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Category: News

Cognac is Not Just for Men

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Cognac is not just for men With its warm and nuanced flavour, cognac is just as pleasing to women’s palates as it is to men.” says an article in The Amateur Gastronomer and we are inclined to agree.  Why is cognac so often thought of as a man’s drink? Is it because of it’s strength or its flavour? Possibly both but maybe women just need to be introduced to a high quality, pure, luxury cognac with perfect balance and sufficient individuality such that all the different flavours can be recognised and enjoyed? Apricot, Citrus, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Bergamot are some of the aromas and flavours found in cognac; they are also aromas commonly found in women’s perfume. This natural affinity is surely a good starting point when selecting an introductory cognac for a lady? Take our Hermitage 10 Year Old, arguably packed with ‘female’ flavours; there really is no reason why the ladies should not enjoy it just as much as the men.  So next time you are buying a gift remember, Cognac is not just for men.

40th Celebration Gifts

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40th celebrationsSpecial 40th Celebrations are just that – special – whether they are for a 40th Birthday, 40th Anniversary or any other 40th Celebration they all deserve the perfect present.

Forty years ago, in 1976, some wonderful cognacs and armagnacs were distilled before being aged in wood for decades until reaching their optimum level of maturity. Today, these fabulous nectars are presented as vintage brandies, bottled traditionally and offered as brilliantly fitting celebrations of all great things from 1976.  For the cognac lover choose our Hermitage 1976 or Tesseron 76 and for those who prefer a fruitier flavour, Delord 1976 and Clos de Saveurs 1976 armagnacs will always delight.

UK Referendum Result – Brexit

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The United Kingdom’sUK Referendum Result decision to ‘brexit’ the European Union will cause some difficulties in the industry with prices, especially at the lower end of the market where margins are narrow. Certainly though, for the time being we will not be increasing prices until the need to do so becomes critical. Hermitage Cognacs are already highly competitive and offer huge advantages on a like for like basis, particularly in terms of price and quality.

US Presidential Spirits Collection

Posted / in History, News and tagged , ,

US Presidential CollectionA unique collection of ‘Presidential Spirits’ was put up for auction in New York recently. The Lot comprised 39 bottles of cognac and armagnac each dating to a US Presidential term of office from 1789 to 1977. Part of a larger Dutch collection, the Lot included cognacs from 1789 (George Washington), 1842 (John Tyler) and 1865 (Abraham Lincoln). The US Presidential connection with cognac comes from events throughout history. The Marquis de Lafayette brought cognac when he crossed the Atlantic to assist George Washington in America’s fight for Independence and Thomas Jefferson developed an appreciation for cognac when witnessing the onset of the French Revolution. Architect of the European Union and scion of the famous cognac family, Jean Monnet served as an advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt and it was reported that General (and future President) Dwight Eisenhower sipped Cognac with Winston Churchill, as they planned the D-Day invasion that would liberate France during World War II. All pre-Phylloxera cognacs are steeped in history, not only in the origins of each bottle but also in the historical events occurring at the time of their distillation. Take a look at our specialist range of ‘Very Old Cognacs’ to find out more.

‘Craft Cognac’ Supplied Here

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Craft CpgnacCraft Beer and Craft Gin have been taking the drinks industry by storm so what about Craft Cognac? The term Craft is used to describe ‘beers and spirits that are hand-made in smaller batches, with superior ingredients by people who are passionate about quality’ – the definition describes Hermitage Cognacs perfectly! We have worked for more than a quarter of a century with master distillers in the finest cru, Grande Champagne. Their years of dedication and unyielding passion for an art form born out of history continues to produce some of the finest Craft Cognacs ever. Each one of our cognacs is crafted to provide an experience so different from the big commercial brands that our customers are able to recognise the individual flavours and styles, the vintages and ages and the elegance and maturity of every Hermitage Premier Cru Single Estate Cognac. It’s definitely time that Cognac joined the Craft movement!

 

The Charente Scene – Summer 2016

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The Charente SceneWe have come to expect the Charente to have relatively calm and normal weather at this time of the year but heavy rain and hail storms have hit the region, as they did 2 years ago. The storms, which caused much damage and flooding in Paris, went through Grande Champagne in a north easterly direction. The vines in Gimeux were wiped out by hailstones the size of one’s fist and it has been estimated by the BNIC that between 12 – 15% of the total region was damaged. Although the storms have had a significant effect, they are not expected to have created a crisis since the top cru, Grande Champagne, has been producing greater quantities of wine in recent years. It now has about 75,000 hectares of vines planted which provide around 750,000 hectolitres of pure alcohol. To put it another way, sufficient to make around 25 million bottles of cognac, some of which may not mature until 2100!

English Grape Brandy

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, Learning about Brandy, News and tagged ,

Chapel Down, the highly successful English wine producer, has just released a 23-Year-Old Grape Brandy made from grapes grown in Kent. The spirit was distilled in 1992 and then aged in French oak. According to one spirits writer it has “all the hallmarks of a complex armagnac or calvados but with its own personality”. By definition brandy is a spirit made from a fruit. Just like Chapel Down, armagnac and cognac are brandies made from grapes but they each have to be made under very strict conditions. Most importantly the grapes must be grown in one of the designated cru regions before being distilled according to their respective regulations. Brandy made in the UK is therefore a rarity. All the cognacs, armagnacs and calvados that we supply are produced and aged entirely in France, with one notable exception – ‘Early Landed’. Some smaller houses ship their barrels of young ‘eau de vie’ to the UK to be aged in cellars here. British cellars are colder and drier than French ones so the barrels absorb more of the spirit but the system saves money and sees some fine products such as Hine and Delamain cognacs being bottled in the UK. Not sure that the Chapel Down Grape Brandy will be able to compete with these fine nectars but hopefully the British will support this initiative rather than see it shipped to China along with most other grape brandies.

World’s Oldest Cognac in a Watch

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Swiss watchmaker, Armin Strom, has teamed up with Wealth Solutions (known for its management of exceptional luxury products) to produce a timepiece containing what is thought to be the world’s oldest cognac sold at auction. The Armin Strom Manual Cognac Watch contains drops of 1762 cognac in a sealed sapphire crystal disc that can be seen on the watch face. The Cognac in a Watch idea was the brainchild of Armin Strom’s head watchmaker, Claude Greisler, who devised the concept. Previously Armin Storm have produced watches containing parts of Formula 1 cars! The cognac-filled capsule  is positioned at 5 o’clock on the dial and on the back, there is a hand engraved design of grapes. A limited edition of 40 watches has been produced, in either stainless steel, 18 carat rose gold or titanium cases and will be sold exclusively through Wealth Solutions. Whilst the timekeeping of such a stunning work of craftmanship will no doubt be perfect, it is difficult to say what part of the ‘solution’ the addition of very old cognac will play!

The oldest cognac we currently have in stock is a Jules Robin 1789 – now that really is a work of art.

Brandyclassics Trade Training and Technical Topics

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HC Trade TrainingProviding Training for the Trade is a very important part of life at Brandyclassics and we are always looking to improve our service in this area. Following on from the monthly Technical Topics David has been publishing, we now have a dedicated area on our website for Brandyclassics Trade Training. You will find it on the drop down menu of our Information section. Links in the text will provide more detailed information and these will be updated monthly. Please take a look, it is designed to help train you and your staff so any feedback would be welcome.

Recently published Technical Topics cover:

  • Cognac Terroir
  • Cognac Vines
  • Cognac Wines

You can find them on the Information (Brandy Education) page.

Cognac Popularity Increases

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The cognac regulatory board (BNIC) has just announced that there was record growth in 2015, with exports reaching a historical high, both in terms of volume and value. An exceptional performance in each of cognac’s major markets, but especially North America, accounts for these results. The Far East, particularly China, renewed its growth and exports to Europe stabilised. New markets in South Africa and Australia continued to grow and together, now account for more than 6% of all global exports by volume. Cognac is certainly making a positive contribution to French trade figures. A record year in both volume and value, the industry now accounts for 20% of all French wine and spirits exports.  It cannot go unnoticed that the increase of cognac popularity is spreading worldwide. We should expect our customers to originate from any one of the world’s populated continents.