Category: Brandy Bottle Reviews

A very exciting Christmas present for someone perhaps?  This 8 litre bonbonne of Hermitage 1889 Paradis Cognac was sold last week, the asking price was £68,300.  A one-off presentation of this superb 1889 cognac is a very rare offering by Hermitage Cognacs and was snapped up at Hedonism Wines in Mayfair. It was distilled in the late nineteenth century (1889) when Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opened with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch.  At 300m high it retained the record for the tallest man-made structure for 41 years. The cognac comes from the southeast part of… Read more

Some wonderful Hermitage Reviews this Christmas: The new edition of Club Oenologique has just been published, with a fabulous review and picture of the Hermitage 1972 Cognac by Joel Harrison. “Curator of some of the oldest single vintage and single vineyard Cognacs around, Hermitage is run from a small village in Wiltshire.  Cognac expert David Baker has built unrivalled relationships with some of the more boutique distillers in the region, allowing him to bottle extremely old and rare cognacs.  This 1972 vintage is drawn from grapes grown in the Petite Champagne region and has a sensationally aromatic nose, with balanced sweetness and… Read more

All from the top cru, Bas Armagnac, we have another three wonderful vintage armagnacs from one of the very best producers, Castarede.   Said to be the oldest business in Armagnac, having been founded in 1832, they own the Chateau de Maniban estate and supply armagnacs grown on their 16 hectares of vineyards.  Four main armagnac grape varieties of Ugni Blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche and Colombard are grown.  All vintages, distilled in 1983, 1986 and 1987 respectively, have been aged for over 35 years.  Take a look at the delicious tasting notes below. Castarede 1983 Aroma: Guava, passion fruit and cedar. Flavour: Light… Read more

How many people can claim to have tasted a cognac distilled at the turn of the last century?  Well, this is your chance!  Our extra special Gift Set comprises a 20Cl bottle of 1900 cognac from the top cru and one of our exclusive Hermitage Cognacs tulip-shaped tasting glasses.  The Hermitage 1900 Grande Champagne was found in an old cellar, the owners of which ceased making cognac many years ago, so it really was a rare and exclusive find. Although presented at the higher strength of 47.5 % abv, its long ageing in oak barrels has produced an exceptionally well-balanced cognac. … Read more

We are very excited to introduce a new cognac to our shelves, and our Hermitage Paradis range, the 1875 vintage.  Only a few bottles remain of this old 1875 cognac which originally came from a cellar near Bouteville, in the cru now known as Grande Champagne.  It was distilled on a very small still and then aged for more than 75 years in a cellar built against a limestone cutting.  The cellar floor and walls were natural, with no cement or concrete, which made it ideal for ageing old cognacs. The production of cognacs in the 18th and 19th centuries was… Read more

Richard Woodward writing in The Drinks Business last week, about Boutique Cognac Houses, names Hermitage Cognac as an independent bottler focused on the highest quality: “Cognac has close to 80,000 hectares of vineyard … cultivated by some 4,000 growers …  . Twenty years ago, there were 8,000 vignerons in Cognac, illustrating a growing professionalism as small landowners exit the industry. That picture of consolidation extends to brand owners, with Cognac’s “big four” – Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin and Courvoisier – accounting for more than 80% of global consumption. That leaves little space for smaller operations, but a number of boutique houses still… Read more

Cognac house Maison Bache Gabrielsen has released a new series of cognacs with age statements called Years in Cask.  Good to see them following in our footsteps!  These cognacs are also vintages so by definition they must be single estate and cannot be blended.  Once vintage cognacs have reached their optimum maturity they are transferred to glass bonbonnes where they will mature no further. Bache Gabrielsen have released 4 new cognacs aged from 19 to 37 years.  The younger two come from Grande Champagne, the top cru, where cognacs take the longest to mature whilst the older two come from… Read more

We were delighted to welcome Paddy Shave from Brightwells Auction House to our offices a few weeks ago.  He brought with him an imperial half gallon (2.27 litres) bottle of Massougnes 1802 Cognac which had passed through our hands almost thirty years ago.  We are fortunate to have acquired a number of these large bottles over the years from the owner of the Massougnes Estate, the Comtesse de la Bourdeliere, Marie-Antoinette Pintaurd des Allees – a direct descendant of Henry II and Eleanor of Acquitaine.  This particular bottle from 1802 in the Napoleonic era, was originally sold by us to… Read more

We are thrilled to announce that the Cognac Masters 2022 results have just been released and it was an exceptional medal haul for Hermitage. A Master Medal was awarded to all four entrants, providing the best set of results for Hermitage ever.  These latest winners are: Hermitage 10 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac.  Judge’s comments: Candied orange aromas. Really nice texture to this Cognac, hints of spice and rich fruitiness. Very sippable actually, would also be ideal for mixing. Hermitage 25 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac.  Judges’ comments: Superbly expressive nose with rancio, cedar wood and sandalwood, followed by deep dark dried fruits… Read more

Another mention for David Baker and Hermitage Cognacs, including Hermitage 1972, on David Kermode’s podcast, The Drinking Hour.  In Episode 54 David interviews Joel Harrison, IWSC judge and writer, about cognac, how it’s made and the production situation.  About 35 minutes in, Joel refers to our very own David Baker as “the Indiana Jones of Cognac” and of Hermitage Cognacs as being “ridiculously well-priced”.  He goes on to say that “anything that David Baker is bottling is great” and when asked for his favourite cognacs he describes Hermitage as “Brilliant stuff at fantastic value”. Towards the end of the podcast (at… Read more