The Cognac Process – Part 13. Post War Prosperity
The end of World War II ushered in nearly 30 years of increasing cognac prosperity. The body that was formed to monitor the quality and movement of cognac was known as the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC). It managed to greatly improve the relationship between growers and merchants and was, in turn, lubricated by their prosperity. The biggest changes came in the structure of the major firms. In 1947 Martell and Hennessy did not renew their partnership agreement. Martell remained independent and Hennessy merged with the Champagne firm, Moet & Chandon. In 1971 these ‘Big Two’ houses became the ‘Big Four’ as Courvoisier and Remy Martin expanded – Courvoisier, which was established in the late 18th Century, had just been taken over by Hiram Walker and Remy Martin had grown rapidly without external input specialising, at the time, in Grande Champagne cognacs.
Now it is Hermitage Cognacs that specialise in cognacs from the premier cru.