We were fascinated to read an interview with Bénédicte Hardy in ‘Frenchly’.  Bénédicte is the fifth generation to be involved with the House of Hardy cognacs, although much of her time has been spent working in the US. Entitled ‘Cognac’s return to Grace’, she describes the rich history of cognac and how in recent years, cognac has evolved into a symbol of both ‘rap stardom’ and ‘highbrow mixology’.  Here at Hermitage, it is that history that we aim to bottle and so a summary follows: In the 17th century, it was English, Irish, and Dutch négociants who really put cognac on the map… Read more

Our ever popular cognac house, Hermitage is set to expand its trading base to include the Far East.  Already sold in many European countries, as well as to private buyers in the US, it is hoped that Singapore and Malaysia will be its next destinations.  The Hermitage style of luxury cognacs, unblended with rich, unique flavours, ideally suits the Asian markets so we are hoping to find many new loyal customers.  Our initial in-country tasting will take place at Prowine Singapore from 25 – 28 April 2023.  Anyone wishing to visit us will find us in Hall 5 at Booth… Read more

Montanaro is one of the oldest distilleries in Langa established by Master of the Still, Francesco Trussoni in 1885.  He established the first single vineyard Grappa using Nebbiolo grapes for Barolo.  In 1922 Mario Montanaro, together with his wife Angela Trussoni and son Giuseppi, refined the product using the first alembic steam stills.  At the end of 2000 Giuseppe, aged almost eighty and without direct heirs, decided to sell Montanaro Distillery to a group of “Albese “ businessmen. Today Monatanaro, known worldwide as an excellent artisanal and prestigious distillery, does not only produce grappa but vermouth, aperitivo and bitters too.  Take… Read more

We have had an exciting week adding new products to our shelves all of which are nineteenth century cognacs.  One is in fact a pre-phylloxera cognac and the others were produced at the time when the louse outbreak was sweeping through France.  Two of the cognacs are additions to our Paradis range, and therefore are in extremely limited supply, and the other is a particularly rare bottling from Roullet & Delamain.  Enjoy exploring them: Hermitage Paradis 1887 Grande Champagne Cognac Produced by the House of Guiziet, situated just outside Segonzac, on the road to Barbezieux, it stands on the Cognacian… Read more

Paul Beau is a name synonymous with exceptional quality in cognac circles.  The company dates back to the end of the 1800s, when Samuel Beau began to work the vineyards surrounding his Segonzac estate in Grande Champagne.  When he died in 1914, the cognac house passed to his son, Paul, who together with his wife, grew the estate to over 100 hectares in size. They also modernized the buildings and distillery, whilst keeping the traditional alembic stills to ensure the quality of their produce.  In 1977 they decided to sell directly under their own label – and the Paul Beau brand name… Read more

March is a month that celebrates women, with International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day well established in the worldwide calendar.  Jane McQuitty has been writing in The Times about the relationship between women and armagnac.  Not dissimilar to cognac, armagnac is made on a continuous column still and its lower distillation range, of between 52 – 72 % ab, allows a greater fruitiness in the spirit, although sometimes at the expense of refinement.  She heralds the many female armagnac producers including our very good friend Florence Castarede, the sixth generation of her family to produce the very fine Castarede Bas Armagnac.  The… Read more

Mothers hold a special part Of all that’s cherished in one’s heart, She is one’s pearl, one’s soul, one’s mate; She is the one to make life great. Adapted from a poem by Kirsten Rollander Looking for a special gift for Mother’s Day 2023?  We have lots of gins, brandies, whiskies, liqueurs and vermouths from which to choose.  And if you fancy something out of the ordinary, do try some Pineau des Charentes.  Made from cognac eau de vie and grape juice it’s fabulous drunk cold as an aperitif or dessert wine. Take a look at the special offers on our home page, every month we reduce the… Read more

Just in receipt of these beauties.  Three magnums of Bas Armagnac, from the highly respected producers Castarede and Delord, will soon be on their way to Claridge’s Hotel in London.  No doubt they will look spectacular in the newly refurbished hotel.  Did you see the recent documentary on BBC 2, Claridge’s, following the most amazing transformation of the hotel whilst it remained open?  Well worth a watch! Of course, the hotel provides beautiful surroundings if you would like to pay a visit to try one of these superb armagnacs in situ.  But if a trip to London is not on… Read more

The latest Bas Armagnacs to join our stocks are these two vintage beauties: Chateau de Bordeneuve 1987 and Delord 2005.  Distilled in the year printed on the label, they come from two of the most respected armagnac producers and the grapes were grown in the top cru of Bas. The 2005 is the youngest vintage that we stock, and a perfect gift for those with an 18th birthday this year.  Vintage spirits, such as cognac and armagnac, will always increase in value over time as only a limited number of bottles were ever produced so once they have been drunk, there… Read more

The Apple Of A Brandy Drinker’s Eye We have just expanded our recently acquired Toutain Calvados range; a family firm, now on the fifth generation, who produce calvados from their own orchards.  In keeping with the high standards of Brandyclassics, we know precisely how long each Toutain product has spent in cask.  Unlike most calvados producers, Toutain make their calvados without the addition of pears.  (Pears are usually added to increase acidity and in these cases a pear drop flavour can sometimes be detected.)  They are smooth and mellow with an unmistakable apple flavour and now the whole range comes in a new, boxed… Read more