Category: News from the Brandy Houses

Provenance There are hundreds of small cognac houses, most sell their young brandies to the big houses, but a few keep their special treasures tucked away for those who appreciate the golden nectar.  Hermitage Cognac Limited has, for decades, sourced cognacs from the very finest producers in the Premier Cru of cognac, known as Grande Champagne.  Perhaps because of our exposure to many small family creators of fine brandies, we occasionally find cognacs hidden away in family cellars, often referred to as ‘Paradis’.   These innermost chambers house small batches of cognac in glass bonbonnes and sometimes contain cognacs that were… Read more

We always like to introduce new vintages into our Hermitage Cognac range. The MD spends many hours visiting some of the many distillers, usually situated in Grande Champagne, looking for our next cognac masterpiece. Our latest find is a 2004 Vintage Cognac and for a cognac that is not yet 20 years old, it is sensational. This Hermitage 2004 Grande Champagne Cognac comes from the gentle slopes around the town of Segonzac, in the centre of the premier cru.  A truly amazing cognac it has a complexity of flavours that would enhance many, much older spirits. Aromas of cocoa, walnuts,… Read more

Our whole range of products from Montanaro, including grappas, vermouths and bitters, has been exceptionally well received by our customers. In fact, it was they that asked us to expand our offering of grappas to include the Montanaro Grappa Di Arneis. So, here it is! Marked by the floral and herbaceous fragrance, typical of the original vine of the Arneis grape, it is a wonderful Montanaro Grappa which explodes in the mouth with the very first sip and is so easy to drink. Montanaro is one of the oldest distilleries in Langa established by Master of the Still, Francesco Trussoni… Read more

The Apple Of A Brandy Drinker’s Eye We have just expanded our recently acquired Toutain Calvados range; a family firm, now on the fifth generation, who produce calvados from their own orchards.  In keeping with the high standards of Brandyclassics, we know precisely how long each Toutain product has spent in cask.  Unlike most calvados producers, Toutain make their calvados without the addition of pears.  (Pears are usually added to increase acidity and in these cases a pear drop flavour can sometimes be detected.)  They are smooth and mellow with an unmistakable apple flavour and now the whole range comes in a new, boxed… Read more

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

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

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

Calvados has long been the underdog of French spirits.  “Even in France, people quite liked it, but the image was dusty and old fashioned,” says Xavier d’Audiffret Pasquier, co-founder of Maison Sassy. “Our mission is to bring calvados back to life. We want to almost promote calvados like a gin, as a very modern spirit.” Outside France, calvados has always been popular was the bartending community.  Tim Etherington-Judge says “First, it’s delicious. It has a very approachable flavour profile, not complex like a mezcal. But also, as a cocktail nerd, if you go back to some of the historical cocktail books,… 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