With the On-Trade (hospitality industry) being allowed to re-open from 4 July, the problems that social distancing rules pose are being tackled in a variety of innovative ways.  To help restaurants maintain social distancing a contactless tableside ordering service has been developed by three British entrepreneurs.  ‘Creventa’ enables customers to view menus, order and pay at their tables with their phones.  The absence of printed menus and card machines helps to minimise cross-contamination.  Alan Lorrimer, founder of London venue The Piano Works and supporter of the UK Grand Outdoor Summer Café campaign, has called on the government to allow hospitality… Read more

We have expanded our range of Eaux de Vie, Grappas and Liqueurs just in time for the summer cocktail season. From Nusbaumer our new stock includes: An award-winning Poire William, with a fragrant, delicate pear flavour. Marc d’Alsace Gewurtztramier, a grape brandy resembling Italian Grappa. Peche de Vignes, made from vine peaches and ideal for making Bellinis. And from Jacopi Poli we have some new Grappa and Grape Brandy presentations – Amarosa Di Settembre Vespiaolo and Chiara di Moscato

Launched  last year, Avallen Calvados has been hitting the headlines as a ‘product with a purpose’.  Created by Healthy Hospo founder Tim Etherington-Judge and wine and spirits specialist Stephanie Jordan, they set out to make the most sustainable spirit possible and so chose calvados. Avallen means ‘apple tree’ in Old Cornish and is made without the addition of sugar, caramel or boisé.  It is packaged in a lightweight bottle with a label that sends the message ‘Bee-ing positive has never tasted this delicious’.  Its packaging won a Master medal and €0.50 from each bottle sold will be donated to organisations… Read more

The American Chemical Society has identified a few compounds, not previously known, which contribute to an aged cognac’s complex aromas. Using cognacs ranging from about 10 – 50 years old, a combination of gas chromatography/olfactometry and mass spectrometry separated, smelled and identified their various components. Of the many found, several terpenoids (which give wine its floral notes) were identified for the first time. A sensory panel then looked at how, when mixed, these cognac compounds contributed to ageing aromas eg they found that whisky lactone and β-damascenone enhanced the sensation of a mix of terpenes found in aged distillates but… Read more

Six months ago, the US imposed hefty tariffs on the import of some European wines, whiskies and liqueurs following a long running dispute over EU import tariffs and subsidies. Last December, the US government considered imposing similar US tariffs on other EU wines and spirits, including cognac, and raising tariffs by up to 100%. Fortunately for our industry, the situation remained unchanged but Scottish whisky and American whiskey have already suffered huge export losses. Spirits Europe and Discus (Distilled Spirits Council of the US) are now advocating free trade between the US and the EU as they are each other’s… Read more

We are used to seeing the ownership of French brandy houses moving to the Far East but recently, US controlled brandies are coming to the fore.  US drinks group Sazerac has released a cognac named after Bernard Sazerac de Forge who founded his cognac house in 1782. Called Sazerac de Forge & Fils ‘Finest Original’ it is based on the original cognac and made from grape varieties used in the early 19th century. ‘Folle Blanche’ and ‘Colombard’ were popular during the pre-Phylloxera period and blending cognacs made from them is said to be responsible for the character of the new… Read more

The growth in generic cognac sales over the last quarter of a century has distracted from the single most important criteria in determining the quality of a cognac. The age, or to be precise, the barrel age of a cognac is the most important element of cognac quality, yet we so often fail to ask the age question. Currently there simply is not enough information on the bottle to make it interesting. Compare that to a single malt whisky where the label tells us its barrel age, who made it and even what barrel it was stored in. It is little wonder… Read more

It’s going to be a very different Father’s Day 2020.  A long pub lunch or trip to his favourite restaurant maybe off the cards but you can always recreate some wonderful memories at home with a gift to savour. A local takeaway or home cooked roast is always a winner and how about something special to enjoy afterwards?  Our multi-award winning range of Hermitage Cognacs are all individual with fabulous flavours and can be enjoyed day after day.  To make this year’s Father’s Day particularly special we have reduced the price of three of our most popular Gold Medal winning… Read more

Over the years we have built many relationships with suppliers and friends in the Charente and particularly in Grande Champagne. Although it is some months since we have been able to travel to France, we still talk frequently to them by phone and they, like ourselves, are having to cope with the difficulties that the coronavirus has created this Spring. Cognac producers and bottlers are having to prove that they are producing to get paid as the French authorities are worried about the cost to the country. Talking to one organisation, their concern is the receipt of orders as much… Read more

As most of you know, I spend a great deal of my time tasting cognacs because as a company we believe that every cognac must be perfect for its intended type of customer. But being perfect doesn’t necessarily mean it is the cognac which excels in taste above all others.  The simple truth is that a cognac which I may consider is the best cognac may not be the same one that you like because our palates have become accustomed, over time, to different taste characteristics which our brains have accepted as good. Perhaps the term ‘taste characteristics’ is one… Read more