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Cognac and Whisky Joint Venture

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

Hine Cognac and Glenfarcas whisky have launched a joint, 1953, limited edition, vintage release.  The two houses have collaborated to offer 125 pairs of their respective spirits, available for £14,000 each. Both the Hine and Glenfarcas have been bottled at cask strength and are housed in separate wooden obelisks which incorporate wood from the original cask of the spirit inside.  Eric Forget from Hine Cognac described the 1953 as “one of the best of the last century”, but it is of course in limited supply.  Though an ideal gift for a 60th Anniversary or Birthday this year, they are a little pricey, so if you’re shopping for a special cognac or armagnac, at a more affordable price, take a look at our Occasion Gifts page.

Hennessy & Remy Martin Expansion Plans

Posted in Famous Cognac Houses, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged

With a burgeoning desire for cognac, two of the largest players in the market are putting plans into place to ensure they can keep up with the ever increasing global demand.  Hennessy has acquired a plot on the outskirts of Cognac where it will build an additional bottling plant aiming to increase production from 60 to 120 million bottles by 2030.  Not to be outdone, Remy Martin are investing a further 30 million € into its production site at Merpins with the aim of increasing their manufacturing capacity by 30% over the next 5 years.  These expansions must send alarm bells ringing as the increase in capacity will diminish cognac stocks more rapidly, increasing price and forcing the big houses to blend younger and younger eaux de vie.    As a consequence, age-statemented, single estate cognacs, such as Hermitage, will become more sought after than ever.

 

Appealing to the younger Cognac drinker

Posted in News and tagged

Cognac houses have long been seeking ways to lure younger drinkers back to the spirit.  Cognac cocktails are becoming increasingly popular but in their creation, the uniqueness of the cognac is lost.  Recognising this problem Tessendier & Fils, who take pride in their single estate vintages, are trialling another idea.  They have teamed up with Michelin-starred chef Thierry Verrat to produce Cognac and Caviar matching.  Three small caviar dishes are paired with different cognacs that have been chilled.  The cognac takes the place of more traditional vodka and by chilling it the alcohol intensity is cut and the taste buds open up more.  In this way the cognac becomes part of a combination and introduces consumers to a new way of enjoying it.  An idea worth trying…..?

New Stocks of Vintage Armagnacs

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News and tagged

We are continually adding to our extensive range of vintage brandies and our armagnac stocks are no exception.  Recently in receipt of scarce vintages from the 1960s, we now boast an exclusive selection of every vintage from that decade.  Our complete range of vintage armagnacs extends from 1914 to 1990 providing a wealth of individually aged and rapidly dwindling vintages, ideal for celebrating any occasion.  Created in the rural idyll of Gascony, their fruitiness and rich pruny flavours have become increasingly popular in recent years causing their rarity and value to soar.

Larsen Cognac Sold Again – Remy Martin sells its Norwegian brand

Posted in Famous Cognac Houses, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged

After less than a year, Larsen Cognac is changing hands again.  It has been purchased by Altia, the leading Finnish wine and spirits company in the Nordic and Baltic countries, an area where Larsen has historically positioned itself as a key cognac brand.  The interim owners, Remy Martin have brokered a deal which hands over all aspects of the brand, including the industrial and commercial assets and the necessary inventories to continue operating Larsen as a going concern.  This has to be good news for the industry as the big houses eradicate much individuality by blending hundreds of cognacs together.  It was thought that Remy originally bought Larsen for its stocks but since they only make cognac from Fine Champagne, only some of the eaux de vie was useful.  Now, everyone is happy it would seem.  Altia get a great cognac brand; one with a history reaching back to 1926 and a unique range of products. Remy, on the other hand, have acquired some interesting cognacs to bolster their own stocks.  Most importantly though, Larsen is no longer in the hands of a big house so may yet retain some character and independence.

A Story in Every Bottle – Very Old Cognacs

Posted in History, The History of Cognac and tagged

Cognacs produced before 1900 are very special indeed.  Extremely rare, each bottle has a unique history and flavour which can never be replicated.  Small quantities of cognac were aged in oak casks during this era and over the years, most of that stock has been consumed leaving very little in existence today.  The grapes and distillation methods used in the 19th century produced cognac with drier and more organic flavours.  These characteristics became unique to cognacs of the period as in 1871, the dreaded Phylloxera beetle killed off most of the vines.  It took years to replant with Phylloxera resistant vines and for the brandy industry to recover.  The consequent introduction of the Ugni Blanc grape changed the taste of cognac forever.

We take great care when sourcing our Very Old Cognacs to ensure quality and authenticity.  Many of them came from small, independent producers and negoçiants who are no longer in existence.  The bottles are often hand blown and have been stored for many years in Cognaçais cellars.  Each individual bottle is extremely precious; it has a flavour to savour and a story to tell – well worth the exclusive price tag.

Gifts for special occasions

Posted in News, Uncategorized and tagged

We pride ourselves at Brandyclassics in only selling the finest and oldest cognacs and armagnacs available.  These wonderful nectars have been carefully selected from single estate distillers and all are of vintage quality or have rigorous age statements, we know that they will make perfect presents for your special celebrations.   Whatever the occasion, be it a wedding anniversary, birthday or special celebration day, we have the perfect gift for you on our newly launched Occasion Gifts page.

Age statements and vintages are recognised by our discerning customers as providing extraordinary quality and individuality, unlike the generic, highly blended VS, VSOP and XO cognacs.  So, if you have a 30th Birthday or Anniversary coming up, celebrate in style with our beautifully smooth Hermitage 30 yo Reaux Vintage Cognac, aged in oak barrels for 30 years before bottling, or our fresh and elegant Chateau de Beaulon Vintage1983 distilled 30 years ago.  Brandyclassics has the ideal gift for every celebration.

 

Cognac Supplier to Hotels – The Hermitage Experience

Posted in News, Uncategorized and tagged

Brandyclassics supply to some of the finest hotels in the world.  Alexander House, Burj al Arab, Claridges, Lanesborough, Raffles and The Wellesley to name but a few buy our Hermitage Cognacs to provide their customers with a level of individuality that is unique to their exclusive client base.  As suppliers to hotels and restaurants we recognise the need to find cognacs, armagnacs and other brandies which have vintage and age significance so that customers can associate anniversaries, birthdays and events in their lives with pure, single estate cognacs and appropriate age statements.

When our customers buy Hermitage Cognacs they know that there are no better. They know that what they buy provides assurance to every one of their customers, not just in quality but in the knowledge that every customer will benefit from The Hermitage Experience, an experience unmatched by any other cognac.

If you are looking for a reliable cognac supplier to provide the very best for your hotel or restaurant, please call us on +44(0)1225 963988.  For many years we’ve been helping hotel and bar managers find rare, interesting and exceptional cognacs, armagnacs and calvados to delight their clients.

Vintage Armagnacs

Posted in How to make Armagnac, The History of Armagnac and tagged

The region around Condom in Gascony, known as Gers, is famous for its armagnacs and in particular vintage armagnacs. They are made using grapes similar to those used for making cognacs but by using a single or continuous distillation method. The distillation range is between 52 – 72 %abv which allows a greater fruitiness in the spirit, although usually at the expense of smoothness and refinement of the brandy.  In recent years it has become much more difficult to buy vintage armagnacs as there has been a huge demand for bottles with numbers on.  The armagnac market is only about one tenth the size of the cognac market which has created the demand for clients to buy rare armagnacs from the smaller producers who still have rare vintages for sale.

Rare Calvados

Posted in How to make Calvados, The History of Calvados and tagged

Although calvados can be dated back to Napoleonic times when it was used both as an anaesthetic and antiseptic in Napoleon’s navy, most calvados is relatively modern. However, you can still buy rare calvados which dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Calvados is made from a cidre which is produced from the apple orchards in Normandy.  Apples are not generally acidic enough to start the distillation and so most firms also combine a small quantity of an acidic pear known as a Perry Pear. It is for this reason that most young calvados carry a distinctive pear drop aroma but this will start to mellow after 10 or 12 years and provide a richer apple flavour. Calvados distilled before 1960 are considered as very rare and can therefore attract quite high prices.