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Tag: Hermitage Cognacs

ITV West Country, The Sun, The Daily Express Coverage

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SunWExpresshat a week it has been!  Our recent award of Brandy Producer of the Year 2021 has created quite a media frenzy.  We have been featured in The Sun, The Daily Express and The Wiltshire Times newspapers.  Links to some of the articles follow:

Bradford-on-Avon brandy producer beats the French masters

Brit Beats French to produce world’s best cognac

David has also been heard on BBC Radio Wiltshire.  The whole programme can be heard here, although you need to go to 2 hours and 42 minutes to hear the interview.

And to top it all ITV West Country featured us on their news programmes.  The clip can be seen on ITV catch up.

Announcing The Brandy Producer of the Year 2021 …..

Posted / in Famous Cognac Houses, News, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged , , ,

Brandy Producer of the YearHermitage Cognacs

Thrilling to hear the International Wine & Spirits Competition announce their Brandy Producer of the Year 2021 this morning ….. “and the winner is Hermitage Cognacs”.  The ceremony can be watched here on  Instagram or on Facebook.

What an amazing accolade especially as we are the first ever British-based cognac house to receive the award.

Our cognacs had amazing success at the IWSC this year:

A GOLD OUTSTANDING Medal and The Cognac Trophy was awarded to:

Hermitage 50 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac

And GOLD Medals were awarded to:

Hermitage 1952 Grande Champagne Cognac

Hermitage 1955 Grande Champagne Cognac

Hermitage Paradis 1890 Grande Champagne Cognac

This haul of medals has culminated in Hermitage Cognacs now winning The Brandy Producer of the Year 2021 which of course recognises the whole Hermitage Cognac range.

Cognac Sector Must Uphold Rules

Posted / in News, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged , , , , , ,

Cognac SectorThe Spirits Business’ Melita Kiely recently interviewed our MD, David Baker, about the cognac sector and this is what she had to say:

‘From music and wine to fine French spirits, David Baker has had quite the journey building his Hermitage Cognacs brand. He tells us why interest in Cognac is on the rise, and why the category should stay true to its rules and regulations.’

She discusses the merits of Hermitage Paradis 1885 Grande Champagne Cognac which was distilled in the year when Mark Twain published the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the US, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York on the French ship Isere and Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies.  And finishes her article off by saying:

For Baker, quality will be the focal point of all of Hermitage Cognacs’ endeavours, and his quest to find and bottle the rarest, most expressive and complex Cognacs will continue. “At our end of the line, what we’re looking at is to find Cognacs that are beyond comparison, Cognacs that are so good people want to buy them for their own private usage, either as an investment or to keep for their families to be passed on for generations to come,” he says. And long may it continue.

You can read the full article here.

IWSC 2021 – Excellent Results for Hermitage Cognacs

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

IWSC 2021Hot off the press, we are delighted to share with you our results from the International Wines & Spirits Competition – IWSC 2021.

A GOLD OUTSTANDING Medal was awarded to:

Hermitage 50 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac and the judges commented “Like opening an old leather-bound book or antique oak armoire.  Figgy pudding and rich dark chocolate; wonderful rich spices and the bitterness of orange zest come through on the palate. Spicy but gentle and supremely dry.”

And GOLD Medals were awarded to:

Hermitage 1952 Grande Champagne Cognac  “With heavy, rum-like caramel and treacle aromas, this cognac has a big palate offering flavours of peach melba, butterscotch and creamy coffee. The quality and intensity of fruit is simply excellent.”

Hermitage 1955 Grande Champagne Cognac  “Forest floor, freshly cut grass and citrusy notes on the nose. A silky palate of orchard florals, lemon rind and a final hint of rose jelly to finish. Wonderfully complex and hugely commendable.”

Hermitage Paradis 1890 Grande Champagne Cognac  “A tropical note behind the oaky, polished wood and roasted coffee aromas. Black tea on the palate is balanced with spice and creamy caramel. Dry, nuanced, refined and elegant.”

The Wine Merchant & The Cognac Hunter

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News and tagged , , , ,

wine merchantThe Wine Merchant is the first trade magazine aimed solely at independent wine retailers and has been around for nearly 10 years.  This month it published a double page spread featuring the founder of Hermitage Cognac, David Baker, and some of Hermitage’s finest cognacs.  Dubbed ‘The Cognac Hunter’, his story is summed up in the introduction:

David Baker uses his network of connections in the Grande Champagne region and beyond to seek out the kinds of long-aged, single estate cognacs that tell the story of this classic brandy in a far more evocative and compelling way than the big brands ever could.  You can read the full article here on pages 52 & 53.

Also in the press this week, Will Lyons of The Sunday Times wrote about ‘Special Drinks for Special Birthdays’ and concluded that “David Baker at Brandyclassics has assembled an impressive array of old spirits to choose from”.   The ‘Best bottles to give as gifts’ is something we know all about at Brandyclassics.

Recent Press Articles Featuring Hermitage Cognacs

Posted / in News, Uncategorized and tagged , , ,

press
House Supply featured in the Financial Times supplement
press
David Baker, Hermitage Cognacs is The Bounty Hunter

Lots to report from the press recently.

Will Lyons, writing for The Sunday Times, said “Hermitage 1995 Grande Champagne Cognac – An extraordinary cognac sniffed out by David Baker at Brandyclassics, this is one to treasure and bring out on special occasions.  It has an intricate range of flavours, from mocha and dark chocolate to toasty walnut.  Enjoy sparingly and it will keep for years.”

Henry Jeffreys, the Features Editor for Master of Malt, has written up his Hermitage Cognac Tasting Notes featuring the 1990 41%abv (which has since sold out), 1952, 1960, 1920 and the 1885 which he described as “Simply breath taking”.  His in depth article can be read here.

Club Oenologique featured our Cognac Trophy winner, Hermitage 1960 Grande Champagne Cognac, describing it as “A seamlessly crafted and decadently enjoyable palate.”  This was followed by a superb piece from Joel Harrison about ‘The cognac bounty hunter’, our very own MD, David Baker.  Describing how the company came to be and our most exciting cognac finds to date, you can read it in its entirety here.

Hermitage Paradis 1885 GC Cognac – A Masterpiece

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News, The Bottle Story and tagged , , , , , ,

MasterpieceOur range of Hermitage Paradis Cognacs continues to expand with this stunning arrival from 1885.  Perhaps the best cognac we have ever tasted, this masterpiece will never be repeated.

Distilled in the year that the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York, a gift from the French people, it has been aged for a staggering 110 years.  The much sought after ‘rancio’ in this cognac is incredibly intense and rich.  It was brought about by long barrel ageing, in two different barrels, which has created an unbelievable ‘double rancio’ effect.  The aroma is remarkable and the flavour, sensational. Many of the aromas are also found in the flavours. The molasses, cherry and roasted walnut are all there but also turmeric and black truffle, medlar, allspice, fig, cocoa and almond.

Released with very limited supply, there are only a few bottles remaining already …..

Brandyclassics News – Alex Johnson Joins Us

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Alex JohnsonIt 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 Hermitage brand and forging close, supportive customer relationships with both the On and Off Trade.  He has worked in the spirits sector of the drinks industry for more than 10 years and brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge associated with brown spirits and in particular cognacs.

More online tastings have been taking place and we have enjoyed some wonderful feedback from the Press.  Joel Harrison writing on the IWSC website, Douglas Blyde on Twitter and David Longfield in The Decanter have all extoled the virtues of our single estate, vintage Hermitage Cognacs, especially some of the older ones, made more than a century ago, which are now taking pride of place in our range.

Hermitage 1960 Wins The Cognac Trophy At IWSC 2020

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News and tagged , , , , , ,

Cognac TrophyHaving received news that Hermitage Single Estate Cognacs won three Gold Medals or better at IWSC 2020, we have just found out that Hermitage 1960 Grande Champagne Cognac won The Cognac Trophy.

Scoring 98 points the judges commented:

“Exceedingly complex and broad in its depth of aromas and flavours.  Prominent notes of refreshing and zingy sherbet are united with red berries and smooth hints of fine leather for a seamlessly crafted and decadently elegant enjoyable palate.”

In celebration of this fantastic news we are offering 10% Off this magnificent cognac throughout October.  Distilled 60 years ago, it is the perfect gift for anyone born in 1960.

Decanter Magazine Features Hermitage Cognacs 1885, 1920, 1923 & 1944

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News, The Bottle Story and tagged , , , , , ,

DecanterDavid Longfield has written in Decanter magazine describing the excitement of  tasting some of our most precious nectars with MD, David Baker.  All produced over 75 years ago, these Grande Champagne vintages are some of the best we have ever stocked.  Here is a snippet of the article to whet your appetite.  The entire piece can be read here.

“Hermitage Cognac works with top Cognac houses to hunt out small parcels of such old spirits still preserved among the five or six hundred independent producers around the region, looking primarily for those with verifiable vintage dates or age statements that define how long they’ve spent in barrel.”

Longfield goes onto write “The barrel ageing, and the conditions of the cellars in which it takes place, are the critical factors, Baker says: ‘It’s really what fine Cognacs are all about.’  He continues: ‘This ageing process develops [over many years] into what we call “rancio” – a kind of madeirisation, a richness and sweetness. I think this is highly sought-after: a natural richness, not a sugary sweetness.’”