur and numerous limited editions and collaborations. Audemus was named Craft Producer of the Year at the 2020 Icons of Gin awards, and Pink Pepper Gin received Gold Outstanding at the IWSC in 2022.

Aquavit has appeared more than once in the company’s work. In 2019 Audemus collaborated with Bache-Gabrielsen on its Cognac-produced Aquavit, while the separate Audemus-branded Christmas bottling documented in December 2022 shows that the distillery later produced or bottled aquavit under its own identity as well.