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Author: Bev Appleton

The Bottle Story – Larsen Drakkar Carafe

Posted / in The Bottle Story and tagged

To celebrate its 90th anniversary Cognac Larsen has released an updated version of its Larsen Drakkar carafe. Created in 1952 in homage to the Nordic origins of its founder, Jens Reidar Larsen, the Drakkar Viking ship has become the symbol of the Cognac House. This new, minimalist , more modern version of the carafe is a limited edition to celebrate a history of 90 years. Although originally known for their blend of Petite Champagne and Fins Bois cognacs, Larsen have filled this carafe with Fine Champagne, a blend of Grande and Petite Champagne Cognacs. Retailing at 200 Euros, it will be interesting to see how this version of the original viking ship carafe is received 65 years on.  We tend to prefer more traditional designs:

Max Cointreau Dies

Posted / in News, News from the Brandy Houses, The History of Cognac and tagged

One of the most highly regarded names in the cognac industry, Max Cointreau, died on 19 October at his home in Gensac la Pallue, near Cognac aged 94. Max was joint managing director of Frapin, in the heart of Grande Champagne, having started his career in 1942 presiding over the Domaine Château de Fontpinot.

In the early days, his firm worked closely with Remy Martin supplying many of their wines and eaux de vie. However, in the 1950s he refused to marry the elder daughter of Andre Renaud, of Remy Martin, choosing instead to marry her younger sister. This created a major disagreement and Remy thereafter refused to buy their brandies from Frapin. Max lost control of Remy and Cointreau but managed to retain the prestigious Château Fontpinot.   He subsequently resurrected the family Frapin brand and in due course, the historic brand of Gosset Champagne too.

Max served as President of the National Union of Liquor Manufacturers, President of the Social Commission of the National Council of Wine and Spirit for eight years and was appointed a Foreign Trade Advisor of France. He was also the Mayor of Gensac la Palue from 1969 to 2001 and awarded with the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, the highest decoration in France.

Frapin has, in past years, produced some wonderful cognacs and memorable vintages; they are regarded highly in the industry with their fine Grande Champagne cognacs. Max Cointreau will be remembered as one of the patriarchs of the cognac industry.

Sazerac Buys Domaine Breuil de Segonzac Cognac

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

Sazerac bought Breuil de SegonzacSazerac, one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers, has purchased Domaine Breuil de Segonzac Cognac located in the Grande Champagne region. The property is about 220 acres in size and the purchase includes the cognac distillery, organic vineyards and chateau-style mansion dating from 1870. “Given the roots of our company, we are very excited to add a cognac house to our family, especially one as historic and prestigious as this one,” said Mark Brown, CEO.  Sadly, many small cognac houses have been sold to foreign buyers in recent years but usually from Asia. This American investment was inevitable given the recent rise in popularity of cognac in the US. Thankfully the CEO added “We intend to continue the proud heritage and preserve its authenticity and character.”  We are always pleased to see small cognac houses, like Hermitage, remain successful.

New Cognacs In Stock

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

New CognacsNew cognacs have been arriving in our stores over the past few months.  The latest addition to our Hermitage Cognacs range is an exceptional vintage 1956. Beautifully balanced with a long finish this is certainly a cognac to savour and for those wanting just a taster, it is also available in 20Cl bottles.

We recently supplied our Hermitage 1975 Cognac in magnums for a very special order. Looking mighty impressive, they tasted even better. One of our most successful vintages, the 1975 is coming to an end so if you need to replenish your stocks then please do so right away.

The Christmas winner however, was our Hermitage Cognac Café 20. It was featured in the Sunday papers where TV presenter and award-winning wine expert Olly Smith commented “this is as good as it gets and it’s mind-blowing with after-dinner coffee”. Have you tried it yet?

Cognac Sales Grow in US and China

Posted / in News and tagged

On Trade spirit sales are outperforming beer and wine in the US, according to Nielson. The steady growth was driven by cognac, Irish whiskey, tequila and single malt scotch. Cognac sales led the way with an impressive 31.1% in volume growth and 36.8% in value being reported during the last quarter. Clearly cognac’s popularity in the US continues to burgeon. China has also recently posted positive figures. Spirits imports registered growth in November 2016 representing a 41.8% volume increase and a 77.9% value increase compared with November 2015. Brandy was credited with being the driving force behind the upturn – yet more good news for the cognac industry.

The Charente Scene – Winter 2017

Posted / in News and tagged

Christmas is always a time in The Charente when the end of year figures are important, both financially and commercially, to assess the sales and market growth. In a way, the Christmas lights and festivities in the town mean more to its main industry, cognac, than they do to its people since the holiday period is only for two days and very few people take extended holidays. However, cognac is by far the biggest industry in the town and the prosperity of the people depends very much on the success of the industry.

Over 90% of all cognac produced is exported to other countries. It is estimated that value gains over this last year will be 2.3% higher and volume gains 3.6% higher. Remy Martin and Martell were the biggest winners in the market with sales growth over the previous year of 15.15% and 13.99% respectively. The biggest loser was Courvoisier who posted a 3.7% decline in growth. Christmas celebrations this year should have been relatively joyous in the town as it prepares to take on the whisky and white spirits market.

Why Chill Filter Cognac?

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, How to make Cognac, News and tagged

Non-chill cognacPernod Ricard has launched the first Martell non-chill filtered cognac. Chill filtering is a process routinely employed by the larger cognac houses. It is a means of clarifying the appearance of the drink as it forces the spirit and water to mix more quickly and effectively. (The effect of mixing spirit with water can be seen when water is added to whisky as it often becomes cloudy). Young, mass-produced cognacs need to be reduced with water quickly to prepare them for market so chill-filtering is a useful tool – although it is only effective on spirits with an abv of less than 46 degrees. The temperature of the cognac is reduced to between -10 and +4 degrees to assist reduction and a fine absorption filter is also used to take out very small particles. This filtration reduces haziness but also captures some of the esters and fatty acids which are produced during the production and ageing process. Most experts claim that this filtering affects the flavour since some of these esters and fatty acids form into congeners (flavouroids) which add flavour. We do not chill filter at Hermitage Cognacs as all our cognacs are reduced naturally or over a very long period of time.  Take our Hermitage 1917 for example – distilled 100 years ago.

The Cognac Label

Posted / in Brandy Education and tagged

Brandyclassics MDEvery bottle containing alcohol must have a label showing clearly what is in it, including the quantity and alcoholic strength. Most producers of alcoholic drinks are controlled by a professional organisation who regulate what can or must be stated on the label. The cognac label is no exception and in some ways cognac is controlled more rigorously than other wines and spirits.

The professional body responsible for cognac is known as the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC). It is a private, state-backed organisation that not only controls the labelling of cognac but almost every other aspect of its production including production areas (crus), grape varieties, wine production, distillation and ageing. It also controls the distribution, sales and duties of every bottle produced.

Hermitage 1975The labelling requirements for a bottle of cognac require the producer’s name and under that the cru may be added and the descriptor “COGNAC”. Modern, generic cognacs are heavily blended with cognacs coming from a wide range of producers and crus so the cru is often omitted from most modern labels. However smaller houses, who produce single estate cognacs, usually state the cru e.g. Grande Champagne or Petite Champagne. Only occasionally do producers state a cru other than the top two but sometimes the term Fine Champagne may be seen. This is used if at least 50% of the cognac in the bottle comes from Grande Champagne and the remaining from Petite Champagne. “Made in France”, with the address of the producer or negoçiant, must be included and age statements, such as vintages, can be used with approval.Hermitage 1975 Cognac label

At Hermitage Cognacs we also add a back label that helps our customers understand more about the cognac they have chosen. This label includes details such as where the cognac was made, how it was distilled and aged and its individual aromas and flavours. Also, in the case of a vintage cognac, it shows the bottling date. This is important as it tells the customer how long the cognac has been aged in the barrel.

Last, but not least, every bottle of spirits over 40% alcohol by volume carries a UK government duty stamp that is applied in France and can be crossed checked with the UK shipping documents issued by the BNIC.

Read more Technical Topics on our Brandy Education page.

Drinking Cognac at Christmas

Posted / in Brandy Education, News, The History of Cognac and tagged

Drinking CognacThere seems little doubt that alcohol can, in moderation, be good for you. It has been said that drinking cognac provides a greater benefit than other alcohol and scientists tell us that it increases antioxidant levels. These are beneficial substances that keep harmful free radicals from damaging our cells. According to a study published in “Cardiovascular Ultrasound” in 2008, this sort of damage can increase the risk of clogged arteries, heart disease, cancer and vision loss. Drinking alcohol may also help limit the risk of Type 2 Diabetes but beware, excessive consumption can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and liver disease. Of course, moderation is the key, excessive consumption of any alcoholic beverage should be avoided.

NelsonBrandy has been around a long time and traditionally has had many uses as it was available in large quantities from the French and Spanish naval vessels.  During the battles, which these navies fought, brandy was often used as an anaesthetic or antiseptic and in one particular extreme case as a preservative.  It is said that a whole barrel of brandy was used to preserve Admiral Nelson’s body until it could be returned to British shores. Hardly moderation but Nelson would probably have been pleased that he came home in a barrel of fine French brandy.

Tasting Cognac

Posted / in Brandy Education, Learning about Brandy and tagged

During an average drinking year, we knock back all manner of different beverages without giving thought to what we have tasted, or when.  Each drink we consume provides us with a completely different experience.  Most are as memorable as getting out of bed each morning but none are as exciting as the sheer thrill provided by a vintage brandy. Even when we drink a glass of fine brandy do we ever give any thought as to the glass and aroma of its contents? So often we hear the words “it tastes the same out of any glass” but the experience of using the correctly glass can be hugely different. Specialist glass manufacturers devote years of research to finding the right shape for our enjoyment, perhaps we should use their experience and try to understand more about tasting cognacs?

cognac glassesThe ideal cognac or indeed spirit glass has a wide bowl which tapers at the top, we call it a tulip shaped glass. More than 50% of the enjoyment of any brandy is in the aroma which subconsciously enhances the taste. Having the correct shaped glass allows the cognac to be rolled around the bowl releasing aromas which are then concentrated at the top of the glass. This maximum sensory effect of the glass’ contents can then be enjoyed.

Filling the glass to just over half way up the bowl is sufficient to allow the cognac to be gently rolled around the sides and reach as far up the glass as possible thereby exposing the greatest surface area. It is important however to remember that cognacs, like other spirits, are strong. Unlike wine they should never be swirled around the glass as this releases the alcohol which then sits on the surface of the brandy and blinds the very important aroma.

Of course drinking the golden nectar is the all-important test of appreciation. Taste is improved slightly if the cognac is not cold but brandy warmers are completely unsuitable. They are shaped to accept a brandy balloon glass, which is not good for tasting, and they also drive the alcohol away from the brandy thereby spoiling the taste. Indeed, the ideal temperature of cognac for tasting is room temperature. Remember, we don’t take large mouthfuls of brandy as we would do with wine.  A small mouthful quickly reaches body temperature allowing the flavours to permeate all over the mouth.  A well-known cognac writer once said that he “chewed” the spirit, it was good advice since this helps to distribute the liquid around the mouth and determine the level of balance. Tasting great cognacs such as our Hermitage 43 Year Old or 1914, to name but two, in this manner would give a lasting memory of the skills and generations who have devoted their lives to making the King of all Spirits.

Read more Technical Topics on our Brandy Education Page.