Hermitage Cognacs Offer Excellent Value
In the latest edition of ‘The Spirits Business’ we read that “Despite global inflation causing the price of spirits to rise, research shows that consumers are still more willing to purchase higher end products ….. Specifically Cognac, which remains the most expensive category of all spirits, is up by 132%”. Hermitage Cognacs has always been positioned at the very top end of the category but how does it compare to the competition? Many high end cognacs are sold in fancy presentations, often made from embellished crystal, and sold as rare, limited editions. But what about the liquid inside? The cognac may come from the top cru, Grande Champagne, but no information is given about the age of the cognac in the barrel or whether it comes from a particular vintage. One must conclude it is a blend of cognacs that are slightly different from previously released ones. Rarity always comes at a cost but prices in excess of £40,000 seem astounding.
Let’s make some comparisons with the Hermitage range. Our vintages come from 1 or 2 barrels of cognac that were distilled in a particular year and have never been blended. They can often be likened to the well known phrase used in whisky circles, ‘Single Cask’. Also, by definition, they are limited editions as once the vintage has been drunk it can never be replaced. For example, we sell a top cru vintage from 1923, where the grapes were harvested 100 years ago. It was left untouched and aged in a cellar for about 70 years before bottling at 43% abv. Although presented in a traditional cognac bottle, it is a huge contrast in quality and price. This Hermitage 1923 Grande Champagne Cognac retails for just under £2100.
If it is the quality of the presentation that attracts you, do take a look at our Hermitage Marie Louise Cognac. The cognac has been aged in oak barrels for 70 years and is sold by the litre, rather than 70cl. It is presented in crystal decanters produced by Cumbria Crystal, the last producer of completely hand-blown and hand-cut, full-lead luxury English crystal in the UK and retails at £2220. We have to conclude that Hermitage Cognacs offer excellent value in the premium cognac market.
We love to celebrate National Cognac Day! This year it’s on Sunday 4th June so if you have a bottle you keep for special occasions or fancy trying something new for the first time, this is time to do it!
We are very excited to introduce a new cognac to our shelves, and our Hermitage Paradis range, the 1875 vintage. Only a few bottles remain of this old 1875 cognac which originally came from a cellar near Bouteville, in the cru now known as Grande Champagne. It was distilled on a very small still and then aged for more than 75 years in a cellar built against a limestone cutting. The cellar floor and walls were natural, with no cement or concrete, which made it ideal for ageing old cognacs.
Richard Woodward writing in The Drinks Business last week, about Boutique Cognac Houses, names 
The Spirits Business have just announced their top 10 award-winning cognacs and Hermitage appear in the list three times with their 10 Year Old, 1975 and 1972. Spirits Business comments are thus:
National Cognac Day on June 4th invites you to enjoy one of the finest alcoholic drinks available. Cognac, which originates from a town of the same name in France, is a type of brandy enjoyed because of its distilled and fine taste. Cognac begins as a white wine that has been produced in one of six designated growing regions. This definition explains the axiom ‘ all cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac’. Ironically, the white wine from which cognac starts, is considered by most wine connoisseurs to be entirely undrinkable. But once it has been distilled in an alembic still and aged in oak casks for years, it is absolutely delicious.
We are thrilled to announce that the Cognac Masters 2022 results have just been released and it was an exceptional medal haul for