National Cognac Day Sunday 4th June 2023
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!
Cognac, which originates from a town of the same name in France, is a type of brandy, the generic name for spirits that have been made from fruit. It begins life as a white wine, that has been produced in one of six designated growing regions, and is then distilled in an alembic still and aged in oak casks for years.
Cognac’s production is a science and indeed an art. If the drink is new to you, here are some handy links to find out more about it:
The other very important factor you need to know is that most cognacs are blended. This is essential to produce large quantities of a product, that always tastes the same.
But, here at Hermitage we do it differently. Our cognacs are not blended, they come from Single Estates and each one has unique and identifiable flavours. So, if you really want to try something new, Hermitage is the place to go. Each bottle will tell you how many years the cognac has been in the barrel and if it’s a vintage, the year the grapes were harvested. Enjoy!!
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 
Another mention for David Baker and Hermitage Cognacs, including Hermitage 1972, on David Kermode’s podcast, The Drinking Hour. In Episode 54 David interviews Joel Harrison, IWSC judge and writer, about cognac, how it’s made and the production situation. About 35 minutes in, Joel refers to our very own David Baker as “the Indiana Jones of Cognac” and of 
We have recently added two new, exciting releases to our Hermitage Cognac stable, both distilled over 50 years ago.
Thanks to Robin Goldsmith, freelance drinks writer at The Write Taste, for reviewing our Hermitage Cognacs as “deliciously decadent vintage Cognacs”. The cognacs that Robin tasted are three of which we are particularly proud: