The name ‘Cognac’ is protected by Geographical Indication – in other words it needs to be grown and produced in the Cognac region of France under strict conditions. Only brandy created using such a method is entitled to be marketed under the name of ‘Cognac’.  But this ruling did not stop Indian based company, KALS Distilleries from producing its own ‘French Cognac Brandy’.  It took a law suit, filed by the BNIC at the Madras High Court, to have the product name changed.  Protection of the name ‘Cognac’ is vital to the value and longevity of the industry and one… Read more

Next time you go to Cognac pop into any producer and ask them who is next door and they won’t know, but ask them if they know George Roullet and the answer will either be a look, suggesting you should leave the premises quickly, or a fit of laughter. Roullet Fransac is situated on the quay next to Hennessy in Cognac.  It therefore offers clients visiting Hennessy a chance to browse around the dusty shelves of its premises for an alternative to the sticky, sugary, caramel offerings next door. George would buy his cognacs from local chais in Grande Champagne,… Read more

Luxury website ‘VeryFirstTo’ chose our Duret 1810 Cognac as the key ingredient in their luxurious Christmas Pudding offer last month.  The creator was famous chef Martin Chiffers, recently Executive Pastry Chef of The Savoy Hotel and now with his own premises in Tokyo.  Comprising the finest organic ingredients, including Agawa dates and rare Mamra almonds from Iran, the pudding also included a highly collectible, gold, Henry VI Salut d’Or coin which depicts the Virgin Mary and our Duret 1810, a supreme example of pre-phylloxera cognac originating from the firm of James Duret over 200 years ago.  Retailing at £23,500 this… Read more

An insightful article about choosing your cognac by Olly Smith, journalist & TV Presenter in The Mail On Sunday this weekend: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2532794/OLLY-SMITH-Brandylicious-Winter-blues-got-Crack-open-Cognac-bask-golden-restorative-glow-stunning-spirit.html You can buy his Hermitage personal preferences below:

This year we thought that it would be a good idea to make the Christmas Thought count by offering you the opportunity to buy a gift which lets your friend or relative choose exactly what they like. After all, we have such a vast range of cognacs and brandies that in some cases you probably don’t really know exactly which they will most enjoy. In a way we have created this situation by offering our customers a uniquely individual and wide range of cognacs, armagnacs and other brandies with many styles, ages and vintages to choose from. Gift Vouchers range in value from £10 to £100 and you… Read more

We have just added a new product line to our list.  Domaine du Cardiant Bas Armagnac is available in a range of vintages – 1998, 1994, 1988, 1983, 1974, 1973 and 1954 – as well as a very sexy looking XO decanter.  This exciting new Armagnac comes from the top Armagnac region and has already created a sensation at our works with its beautiful nutty and prune flavours.  Its seriously good and well worth the price.

With the festive season soon to be upon us, we thought that a word or two from the Managing Director, about how to avoid the worst hangovers, wouldn’t go amiss……. My grandmother used to say “drink a glass of milk to line your stomach”, not sure if that worked but drinking a lot of water before you hit the bottle certainly helps as it dilutes the alcohol before it has time to absorb into the bloodstream. The alcohol causes the blood vessels to dilate, creating a comfortable warm flush but it also depresses the central nervous system in the brain… Read more

A new authoritative guide has just been published, written by Nick Faith and called simply ‘Cognac’. This wonderfully researched book covers every aspect of cognac’s long and colourful history, its development through time and a great deal of information on its production and ageing.  The book also includes a fully updated directory of the top producers and their products.  Cognac is the King of all spirits and has been around since the 16th century. It is a hugely complex and diverse spirit which is several stages on from wine and when understood properly, creates an incredibly exciting encyclopaedia of knowledge. … Read more

In the decades after the fall of Napoleon, newly rich merchants like Messrs Otard and Dupuy built large houses in the woods around the town and with the growth of other firms, such as Martell and Hennessy, the town expanded beyond its walls. It was these big houses who set the price at which the growers would sell their brandies to the merchants who formed hereditary relationships with the growers. They were bound not by contracts but by the habit of regular trading between them in an agreed form and style of cognac. In 1857 the merchant’s position was strengthened… Read more

The ‘big four’ houses account for 83% of total cognac sales so for smaller producers to be noticed they have to be different.  Attempting to address this is Olivier Blanc, co-founder of small organic producer Leopold Gourmel.  He has chosen to only produce single vintage Cognac using grapes from the chalky soils of the Grande Champagne cru.  These grapes impart minerality into the final spirit and rather than sticking to a rigid distillation process, he adapts his approach to account for the particular conditions of each vintage.  The resulting, individual cognacs will be of much greater quality than the mass… Read more