The Good & Great Cognac Houses – Hine

Hine is one of the most venerable and deservedly respected names in Cognac. It was founded by an immigrant from Dorset, Thomas Hine, who settled in Jarnac in 1791 and married into the Delamain family and became a partner.

The Hine company was founded in 1817 by Thomas who died aged 47. He was succeeded by Isaac Georges (1843-1902), Georges Thomas (1881-1940), Francois Thomas,(1908-1983), Robert (1912-1994) and Bernard Thomas Hine 1939 the current Hine family member.  The firm became well known for the cognacs it shipped in cask to British Wine Merchants, for bottling under its name for sale to the aristocracy (the firm still supplies the Royal Family).

With reluctance Hine accepted the necessity for its own trademark, the stag (this may be a pun, since a hind is a female deer), and only introduced after the Second World War. In 1971 Hine was bought by the Distillers company, which was itself taken over by Guinness in 1986, and was then sold by them to Hennessy. The firm is still run by the cousins Jacques and Bernard Hine, the founder’s great-great-great-grandsons.

Bernard Hine, a well known taster still blends Hines Cognacs to maintain the family’s tradition of elegance and lightness. Hine has neither stills nor vines of its own, buying half its cognacs young, the other half old. They use only small Limousin casks to store their cognacs.

The Hine style excludes cognacs from the Borderies, so the cognacs are only from the Champagnes and the premier Fins Bois. At their best Hines cognacs have a rare balance of warmth, depth and elegance. But their necessary and newer dependence on younger eaux de vie has reduced the minimum ages of their blended cognacs, which tends to affect their balance. Hine has always sold cognacs to be matured in Britain, many of which have a fine elegance as a result of their long ageing and proving that vintages do matter in Cognac.