Frapin has just released a limited edition run of this unique presentation to celebrate 750 years since the family’s oldest member was born in Cognac in 1270.  We do applaud these small family firms who have passed on their skills from generation to generation and not taken the easy route of selling to the ‘big four’.  The Frapin 750 contains some very old Grande Champagne eau de vie, albeit blended, and is presented in a Baccarat crystal carafe decorated with Belle Epoch-like grapevine etchings.  Just 21 of these presentations have been produced – to represent the 21 generations of the… Read more

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

Single Cask is a term well known in the whisky industry, it certainly gives a product increased status and price but why is that?  The phrase Single Cask suggests a unique glimpse into a particular set of circumstances that has given rise to a one-off personality. The whisky may be from a certain year where the distillery was using a particular mashing regime, yeast strain or set of stills. It may have been stored in a warehouse that is known to provide certain conditions. The barrel itself is unique as no two trees are identical and coopers’ techniques differ, so… Read more

Our range of Hermitage Paradis Cognacs continues to expand with this stunning arrival from 1885.  Perhaps the best cognac we have ever tasted, this masterpiece will never be repeated. Distilled in the year that the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York, a gift from the French people, it has been aged for a staggering 110 years.  The much sought after ‘rancio’ in this cognac is incredibly intense and rich.  It was brought about by long barrel ageing, in two different barrels, which has created an unbelievable ‘double rancio’ effect.  The aroma is remarkable and the flavour, sensational. Many of the aromas… Read more

►Nearly 300,000 jobs in the UK hospitality sector were lost between February and November last year.  Over £53 billion was also lost in year-on-year revenue between April and September.  The lack of Christmas trading will be an additional huge loss. ►According to the IWSR, global sales of alcohol fell by 8% in 2020 whilst the UK Off trade alcohol sales grew by over 16%. ►The American Beverages Licensees group has warned that the US pandemic funding bill has failed to provide sufficient support to save their bars and restaurants.  Over 909,000 jobs in the sector have already been lost and… Read more

Apart from the recent flooding of the Charente, there is very little news from the Cognac region this winter 2021 as France went into a second national lockdown from October to December 2020.  It had hoped to reopen cinemas, museums and theatres in January, followed by bars, restaurants, gyms and cafés later in the month but now, this will not be possible until mid-February at the earliest.  A partial closure of the border with the UK will remain in place until further notice with second-home owners, tourists and those visiting family all barred.  The country remains under an 8pm – 6am… Read more

Armagnac is produced in the south west of France in the departments of Gers and Landes in the region known as Gascony. The region has very little industry and the landscape is relatively flat, very green and the people are friendly, living an altogether quieter life than those in Cognac to the north. Indeed, most of the land is given over to agriculture and perhaps well described by Nick Faith, the famous writer on French Brandies, as the land of Fois Gras.  An ideal base for armagnac crus. The climate is perhaps a little warmer than in Cognac but still… Read more

David Baker, MD of Brandyclassics and driving force behind the Hermitage Cognac brand, was  featured in a long interview piece with The Spirit Business. Published in the October 2020 edition, it was a wide ranging discussion about Cognac, the birth of the Hermitage Cognac brand and the Cognac Industry. A shortened version of the interview can be found on the Spirit Business website, or you can download the entire interview as a PDF.

We waited with bated breath as the final details of the UK’s Brexit deal were agreed in December and were pleased to learn that there will be no tariffs due on the importation of French brandies to the UK from 1 January 2021.  Adjustments will need to be made by all, to embed the paperwork now required, but that’s to be expected with such an upheaval.  In the US however, the situation is not so rosy as although it is hoped that the tariff on scotch whisky will be lifted, an EU retaliatory 25% tariff has been placed on imports… Read more

It is not the New Year 2021 many of us had hoped for but let’s hope there are improvements later in the year.  We would like to thank all of our customers for their business to date and hope they stay safe and well during the forthcoming months. Brexit brought many challenges at the end of last year.  We have found that there are now some shortages in supply which, along with a poor exchange rate, means that reluctantly, we will have to increase our prices from 1 February. So …. if you have gifts to buy, or just feel… Read more