The Bottle Story – Comandon 2012 Cognac
This is a very young, vintage cognac (aged for 3 years) but with an interesting history.
It was produced to mimic the pre-Phylloxera style; that is using the single grape variety Folle Blanche from the Bon Bois cru. It is also a single cask vintage with a higher that average alcohol content at 41.3% (although pre-Phylloxera cognacs were often left at cask strength). The Folle Blanche today accounts for only 10% of grapes grown in the region as the majority were decimated in the pre-Phylloxera outbreak and the rootstocks now in use are better suited to cropping Ugni Blanc grapes. Cognacs from Bon Bois are also now much less popular as even the big houses tend to look no further afield than Fin Bois. That said, the Comandon 2012 Cognac is an interesting idea, which we will sadly probably never get to taste, as only 120 bottles were produced for the American market
We were disappointed to read earlier this year that Cognac Renault has created ‘a new innovation – an expression specifically designed to pair with coffee’ – called Renault Avec. Quite simply this is not the case. Hermitage Cognac launched its 
Our Cognac Buyer has been super busy recently and these latest additions to the Hermitage range are astonishingly good! Both are from the top cru, Grande Champagne. They are wonderful examples of spirit that has been aged naturally, in oak casks, for decades. Indeed they are two of the best cognacs in our portfolio.
Does this bottle shape remind you of something? It looks remarkably like the iconic Louis XIII Cognac presentation from Remy Martin to us! So why would Camus choose to put their latest release in a copy of such a well-known carafe? Perhaps they are hoping it will make consumers look twice? The new Camus XO presentation also contains a new product. Still blended, and only aged for a minimum of 6 years, this release comes from a single estate in the Borderies cru. Although only the 3rd cognac cru, Borderies can produce some wonderfully flavoured cognac. But in our experience, this only occurs after decades of ageing – take our 
Our latest release, 
Our finest release to date, Hermitage Cognac Marie Louise made it into the Saturday Telegraph two months in a row. Initially, on 4 November, Victoria Moore wrote a fascinating piece about our MD, David Baker, Hermitage Cognacs and of course Cognac Marie Louise. On 2 December she included details of the wonderful 60 plus year old cognac in the Luxury supplement.
The name ‘Hardy Legend 1863’ sounds as if it is an exceedingly valuable 
We are delighted to announce the addition of yet another 
The Last Drop Distillers, recently bought by Sazerac, has released a limited run of a 1947 Hors d’Age Cognac. Distilled just after the end of World War II, just 186 bottles are in existence. Each bottle has been filled by hand, wax sealed and presented in a red leather case along with a 50ml miniature. The bottling also includes a certificate of authenticity, a leather-bound tasting booklet and a custom-made stopper. It is an attractive presentation but before you feel compelled to part with £3,200 for one, check out the competition first. 
This 1957 Cognac has just arrived at our 
Frapin has released its VSOP in a new decanter – taller and narrower than the original, it has different detailing on the neck and stopper. One could argue that it looks more like a bottle than a decanter. Frapin is the largest single estate in Grande Champagne (240 hectares) with a family history dating back to 1270. They are known for producing fruity, balanced cognacs but without age statements. A VSOP only has to be aged for 4 years – quite young for the price tag of £55. Compare this with our 
