The History of Cognac

The end of World War II  was followed by approaching 30 years of growing prosperity. The newly formed BNIC started to improve the relationship between growers and merchants and was in turn lubricated. The biggest changes were in the structure of the biggest firms.
In 1947 the relationship between Martell and Hennessey came to and end [...]

When we talk about cognac, little thought is given to what we are talking about, or indeed what the definitions of cognacs really are. The battle against imitation cognacs was largely settled by legislation in 1905 and reinforced in 1929 by the special Acquit Jaune d’Or, the gold coloured certificate of origin that accompanies every [...]

The introduction of new vines from America created large financial problems for the brandy industry, since the cost of the vines was largely prohibitive, especially to the very small producers and they simply went out of business. This crisis was caused not just by the cost of new vines, but also by the dwindling stocks [...]

The defeat of Napoleon in 1815 was a great relief to the Cognacais. In the following decades the town burst beyond its medieval walls and the new rich merchants such as Otard and Dupuy were able to show their wealth with large houses built in the woods around Cognac. Even so, Martell and Hennessy retained [...]

Heavy duties on brandies in Britain led to lively smuggling traffic throughout the century. In Rudyard Kiplings words, Brandy for the Parson (together with the other highly taxed item), Baccy for the clerk. In the late eighteenth century, Adam Smith concluded that smugglers were the biggest importers of French goods into Britain.
By the end of [...]

By 1800 many of the houses that we know of today were becoming established, and their requirement for brandies from the farmers was increasing demand. Coupled to this, the skills in making cognac had improved and a form of standardisation was gradually forming, both in the distillation and ageing process. But very little brandy was [...]

Distillation is a simple process, based on the fact that alcohol vaporises at a lower temperature than water, allowing the spirit to escape. When fermented liquor such as wine is heated, the alcohol vaporises and is trapped in the pipe leading from the top of the still, and is then cooled when it turns back [...]

In 1753, one Father Arcère wrote in a history of La Rochelle, “The wines of Aunis was once highly regarded, if in time it has lost its former reputation, this misfortune must be attributed to the poor choice of varieties used”, these plants have impaired the quality of the fruit whilst increasing the yield. It [...]

From around 1600 many Irish traders and settlers became interested in the brandy business. These were settlers and the potential to condense wines by boiling them had a number of attractions, not least their greatly improved longevity, ease of handling and of course, their greater strength. This last benefit was a useful motivator and anaesthetic [...]