Category: News

We are always excited by a new arrival, especially when it is one from the nineteenth century!  Our Hermitage Paradis1890 Grande Champagne Cognac is the fourth addition to our Paradis range and has just taken pride of place on our shelves.  To add some historical context, 1890 was the year that England witnessed the first official County Cricket match when Yorkshire beat Gloucestershire by 8 wickets. This remarkable cognac has spent more than 80 years in its oak cask slowly developing its rich aromas and complex flavours. There are aromas of marmalade, thyme, banana and spices with a rich and lovely complexity… Read more

“This luxurious French spirit will bring a touch of sophistication to any home bar” says The Independent about the lesser known French brandy, Calvados.  The article features 7 of the best on the market including our very popular Chateau du Breuil 15  Year  Old Pays d’Auge Calvados.  “Winner of a gold at the International Wine & Spirit Competition, you don’t have to just take our word for it that its good.”  We have always loved this beautifully presented calvados from the top cru.  “With its waxed lid and red-rope fastening, opening a bottle of this one feels like a ceremony… Read more

Cognac is known as the King of Brandies so makes the perfect gift this Father’s Day.  What better way to say “Thanks”, “I Love You” or just, “Enjoy”? It’s been a tricky time for everyone these last 12 months so, in preparation for this year’s special day we have spectacular offers on three of our very own Hermitage Cognacs: Hermitage 2010 Grande Champagne is our latest vintage, ideal for those wanting to try a new cognac. Hermitage Cafe 20 Grande Champagne is dark and robust, perfect for the coffee lover. Hermitage 40 Year Old Grande Champagne is a Master medal winner, the… Read more

“There can be few spirits with such an illustrious pedigree and premium connotations as Cognac.”  Following the last International Wine and Spirit’s Competition (IWSC) a list of the world’s six best cognacs was compiled.  How very pleasing it was to read that our Hermitage 2008 Grande Champagne Cognac was listed as one of them.  We have always known that this is a very special cognac.  Relatively youthful for one from the premier cru, it is just 10 years old, single-cask, single-estate and very expensive, but it is also one in a million.  The IWSC described it as “Fresh and powerful with a wealth… Read more

The Wine Merchant is the first trade magazine aimed solely at independent wine retailers and has been around for nearly 10 years.  This month it published a double page spread featuring the founder of Hermitage Cognac, David Baker, and some of Hermitage’s finest cognacs.  Dubbed ‘The Cognac Hunter’, his story is summed up in the introduction: David Baker uses his network of connections in the Grande Champagne region and beyond to seek out the kinds of long-aged, single estate cognacs that tell the story of this classic brandy in a far more evocative and compelling way than the big brands ever could. … Read more

Regular readers of our Blog will know that we have often compared the astronomical prices of aged and vintage whiskies to the far more modest cognac equivalents, but there are signs that this could be about to change.  Owen Bellwood, writing for The Spirits Business, has been investigating the latest trends in the cognac market and has published his findings here, on page 26.  Perhaps whisky is pricing itself out of the market, and collectors are looking further afield for their investments, but we have recently seen a rapid increase in the demand for ultra-premium pre-1900 cognacs.  This includes those that… Read more

The Cognac Masters 2021 results have just been announced and we are thrilled to report that our new Hermitage 1990 Grande Champagne Cognac, presented at 47% abv, received a Masters Medal.  Only 9 of these, the highest possible medal, were awarded in the entire competition so this is particularly pleasing.  You can read about all the results here, in the May 2021 edition of The Spirits Business  magazine starting on page 49. Judges’ comments include: Complex and superbly balanced ~~~ Silky smooth texture ~~~ Really long and expressive In other news, we have recently added Hermitage 10 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac to our portfolio and it… Read more

Lots to report from the press recently. Will Lyons, writing for The Sunday Times, said “Hermitage 1995 Grande Champagne Cognac – An extraordinary cognac sniffed out by David Baker at Brandyclassics, this is one to treasure and bring out on special occasions.  It has an intricate range of flavours, from mocha and dark chocolate to toasty walnut.  Enjoy sparingly and it will keep for years.” Henry Jeffreys, the Features Editor for Master of Malt, has written up his Hermitage Cognac Tasting Notes featuring the 1990 41%abv (which has since sold out), 1952, 1960, 1920 and the 1885 which he described as “Simply… Read more

We are delighted to inform you that, the United States of America has suspended the 25% Tariff on imported European brandies that was levied at the beginning of this year.  It had been hoped that the recent change of administration would look more favourably on European goods so this ‘Tariff Suspended’ news is great for our industry. All our products, with an abv of 40%, or above, and which originated in the European Union, were affected. Initially the Tariff suspension will be for four months but we are all keeping our fingers crossed that it will become a permanent arrangement.

The Cognac region of The Charente and Charente Maritime has always been a popular tourist destination as it enjoys a warm, hospitable climate that borders the Atlantic Ocean.  Maybe not all visitors are aware of its long, fascinating history as the producer of the King of Brandies but that is, hopefully, about to change.  The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), Cognac’s regulatory body, has launched a project for local producers, restauranteurs, leisure professionals, coopers and hoteliers to make the appellation more accessible when travel and tourism open up again.  By offering a wider range of visitor experiences, it hopes… Read more