Category: News from the Brandy Houses

Lots of new stock has arrived on our shelves during the last month. An exciting new concept for the cognac connoisseur is a Cognac Gift Presentation offering 2 x 20cl bottles of very special old cognacs. Enough to try, enjoy and share with a friend and the perfect way to sample some of the very best the Charente has to offer. We also have a brand new Hermitage Cognac 1976 distilled 40 years ago. This vintage is proving to be exceptionally rare so we don’t expect our stock to be on the shelves for long! In addition, we have taken… Read more

According to Hine Cognac’s CEO, “The trend towards premiumisation across all consumer categories, including fashion and alcohol, is seeing brands improve their image without improving quality.” This trend has meant that lower grade brands have been able to improve their overall perception without improving their quality. However he goes on to say that “connoisseurs are now seeking products with flawless raw material, of precise provenance and uncompromising quality” in their search for truly premium brands. So, it’s not about the logo, discerning customers want superb quality, like Hermitage – take our 43 year old for example.

Another great year at The Spirits Business Awards for Hermitage Cognacs as all four of our entrants were awarded GOLD medals.  Hermitage Provenance Grande Champagne 6 Year Old, 20 Year Old and 30 Year Old produced specifically for the export market all proved their worth.  In our ever growing premier collection, one of our latest vintage releases, Hermitage Chez Richon 2005 Grande Champagne was the fourth highly successful cognac.  Following on from our COGNAC GRAND MASTER AWARD 2014, this news could hardly have been better.  You can see the whole Hermitage range here.

The firm A E Dor has been sold to the Cognac co-operative, Uni-Cognac, for an undisclosed sum. We understand that Uni-Cognac are keen to move into the Far East market and regard the Jarnac based firm of Dor as a significant name in the industry. The firm had a number of owners including a relative, we believe the brother, of the French President Franҫois Mitterrand before it was bought by Odile and Jacques Riviere. Odile ran the firm and was highly regarded in the industry as a gifted blender.  She became one of the five best female blenders in the industry. Sadly… Read more

Yet another wonderful addition to the Hermitage range, we have just taken receipt of our new 1965 vintage.  Distilled 50 years ago it is perfect for special birthdays, anniversaries or to just enjoy as a special old vintage.  The Hermitage 1965 comes from Réaux, one of the top growing areas of Petite Champagne and has a rich, intense flavour of bitter chocolate, cardamom and roasted almonds.  Although most of the Hermitage collection come from Grande Champagne, this magical, soft cognac from Petite Champagne joins the select few that we offer from this fine region.  Try it for yourself:  

The other day we were discussing our corporate logo and I was wondering how many people have actually looked at it and studied its design?  The use of company logos by many organisations is really to distinguish themselves from other similar names or businesses.  In our case we have set out to achieve rather more than this as our logo represents a guarantee of quality. To understand this better we need to look at what each element of the logo represents. The Hermitage Cognacs logo is based on some of the important features of the cognac industry.  In the middle… Read more

Cognac has long been the most traditional of spirits and so has its packaging.  It is the white spirits, such as gin and vodka, which have embraced more contemporary marketing through their advertisements, bottle shapes and labelling.  That is, until now.   Returning to their Norwegian roots, Braastad recently commissioned Snøhetta and Magne Furuholmen to design a new bottle and label for their latest cognac presentation.  Named simply Contemporary XO the sleek lines of the bottle and funky lettering epitomise minimalist Scandinavian style.  So will this original style appeal to the traditional cognac lover?  Only time will tell but one thing… Read more

We are very excited about the addition of three, new, luxury Grande Champagne Cognacs to our Hermitage collection.  Our best-selling Hermitage 2000 has now sold out but any one of these new arrivals would be a perfect alternative.  Hermitage 2005 is very similar in style with its mocha, toffee and spice flavours and is remarkable for a cognac of its age.  Already a Masters winner at the recent Cognac Masters Awards, Hermitage Provenance 10 is “really expressive”, according to the judges, and will surely have everyone coming back for more.  And Hermitage 20 Year Old is a gorgeous, deep golden… Read more

About six years ago we decided to sell a late vintage cognac.  From our Chez Richon cellars we chose a 2000 vintage which had around 6000 bottles available.  The cognac epitomised our style of powerful flavours, which tend to be on the side of mocha and roasted walnuts but with some good staying power on the palate.  Hermitage Cognac 2000 was an immediate success.  Our customers loved it, partly for its rich qualities and distinctive flavours and partly because it demonstrated that good cognacs don’t have to be expensive. Little did we know then just how well this wonderful nectar would… Read more

Last year we were delighted to announce the success of our Hermitage Provenance Cognacs winning Gold medals at The Cognac Masters – a blind tasting competition with an independent panel of expert judges – but our latest news is even better!  Just before Christmas we were thrilled to be announced as The Spirits Business Cognac Grand Master.  A real accolade, designed to emphasise excellence in the spirits industry, it confirmed Hermitage Cognacs as the best cognac house in the entire competition. Click here to view the entire range and judge for yourself.