The Phylloxera louse decimated vineyards across Europe in the late 1800s by attacking the roots of the vines.  Many wine and cognac producers lost their livelihoods as a result.  Keeping vines Phylloxera free is therefore vital to the survival of the industry so this latest announcement from Melbourne University is extremely exciting.  Scientists are researching the effectiveness of sniffer dogs in detecting the existence of the louse in the initial stages.  Dogs already trained as ‘sniffers’ can easily be taught to detect other scents and it is hoped that this will extend to early stage Phylloxera at depths of up… Read more

Sitting outside on a warm, balmy evening is the perfect time to try Pineau des Charentes. Made in the cognac producing region of France, newly distilled eau de vie is mixed with grape juice before being aged. The result is a wonderfully fresh, fruity flavour and with an abv of 17 – 18%, it is perfect for every occasion. Serve cold as an aperitif, or a dessert wine, or if you’re looking for a longer drink, it is the ideal base for a summer cocktail – try our Pineau Royale recipe for something truly sumptuous. Most of our wonderful selection… Read more

Whether you’re buying for a father, grandfather, father-in-law or perhaps a first-time father, we have lots of original gifts from which you can choose. Our vast range of cognacs, armagnacs and calvados all have age statements so you can buy one that matches his year of birth, or his age, or maybe the year that you were born – truly original gifts, creating wonderful memories this Father’s Day. Exceptionally delicious, our pure, luxury cognacs, armagnacs and calvados are always an absolute joy to receive and a real pleasure to give, helping you convey your appreciation this Father’s Day. You can… Read more

There is a long held view amongst cognac drinkers that the darker a cognac appears the longer it has been aged in the barrel and therefore the better and more valuable it is. There is, up to a point, some truth in this view since during the natural ageing process, the tannins in the wood add colour to the barrels’ contents. Cognacs are aged in barrels made from one of two types of French oak, Limousin or Tronçais. The former comes from the Limousin forests north east of Angouleme and is a fairly wide grain oak whilst the latter, which… Read more

We are pleased to announce the introduction of our new Valuation Service. In response to an increasing number of requests for Old Brandy Bottle Valuations we have formalised the service that we offer. If you would like to know more about the history and value of an old bottle of brandy, just send us the information requested on our Valuation Service page. You will then receive an indication of its worth – over or under £250 – and whether or not a detailed, historical valuation is recommended. If the latter is required you will be able to purchase your Valuation… Read more

It is surprising how many times we are asked this question.  The answer is, of course, completely different from wine, as the distillation process reduces it to a spirit. There is nothing in cognac which can effectively reduce its life providing air cannot get into the bottle and of course, the spirit cannot get out. Cognac bottles are sealed with a cork and a metal or plastic cap shrunk over the top. On some more expensive bottles a wax seal is used to ensure that the bottle is airtight.  Once a bottle has been opened, the level of cognac becomes significant.  The more air that is in the… Read more

The other day we were discussing our corporate logo and I was wondering how many people have actually looked at it and studied its design?  The use of company logos by many organisations is really to distinguish themselves from other similar names or businesses.  In our case we have set out to achieve rather more than this as our logo represents a guarantee of quality. To understand this better we need to look at what each element of the logo represents. The Hermitage Cognacs logo is based on some of the important features of the cognac industry.  In the middle… Read more

In January of this year we commented on Ed Bates’ presentation – ‘Cognac houses should be different, not follow the crowd’.  It is a view we have always held and now it seems that the Cognac Expert Blog concurs.  They predict that one of the trends of 2015 will be the rise of the Single Estate Cognac.  Recently advocated by Hine, with its newly released 2005 Cognac, it is highly likely that this trend of making the terroir the signature point of the cognac will become more widespread.  Single estate cognacs have distinctive characters and exceptional ones are produced by… Read more

The end of World War II ushered in nearly 30 years of increasing cognac prosperity. The body that was formed to monitor the quality and movement of cognac was known as the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC). It managed to greatly improve the relationship between growers and merchants and was, in turn, lubricated by their prosperity. The biggest changes came in the structure of the major firms. In 1947 Martell and Hennessy did not renew their partnership agreement. Martell remained independent and Hennessy merged with the Champagne firm, Moet & Chandon.  In 1971 these ‘Big Two’ houses became the… Read more

Cognac has long been the most traditional of spirits and so has its packaging.  It is the white spirits, such as gin and vodka, which have embraced more contemporary marketing through their advertisements, bottle shapes and labelling.  That is, until now.   Returning to their Norwegian roots, Braastad recently commissioned Snøhetta and Magne Furuholmen to design a new bottle and label for their latest cognac presentation.  Named simply Contemporary XO the sleek lines of the bottle and funky lettering epitomise minimalist Scandinavian style.  So will this original style appeal to the traditional cognac lover?  Only time will tell but one thing… Read more