Cognac – the Tourist Destination
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 to promote Cognac as a unique tourist destination. The General Director of the BNIC said “Visiting the region is a great way to meet the women and men who daily work in the vineyards, distilleries or cellars to create this wonderful product. Their expertise is part of the French cultural heritage we are proud of.” He is hoping that this focus on tourism will attract new drinkers to the spirit, cognac, and give the opportunity to show case the improvements that have been made across the industry to increase sustainability. High quality products, with a story, are very much on trend right now so this could be the perfect timing to launch ‘Explore Cognac’.
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 the flavours that develop will be only found in that cask. Every distillery has its official range of bottlings which are created to please as many people as possible, but a Single Cask captures the stage before the identity is lost in the blend. For distillery fans, this takes their experience a step further. Rarity imparts value and so a Single Cask will be highly sought after.
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 curfew but an earlier 6pm to 6am curfew – already in place in parts of Eastern France (see map) – is set to be extended to other areas. Although France is doing better than some of its neighbours, the number of Covid patients remains high.
The digestif is an alcoholic drink served after dinner to aid digestion. So, one may ask, does it? Well yes it does. I guess that you would expect me to say this as
Once again at this time of the year we turn our attention to the harvest, the quality and size of this year’s crop. During a visit to the Charente a couple of months ago, in Autumn 2020, I was able to see the vineyards for myself and make a judgement as to the size of the potential harvest. Even then it was apparent that it was going to be big, providing the rain came at the right time. Well, the rain did come, not quite at the right time but enough to produce a substantial harvest. Although we do not have the final quantity yet, figures of around one million hectolitres of pure alcohol are being talked about. That is around 365 million bottles of 
For Christmas deliveries to addresses in the UK please ensure your orders are with us by 10 am on Tuesday 22nd December 2020.
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We have lots of bargains running during November which will hopefully ease the pain of another Lock Down a little. We are having our usual Black Friday Weekend Sale from 27 – 30 November inclusive. Look out for some irresistible bargains to boost your drinks cabinet this Christmas. Remember to check the website early as stocks will be limited.
It is with great pleasure and excitement that we introduce to you Alex Johnson, our new National Accounts Manager. Alex will be responsible for building our already successful 
A little more than fifty years ago, I tasted my first early vintage cognac. It was a landmark tasting since, for the first time, I was able to understand the complexity of flavours which develop over time and create some of the most sought after cognac properties, which only a few people will ever be able to appreciate. Unlike any other spirit, the flavour of