Regular readers of our Blog will know that we have often compared the astronomical prices of aged and vintage whiskies to the far more modest cognac equivalents, but there are signs that this could be about to change. Owen Bellwood, writing for The Spirits Business, has been investigating the latest trends in the cognac market and has published his findings here, on page 26. Perhaps whisky is pricing itself out of the market, and collectors are looking further afield for their investments, but we have recently seen a rapid increase in the demand for ultra-premium pre-1900 cognacs. This includes those that were produced in the pre-Phylloxera era and those that have been in cask for many decades.
We have been aware of the changing direction of the cognac market for a number of years and in part, it has given rise to our Hermitage Paradis Cognacs range. The MD, David Baker, is quoted in The Spirits Business magazine on page 30 as believing that spirits produced by masters of their craft, in creative ways, can become some of the best examples available. The vintage he cites is the Hermitage 1885 which is “out of this world”.