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The Cognac Process – Part 12. Establishment of a Cognac Regulatory Body

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Many of the established growers and merchants recognised the need to establish a body to control and manage the quality and sale of cognac. Much of the preliminary work had been done before the Second World War and a great deal of de facto independence from the government had already been gained – the Charente region had been divided into crus in 1909, as a natural consequence of the system of Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée,  and  the geographical areas had been delimited by government in 1936. During the War a wine and eaux de vie bureau was created to try and protect the cognac stocks.  After the War this organisation was made official and The Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac or BNIC was established.  The existing Station Viticole’s cognac research laboratories were also placed under its wing and so the BNIC’s role of managing every aspect of cognac production and sales began.

Our Hermitage 1947 is a classic vintage cognac from the post war era, produced at the outset of the BNIC’s establishment.

Cognac Houses Should Be Different, Not Follow The Crowd

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Cognac expert Ed Bates, speaking at a tasting in London recently, highlighted the stylistic and commercial stranglehold that the big four houses have on the industry (they have 80% of the cognac market).   In order to compete, most of the other houses “try to copy Hennessy XO because the world, or Asia, thinks that cognac tastes like Hennessy XO”.  They do have another option though, he says, which in the longer term could be more beneficial.  Making the individuality of their terroir (which includes factors such as the skill of the distiller, still, casks, cellar etc.) their unique selling point (USP) would set them apart from the competition.  As the Chinese market, which thrives on the blended generic labels, slows down the more opportunity unique products will have to gain wider recognition.  Ed Bates is convinced that concentrating on quality and what sets your cognac apart is the way ahead as this ensures that the maître de chai is in charge of style not the marketing director.  Here at Hermitage Cognacs we couldn’t agree more, we have always been clear about our USP – exceptional cognac from single estates, each with a ‘number on the bottle’ to confirm its provenance.

Alcohol Duty Escalator abolished but WSTA calls for a further 2% Duty reduction

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The ‘Call Time On Duty’ Campaign, spearheaded last year by The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), successfully resulted in the government’s alcohol and duty escalator (ADE) being scrapped in the 2014 budget.  The Campaign set out to have the automatic year-on-year tax increases abolished as they were undermining the competitiveness of the industry.  This is great news for the UK Spirits Market because since the ADE’s introduction in 2008, tax on spirits has increased by a staggering 44%.  Duty is currently calculated at a rate of £28.22 per litre of pure alcohol.  This means that for a 70cl bottle of cognac with an abv of 40%, the duty to be paid is £7.90.  This duty is then added to the cost of the cognac before VAT is calculated so in effect, the consumer is taxed twice.  For example, this bottle of Hermitage 1989 Cognac has £8.69 duty plus £14.07 VAT included in the price of £84.42.  Good cognac, which is produced in limited quantities, will therefore always be more expensive than ordinary brandy.

It will be some time before the benefits of eradicating the ADE are realised and with On Trade spirits sales down 5% in the last quarter, the WTSA are now calling on the Chancellor to go even further with his tax reforms.  Their ‘Drop The Duty’ Campaign, which calls on the government to cut alcohol duty by a further 2% in the 2015 budget, has been launched and we are right behind them!

The Charente Scene – Winter 2015 in the Cognac Producing Region

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A Good Vintage?

Every year, around this time we start to get the full picture of the cognac production for 2014.  Most of the new spirit will have been distilled and placed in new oak barrels and for the first time we are able to establish both the quality and quantity produced.  Last September was dry and sunny and the grapes grew well during the year.  Despite storms earlier in the year, which affected some areas to the west of Cognac, this year’s harvest was good.  Indeed so good, it seems likely to have exceeded the big 1988 harvest.  It is expected that around 825hl of pure spirit has been produced, which in terms of bottles is around 295 million bottles at 40%, and the quality is very good with lots of fruit showing through.  Obviously the high quality will drive the price up but demand, which is not high at the moment, should bring it back down to within a few points of last year.  How nice to be able to report such good news at the beginning of the year.

Whatever will they think of next?

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The whisky industry is not dissimilar to the cognac industry in many ways.  It has lots of small producers and age statements are very important to its target audience.  However, whisky producers have always been more aware of consumer trends than cognac producers and are constantly looking for new marketing routes.  But this latest idea of selling whisky in a can has to be the most unusual yet.

The most unusual presentation we have had to date is an apple in a bottle – how do they do that?

Hermitage Cognacs Awarded Cognac Grand Master

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, News, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged , ,

Last year we were delighted to announce the success of our Hermitage Provenance Cognacs winning Gold medals at The Cognac Masters – a blind tasting competition with an independent panel of expert judges – but our latest news is even better!  Just before Christmas we were thrilled to be announced as The Spirits Business Cognac Grand Master.  A real accolade, designed to emphasise excellence in the spirits industry, it confirmed Hermitage Cognacs as the best cognac house in the entire competition. Click here to view the entire range and judge for yourself.

David on Technical Topics – The Effect of Barrels on The Ageing Process

Posted / in Brandy Education, How to make Cognac, Learning about Brandy and tagged

As the New Year rolls in the cognac distillers will be checking the ‘chais’ (cellars) and their existing stocks of cognac in barrels from previous years.  Of course there are hundreds of old cellars all over the Cognac region, each containing large quantities of barrels in a range of sizes, the most common being 350 litres.  Each barrel will have its own characteristics and will impart slightly different qualities into the cognac.

This ageing process begins annually after distillation, which must be completed by 31 March.  To provide an initial boost the newly distilled spirit is put into new oak barrels, which have been toasted to kill off the harmful tannins in the wood.  About 6 – 12 months later the cognac is transferred to old barrels where it will gradually mature. During this process the cognac reacts with some of the good tannins, such as lignins and a hemi-cellulose, which gradually dissolve forming richness, a quality we often refer to as a “Rancio”. Clearly, the more the cognac comes into contact with the wood the quicker this will happen but there are other factors which can slow or speed up the process.  Some cellar masters prefer to use barrels made from a tightly grained oak which reduces the tannin extraction by the cognac. This hard oak comes from the Tronçais forest but a wider grained oak can also be used.  It is found closer by in the Limousin forests near Angouleme.  Most cognacs are aged in Limousin barrels as the spirit penetrates the wood faster than in the Tronçais barrel.  Apart from barrel size and grain of the oak, there is another key factor which will make a substantial difference to the process – dampness of the cellar.  A water molecule is larger than a spirit molecule so the greater the outer dampness of the wood, the slower the spirit will escape through the barrel.

Cognacs from Grande Champagne may take 60 or 70 years to fully mature in the barrel so spare a thought this New Year for all those wonderful, very old cognacs hiding away in dark and damp cellars that haven’t woken up yet.  When they do, their sublime qualities will be the golden toast of the century.

Eggnog

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Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs, separated
  • ¾ cup of caster sugar
  • 2 cups of whole milk
  • 3 cups of double cream
  • ½ cup of bourbon, ¼ cup of dark rum, ¼ cup of cognac
  • Freshly grated nutmeg for sprinkling

Method:

Beat the egg yolks together in a large bowl until they become thickened and pale in colour. Then slowly beat in the sugar, followed by whisking in the milk and 2 cups of the cream. Gently mix in the bourbon, rum and cognac. Cover and place in the fridge for up to a day. When ready to serve, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in. Then whisk the remaining cream until if forms stiff peaks and fold into the mixture. Sprinkle nutmeg on the top and serve.

Original recipe by The Cognac Expert

Christmas Cocktail

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Ingredients:

  • ¾ oz Cognac
  • ½ oz Grand Marnier
  • ¼ oz Campari
  • 3 ozs Champagne
  • Slice of orange

Method:

Place the Cognac, Grand Marnier and Campari in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into a wine goblet, top with the Champagne and a slice of orange.

Original recipe from The Cognac Expert

Brandy Butter

Posted / in Recipes and tagged

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 180g butter
  • 180g soft brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 3 tablespoons cognac

Method:

Ensure that the butter is cool and firm.  Dice and cream a little. Add the sugar and cream further, but don’t over do it. Add the orange, lemon and ground almonds. Slowly add the cognac a tablespoon at a time and if you prefer, add a pinch of nutmeg,  cinnamon or the insides of a vanilla pod.  Make in advance, cover tightly and store in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for longer.

Original recipe from The Cognac Expert.