Family traces go way back to 1246, in the form of the King's Musketeer, D'Artagnan (born Charles de Batz), but it was really not until around the middle of the 1th century that the Gélas family linked its own destiny to that of Armagnac. In 1865, Guillaume Gélas, a respected barrel maker, bequeathed his business to his son Baptiste, who in turn created the Maison Gélas. He duly moved into the premises currently occupied by the firm, and embarked on the business of making and selling Armagnacs.