M Restaurant has announced that it is to sell its bottle of 1894 cognac for over £6000 for a 25ml shot – that’s the price of cognac history.  The bottle is reputedly the first blend ever produced by Jean Fillioux, who founded the Fillioux cognac house.  Snippets of history such as this are often priceless in the cognac world.  Over the years we have sold many such historically important bottles to luxury hotels in London.  The ultimate in super-premium spirits, these too have been sold by the measure for thousands of pounds.  But to command this sort of price tag,… Read more

We place much emphasis on the ageing of cognacs as it is critically important that they gain the maximum maturity whilst in their oak casks. We have spoken before about the barrel size, shape and type of oak but the actual cellar chosen for storage is also vitally important.  The conditions of storage can make, or break, a fine cognac. French cellars used to house cognac are typically quite small, perhaps only housing a couple of hundred barrels.  Most are also old and damp, often old stores or farm buildings, perhaps old chapels or buildings that would normally be thought… Read more

March is very much the month for celebrations, not just Mother’s Day 2019. The patron saint of Wales, Saint David, is remembered on the 1st of the month with the Irish Saint Patrick’s Day being commemorated on the 17th.  Daffodils and shamrocks will no doubt be seen in abundance during their respective celebrations. Shrove Tuesday falls on the 5th of March when pancakes will be the order of the day.  Following the French tradition of flambéing crepes, how about serving yours with cognac or armagnac to light up the evening?! International Women’s Day is always on the 8th of March… Read more

Commonly known as ‘Duty Free’, the Travel Retail Sector has long been the testing ground for new brandy releases – presumably travelling customers are more adventurous than those shopping from home?  Often it is the packaging that is markedly different; the big houses like to involve famous artists in their limited edition, presentation designs.  Just recently though, we have seen a real change in approach from some of the smaller houses.  Prunier, one of the oldest independent cognac houses, has just released The Age Statement Collection.  It comprises 8 guaranteed age cognacs, from 10 to 80 years old. Prunier’s President… Read more

The concept of barrel ageing is said to have been conceived by wine merchants when shipping their wines from the harbour at La Rochelle. The weak and commonly sweet wines that were shipped along the Charente from Cognac often became rancid.  The wine merchants therefore reduced their volume by distillation, before shipping abroad in oak barrels. After their arrival in foreign ports it was noticed that the clear distillates within had coloured and gained in flavour. Many centuries later we have learnt much about ageing our cognacs. The considerations of barrel age, size and wood are regarded by many as… Read more

Official figures for the bumper 2018 harvest have yet to be published but it is anticipated that for the first time ever, the quantity of eau de vie produced will exceed 1 million hectolitres of pure alcohol. Despite the much-publicised growth in cognac sales over recent years, sales over the last 3 months, including Christmas, have been down, year on year. In particular, exports to North America and China have been affected with the latter seeing a 4% reduction. The authorities in China are trying to reduce their imports across the board so this is likely to be a contributing… Read more

It’s that time of the year again when St Valentine’s Day gives us all the ideal opportunity to show our loved ones just how much we care.  And a bottle of the very best brandy certainly is a gift that keeps on giving.  Whether you are eating in or eating out on February 14th, a bottle of our vintage cognac, armagnac or calvados is the perfect finish to your meal.  All aged to perfection, our selection of the finest French brandies are luxurious in every way and we have Gifts for Him and Gifts for Her. Make that special someone’s… Read more

The last few months of 2018 were, as always, very busy here at Brandyclassics as we worked hard to meet the ever-increasing demand for brandies at Christmas.  Our Hermitage Cognacs took centre stage as we enjoyed some fantastic write-ups in the national press.  Articles in the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday all added to the excitement and we sold our last bottle of Hermitage 2008 Grande Champagne Cognac a few days before Christmas.  Now back in stock, this latest addition to our range has been a much-featured success story.  Although only 10 years… Read more

Brandy has long been used for medicinal purposes, both internally and externally. We read that it was often used in Nelson’s Navy as an antiseptic, sometimes as an anaesthetic and even before then, as a digestif to sooth the effects of eating too much or too rich food. A ‘digestif’, taken after a meal to aid digestion, is widely regarded as a means of reducing discomfort. Indeed, good cognac, if consumed in moderation has many health benefits.  Cognac contains antioxidants which can lower cholesterol levels in the blood, thus helping to keep the heart healthy.  According to Lybrate, the online… Read more

A truly amazing cognac; Hermitage 2008 Grande Champagne Cognac is an extraordinary and totally unique one in a million find. It’s rich, spicy and full of intrigue.  There are flavours of dates, cinnamon, toffee and pistachio as well as exotic tones of rambutan, mango and passion fruit with a tail of sweet oranges.  A masterpiece of the distiller’s skills and the cellar master’s experience, it was aged in a small barrique which had previously aged some very old and rare cognac.  Smooth and full of rich flavours, that are undeniably worthy of a much older cognac, yet this is only… Read more