Category: News from the Brandy Houses

Larsen, the Norwegian owned cognac House in Cognac has been bought by Remy Martin for an undisclosed sum. The firm was known for their Viking ship bottles and Norsemen ceramic decanters that were often seen in duty free shops at airports. Remy have agreed to keep the brand going as it will fuel their range of customers in the Scandinavian markets. Larsen were negoçiants and don’t make any cognacs themselves but buy them in, mainly from the Champagnes.  This may well be another reason why Remy were interested, as like the other big houses, they are desperate to get their… Read more

Many years ago Brandyclassics bought cognacs from Menuet Cognacs; they were great cognacs and the cellar contained some very special stock from 1947 and some superb 50 y.o. Unfortunately the company got into a lot of trouble and the firms owner sold most of his stock and bought cheaper cognacs from a well known and very good negoçiant whom Brandyclassics brought together, so that they were able to carry on with the name, supplying markets particularly in Russia. This month we have heard that the name Menuet has been sold to a Chinese buyer, the first Chinese venture into cognac. We understand… Read more

Luxury goods giant LVMH reported a 1% rise in net profit this week as the company continues to show strong growth despite economic uncertainty in Europe. The groups net profit topped €3 billion, as sales jumped 16% last year, driven mainly by strong spending in Asia. The groups Chief Executive, Bernard Arnaud said growth was much the same as the previous year and he is expecting next year to grow yet again. Remy Martin are also expecting a big jump in profits 18%) as indeed are those of Pernod Ricard, owners of the Martell brand. The big four Cognac houses are… Read more

The Jenssen cognac brand was created in 2000 by a Norwegian investor who later sold it to the Russian wine and spirit group MMVZ in 2005. The firm has failed to show a profit and has been the subject of much controversy when it was discovered that Andrei Borodin, the ex president of the Bank of Moscow, was declared the real owner of the Business – he had been involved in many banking scandals. The estate consists of around 20 hectares (50 acres), with a distillery and a large house with a swimming pool. Espen Soland, who was in charge… Read more