Between 2005 and 2008, Pierre and Luc, Gilles Merlet’s sons, decided to get involved in the activities of the distillery. The very experimented Gilles remained at the helm to pass on his know-how and thirst for innovation.

Pierre spends most of his time working on the production and quality of the Merlet range, while Luc takes charge of its commercialization and marketing. The new generation follows in the footsteps of their father, but also brings a new vision to the Merlet range.

Under the leadership of Gilles and his sons, the brand has kept on growing. In 2009, after numerous tests, they successfully pursued one of Gilles’ old projects: combining his distilling and liquor making expertise in one product.

The C² range was born. Then, after 160 years distilling for large cognac houses, they decided to develop their own cognac. And so in 2010, the Brothers Blend Cognac was launched – it has since been followed by a whole range and some unique cuvées. While developing these new products, the Merlets never stopped working on their first loves: with Lune d’Abricot, Trois Citrus and Soeurs Cerises, the liqueur range has never stopped expanding.

The growth of Merlet liqueurs on the export markets took place right when the cocktail was experiencing a renaissance in several capitals, with London at its forefront. The quality of the Merlet fruit liqueurs seduced the best bartenders, and opened new perspectives for the products. This led the distillery to create in 2011 its cocktail competition for professionals, Sidecar by Merlet. It is now organised in almost twenty countries.