Professionally, as an industry assemblage of blenders, cellar masters, connoisseurs, distillers and negoçiants, our aim is to provide the very finest cognacs we can for each market sector. We know that there is no alternative to long ageing in oak barrels to enhance the distillers’ skills and provide the flavour and richness (Rancio) that is so desirable. Perhaps it was by accident in the 16th and 17th centuries that the chemical changes taking place between wood and spirit were noticed. Over the centuries the effects of ageing have been recorded and gradually formed the criteria by which the standard of… Read more

Glass containers and bottles are believed to have first been made around 1500 BC but serious use of containers made out of glass probably did not occur until around 100 BC. More practical applications for glass were established with the advent of glass blowing, probably around a thousand years later. Modern glass bottles are made in commercial moulds and most bottles that contain alcoholic beverages, including brandy bottles, are made of clear glass. That however has not always been the case. The traditional brandy bottle started life as a green or, as in the case of cognac, black glass container. The… Read more

With its warm and nuanced flavour, cognac is just as pleasing to women’s palates as it is to men.” says an article in The Amateur Gastronomer and we are inclined to agree.  Why is cognac so often thought of as a man’s drink? Is it because of it’s strength or its flavour? Possibly both but maybe women just need to be introduced to a high quality, pure, luxury cognac with perfect balance and sufficient individuality such that all the different flavours can be recognised and enjoyed? Apricot, Citrus, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Bergamot are some of the aromas and flavours found… Read more

In an attempt to break into the Australian market Camus has released a new and unusual cognac named Ile de Ré Fine Island. Made on the island of Ré, a well known tourist destination and located at the most westerly tip of the cognac region, it is one of only a few cognacs produced in the Bois Ordinaire cru. Most of the ‘eau de vie’ produced in this area is used for making liqueurs with macerated fruits. Experts claim that typically, the cognacs retain the salt and seaweed influence of their viticulture and this, Camus hope, willl be their point… Read more

Special 40th Celebrations are just that – special – whether they are for a 40th Birthday, 40th Anniversary or any other 40th Celebration they all deserve the perfect present. Forty years ago, in 1976, some wonderful cognacs and armagnacs were distilled before being aged in wood for decades until reaching their optimum level of maturity. Today, these fabulous nectars are presented as vintage brandies, bottled traditionally and offered as brilliantly fitting celebrations of all great things from 1976.  For the cognac lover choose our Hermitage 1976 or Tesseron 76 and for those who prefer a fruitier flavour, Delord 1976 and Clos de… Read more

The United Kingdom’s decision to ‘brexit’ the European Union will cause some difficulties in the industry with prices, especially at the lower end of the market where margins are narrow. Certainly though, for the time being we will not be increasing prices until the need to do so becomes critical. Hermitage Cognacs are already highly competitive and offer huge advantages on a like for like basis, particularly in terms of price and quality.

A unique collection of ‘Presidential Spirits’ was put up for auction in New York recently. The Lot comprised 39 bottles of cognac and armagnac each dating to a US Presidential term of office from 1789 to 1977. Part of a larger Dutch collection, the Lot included cognacs from 1789 (George Washington), 1842 (John Tyler) and 1865 (Abraham Lincoln). The US Presidential connection with cognac comes from events throughout history. The Marquis de Lafayette brought cognac when he crossed the Atlantic to assist George Washington in America’s fight for Independence and Thomas Jefferson developed an appreciation for cognac when witnessing the… Read more

Craft Beer and Craft Gin have been taking the drinks industry by storm so what about Craft Cognac? The term Craft is used to describe ‘beers and spirits that are hand-made in smaller batches, with superior ingredients by people who are passionate about quality’ – the definition describes Hermitage Cognacs perfectly! We have worked for more than a quarter of a century with master distillers in the finest cru, Grande Champagne. Their years of dedication and unyielding passion for an art form born out of history continues to produce some of the finest Craft Cognacs ever. Each one of our… Read more

We have come to expect the Charente to have relatively calm and normal weather at this time of the year but heavy rain and hail storms have hit the region, as they did 2 years ago. The storms, which caused much damage and flooding in Paris, went through Grande Champagne in a north easterly direction. The vines in Gimeux were wiped out by hailstones the size of one’s fist and it has been estimated by the BNIC that between 12 – 15% of the total region was damaged. Although the storms have had a significant effect, they are not expected… Read more

Chapel Down, the highly successful English wine producer, has just released a 23-Year-Old Grape Brandy made from grapes grown in Kent. The spirit was distilled in 1992 and then aged in French oak. According to one spirits writer it has “all the hallmarks of a complex armagnac or calvados but with its own personality”. By definition brandy is a spirit made from a fruit. Just like Chapel Down, armagnac and cognac are brandies made from grapes but they each have to be made under very strict conditions. Most importantly the grapes must be grown in one of the designated cru… Read more