Category: Brandy Bottle Reviews

We have a very special treat for the calvados lover ….. a magnum of 8 Year Old from the top cru. Calvados is usually sold in 70 cl bottles but this one is 150 cl and perfect for a gathering or celebration. This Toutain magnum of calvados comes in a traditionally shaped bottle and really does look the part. It would certainly be a talking point for its rarity, presence and wonderful flavour. The Toutain family has been developing calvados in Normandy for 5 generations, while respecting family customs and ancestral traditions that give big names to small houses. It… Read more

We are delighted to announce that we have a new Hermitage 60 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac on our shelves. It is the third cognac of this ageing to have made it into the Hermitage range. The previous two were great successes and all the stock available sold out. It has not been easy finding a suitable 60 Year Old Cognac replacement, though. David rejected many before finding this superb example of a top cru cognac, aged to perfection in oak barrels, for at least 60 years. Its long ageing in wood has given such a depth of flavour and… Read more

Hermitage Cognac Marie Louise is a Grande Champagne cognac from one of the region’s top artisan producers. Still in cask, it is now a magnificent 70 years old. Some of the finest cognacs ever made were produced in the early twentieth century as, by this time, knowledge of distillation and the ageing process had been significantly refined. Cognac Marie Louise is one of the few remaining cognacs produced during this period. It is from the top cru, Grande Champagne and has matured for more than 70 years in oak casks. This truly great cognac is named after Marie Louise, the… Read more

The Evening Standard has been reviewing much of the golden nectar recently.  In Nicky Rampley-Clarke’s article ‘Best Digestifs To Sip On Post Dinner’ he includes: Hermitage 1995 Grande Champagne Cognac ‘A bottle to bring out for special occasions – and, indeed, the guests you really, really like – the Hermitage 1995 Grande Champagne Cognac is remarkably mature with flavours of butterscotch, walnuts, biscuits, baked apple peel, mandarin peel and damson. Rich and complex, this is an investment digestif.’ In another of his articles, ‘Best Armagnacs to Buy in 2023’ Nicky describes armagnac as ‘a distinctive type of brandy that’s made from grapes.  Produced… Read more

Delighted to have sold our latest bonbonne of 1882 cognac to Hedonism Wines in Mayfair and, with an asking price of £90k, it was snapped up by one of their customers within 24 hours.  Presented in a traditional wicker basket, the bonbonne contains 10 litres of Hermitage 1882 Grande Champagne Cognac. The cognac would have been made in 300-litre stills and, although small, these were probably the only size that most producers could afford at the time.  It would have been aged in bariques of around 250 litres, for more than 70 years.  No reduction has taken place and so it… Read more

Helena Nicklin, of The Three Drinkers fame, has featured the Hermitage 10 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac in her recommendations.  She says “Hermitage is notable for doing things a little differently from most cognac houses, in that each of their bottles including this 10-year-old are single-estate and unblended. Most cognacs use eaux-de-vie from different growing areas, but sticking to one estate creates a bold and expressive mix. The roasted nuts have come through with age, as has the peppery spice and oakiness. This is the perfect present for someone who likes to take their time and sip their cognac neat.” You… Read more

‘Paradis’ is the French word for ‘paradise’ and in the cognac industry it is used to describe a designated area in the innermost recess of the cellar.  Not every cognac house has a ‘Paradis’ but those that exist are steeped in history.  Many cognac families select a few of their finest cognacs for storage in the Paradis.  The point when a cognac has gained all the benefit it can from the wood depends on many factors but ultimately, it is when the cellar master decides that it has reached its optimum quality.  At this stage the cognac is put into glass bonbonnes and sealed so that the… Read more

We have had an exciting week adding new products to our shelves all of which are nineteenth century cognacs.  One is in fact a pre-phylloxera cognac and the others were produced at the time when the louse outbreak was sweeping through France.  Two of the cognacs are additions to our Paradis range, and therefore are in extremely limited supply, and the other is a particularly rare bottling from Roullet & Delamain.  Enjoy exploring them: Hermitage Paradis 1887 Grande Champagne Cognac Produced by the House of Guiziet, situated just outside Segonzac, on the road to Barbezieux, it stands on the Cognacian… Read more

Just in receipt of these beauties.  Three magnums of Bas Armagnac, from the highly respected producers Castarede and Delord, will soon be on their way to Claridge’s Hotel in London.  No doubt they will look spectacular in the newly refurbished hotel.  Did you see the recent documentary on BBC 2, Claridge’s, following the most amazing transformation of the hotel whilst it remained open?  Well worth a watch! Of course, the hotel provides beautiful surroundings if you would like to pay a visit to try one of these superb armagnacs in situ.  But if a trip to London is not on… Read more

The latest Bas Armagnacs to join our stocks are these two vintage beauties: Chateau de Bordeneuve 1987 and Delord 2005.  Distilled in the year printed on the label, they come from two of the most respected armagnac producers and the grapes were grown in the top cru of Bas. The 2005 is the youngest vintage that we stock, and a perfect gift for those with an 18th birthday this year.  Vintage spirits, such as cognac and armagnac, will always increase in value over time as only a limited number of bottles were ever produced so once they have been drunk, there… Read more