Rémy To Buy Cognac House, Maison J.R.Brillet
Rémy Cointreau is in negotiations to buy Maison J.R.Brillet, a family-owned cognac business founded in the 17th century. In addition to the company, the deal is thought to include the family’s vineyard estate and their stock of well-aged eaux de vie. It is located in the village of Graves-Saint-Armant, on the border of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, the top cognac crus. Announcing the planned takeover, Rémy Cointreau said that it will provide an ‘opportunity to integrate spirits with genuine development potential into its portfolio and to increase, over time, the value of an inventory of eaux-de-vie and vineyards of the highest quality’. It is always a shame to see another of the small, high quality, independent, family-run cognac producers subsumed into one of the ‘Big 4’. A piece of Cognac history will come to an abrupt end and the firm’s precious old nectars will probably be blended beyond all recognition.