William Grant & Son’s Spirit Trends 2020 Report has identified some key trends in the drinks sector.  The report says that there is “an upward shift in spending on more meaningful experiences, driving premiumisation in the spirits industry”.  Nearly 90% of consumers are likely to treat themselves in the forthcoming year, supporting the upward trend of luxury brand performances across the On and Off Trade sectors.  Authenticity is also key with almost half of UK consumers wanting brands to have a point of view and to stand for something.  A heightened access to information and awareness of all matters related… Read more

Any bottle of cognac that is date-stamped, is referred to as vintage and this bottle from 1960 is no exception.  The grapes were harvested that year, sixty years ago, and distilled the following winter before being stored in Limousin oak casks for ageing.  Only the very best cognacs are selected for long term ageing, left in damp cellars for decades.  Now it has reached its optimum maturity, it is joining the award-winning Hermitage range. Hermitage 1960 Grande Champagne Cognac is a beautifully complex, fine cognac from the southern part of Grande Champagne.  An initial burst of dark chocolate on the… Read more

There is often confusion over cognac bottle sizes. In fairness, there are many different shapes available today which generally hold recognized and approved quantities. But this hasn’t always been the case.  Until the middle of the last century spirit measurements were in imperial quantities and measured in fluid ounces. This was largely because most suppliers were from Britain and even the big cognac houses, such as Hennessy and Martell, had British controlling interest. In the mid-twentieth century though, it all changed to metric so that the UK could align itself with the rest of Europe.  The 70cl bottle was born… Read more

In 1917, SS Kyros set sail for St Petersburg from France.  As it approached Sweden, the cargo ship was sunk by a German submarine UC58.  For decades the ship was assumed lost but in 1999 it was discovered 77 metres below sea level having been damaged by fishing trawlers and trawl boards.  It took 20 years to clear the shipwrecked vessel for exploration, but it was worth the wait as hidden inside were 50 cases of cognac from De Haartman & Co.  An exciting and historical find from the time when Tsar Nicholas II was Emperor of Russia.  It is… Read more

◊◊ Not only was 2019 a record year with the number of new Hermitage Cognac vintages that we took into stock, the range was also awarded an unprecedented number of GOLD Medals.  The Winter 2019 medals were received from the Global Luxury Spirits Masters in November, for Hermitage Grande Champagne 1995 and 1923 Cognacs. ◊◊ We have started the new decade with yet more new arrivals which will be much sought after by those celebrating a 50th or 100th anniversary this year.  Hermitage 1920 Grande Champagne Cognac was distilled 100 years ago and our new Hermitage 50 Year Old Petite… Read more

For more than a thousand years cork has been used for sealing wine and spirit bottles. It is a natural product harvested from cork trees which regrow their bark every nine years.  It has been revered by traditional wine makers for centuries as the ideal seal.  However, the cork seal is not quite so ideal for use with spirits as they can, over the years, degrade the cork.  Eventually the cork will turn black and the exposed areas will become so damaged, the cork will drop into the bottle. It is for this reason that cognac producers always advise that… Read more

To meet the ever growing demand for cognac, an additional 10,000 hectares of vineyards will be planted over the next three years, according to a BNIC Update (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac).  Over 3000 hectares of vineyards will be planted each year to increase the production capacity of the winegrowing operations.  The BNIC has also launched its new website, designed to give Cognac a twist.  The aim of the website is to reveal cognac’s true modernity, its spirit of conquest and its dynamism by respecting a centuries-old history and roots in an authentic “terroir”.  For more information take a look… Read more

Fine wine brokers turn to spirits as Trump duty levies bite David Baker, Managing Director at Hermitage Cognacs, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of fine and rare cognacs, has noted a real upsurge in interest, demand and sales for Pre-phylloxera era cognacs. Phylloxera, the aphid which devastated the vineyards of Europe – including its most famous regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy – from around 1863, led to vines being grafted onto American rootstocks which were resistant to it. There was considerable debate In the decades that followed and into the  20th Century as to whether quality of the wines… Read more

After the festivities of Christmas and New Year’s Eve it is time to look to the year ahead, 2020. We are always on the lookout for interesting cognac vintages from the top crus and the latest additions are no exception.  We have many celebration, cognac vintages ending in a zero for those turning 30, 40, 50 years old and so on.. and we are very excited to announce we now have one for centenarians.  Hermitage 1920 Grande Champagne Cognac was distilled a hundred years ago before being aged for over 70 years in oak casks.  The result is spectacular. We… Read more

A professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, has said that “venues playing their music too loud are at risk of dulling diners’ taste buds”.  He also revealed that “loud music can make it harder to discern a drink’s alcohol content, which may drive diners to buy more booze”.  Perhaps certain restaurants are using music to alter diners’ moods – fast food restaurants are known for their high-octane soundtracks which encourage diners to eat quickly and leave.  Fergus Henderson of St. John on the other hand has a no music policy at his Farringdon restaurant, and Nigella Lawson… Read more