Skip to content

We ship internationally to over 50 countries !International Shipping to over 50 countries    |     Trade Customer?    Placing a large order?    Just need advice?    Please call +44(0) 1225 863988

National Cognac Day – Saturday 4th June 2022

National Cognac Day 2022National Cognac Day on June 4th invites you to enjoy one of the finest alcoholic drinks available. Cognac, which originates from a town of the same name in France, is a type of brandy enjoyed because of its distilled and fine taste.  Cognac begins as a white wine that has been produced in one of six designated growing regions.  This definition explains the axiom ‘ all cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac’.  Ironically, the white wine from which cognac starts, is considered by most wine connoisseurs to be entirely undrinkable.  But once it has been distilled in an alembic still and aged in oak casks for years, it is absolutely delicious.

Cognac comes in multiple grades and exploring them can be a great way to spend National Cognac Day.   At the entry level cognac is great for making cocktails such as the Sidecar or French Connection.  At the  other end of the spectrum, single estate, unblended, vintage cognacs should be savoured, every sip enjoyed for its individuality and complex flavours.  Hermitage specialise in producing cognacs with numbers on the bottles so you know exactly what you’re buying and each one is unique.  National Cognac Day is the perfect opportunity to get to know one of the world’s most premium drinks.

Hermitage Cognacs Review

Hermitage Cognacs ReviewThanks to Robin Goldsmith, freelance drinks writer at The Write Taste, for reviewing our Hermitage Cognacs as “deliciously decadent vintage Cognacs”.  The cognacs that Robin tasted are three of which we are particularly proud:

Hermitage 2008 Grande Champagne Cognac.  A very, very special and extraordinary find. This 2008 Cognac is just 10 years old, single-barrel, single-estate and very expensive, but it is one in a million. Smooth and perfectly balanced, it’s rich, spicy and full of intrigue. There are less than 200 bottles available so it won’t last – it is too good to last. Don’t do anything other than just drink it, you will never find another cognac like this even at double the price.  IWSC 2020 – Gold Award

Hermitage 1952 Grande Champagne Cognac.  A magnificent cognac from the Premier Cru which has been aged in cellars that are of medium dampness for more than 50 years. It was stored in old oak 250 litre barrels which had a medium toasting. Beautifully balanced, this superb cognac from the 1950s has matured with great finesse and elegance.  IWSC 2021 – Gold Award

Hermitage 50 year Old Grande Champagne Cognac.  Originally our 45 year old Grande Champagne Cognac, we have watched this remarkable brandy develop in its cask for many years. It is now more than 50 years old and still it grows in maturity, richness and finesse. The flavours of fruit cake, sultanas and porcini will continue to develop in this masterpiece.  IWSC 2021 – The Cognac Trophy & Gold Outstanding Award

Wonderful Mother’s Day Gifts – Sunday 27th March 2022

Mother's DayMarch is always the perfect time of year to celebrate Mother’s Day – spring is here and there are signs of new life appearing around every corner.  So how do you say thanks to your Mum for all the years of love, kindness and support?  Well this year we have lots of new ideas including ginsvermouthseaux de viegrappa and bitters.  And three of them are on offer for this month making them even more attractive:

Mosgaard Organic Oak Cask Aged Gin – Cask Gin is based on Mosgaard’s Dry Gin which is distilled and reduced to 60% abv and then aged in old bourbon and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for 8-9 months. The whisky and sherry casks add sweetness, vanilla and caramel notes to the citrus and juniper flavours. Enjoy neat with a cup of coffee, spice it up with Ginger Ale and orange zest or use it in a dry martini.

Nusbaumer – 20 Year Old Reserve Poire William Eau de Vie (Pear) – This pear brandy is made from small, red Williams pears that grow on hillsides with excellent sun exposure and natural irrigation. Native to the Hautes-Alpes, this sun-drenched fruit is particularly juicy and fragrant. The brandy has been aged for 20 years and is one of the best we have tasted.  Presented in an antique-style bottle that protects it from the light, it is made in very small batches and the bottle is sealed by hand with wax.

Grape Brandy Jacopo Poli Chiara di Moscato – Jacopo Poli Chiara di Moscato is a single vintage grape brandy from a single variety of grape. It was distilled from the wine made from the White Muscat grapes from the Euganean Hills (Veneto). Distilled in small lots on a ‘bain marie’, it has a sweet flavour with a light touch of citrus fruits.

Introducing Montanaro Grappas & Vermouths

Montanaro Distillery is one of the finest producers of distillates in the world.  Its Italian founder, alembic master Francesco Trussoni, created Grappa di Barolo, the first single grape Grappa in history.  Since their inception in 1885, Montanaro have concentrated on working with the best wine makers in Piedmont, with a focus on Barolo. They produce grappas with outstanding varietal characteristics as well as a range of exceptional vermouths and apertivos. The Barbera is unaged, the Moscato and Barolo have spent some time in cask, the Barolo Cannubi is extensively cask aged.

grappas & vermouths

Grappa Di Moscato is made from pure Moscato grape marcs with a bold and intense aroma. Aged in oak for up to 2 years, the pale straw coloured liquid combines smoothness and aromaticity on the palate with a long finish.

Grappa Barolo Cannubi is distilled from grape marcs of Nebbiolo da Barolo from the famous Cannubi cru.  It has an unmistakable intensity on the nose and cleanliness and elegance in the mouth.  Aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 4-5 years, it has a golden yellow colour typical of wood-aged distillates.

grappas & vermouths

Vermouth Rosso  Created from the original Montanaro recipe that adds fine Marsala to the base wine to give a distinct flavour, aroma and amber-brown colour. The use of a natural caramel colourant, (instead of synthetic caramel) gives Red vermouth it’s distinct, rich appearance. Its unique flavours makes this an irresistible drink; it is a palate cleanser and is perfect in mixology. The natural caramel adds a note of sweetness and makes it velvety and round on the palate.

Apertivo 6pm A secret recipe created by Montanaro based on plant extracts such as red apple, radish, cherry, sweet potato and carrots to guarantee a natural colour. The delightful aroma and unique flavour result from the use of citrus and herb essence. It is a light and refreshing aperitif which can also be drunk on the rocks, as a spritzer, with orange juice or mixed with prosecco. And, as the name suggests, it is the ideal way to relax after work at 6pm!

Explore our full list of Montanaro products on the website.

IWSC – Six of the World’s Best Cognacs

Best CognacsThere can be few spirits with such an illustrious pedigree and premium connotations as Cognac.”  Following the last International Wine and Spirit’s Competition (IWSC) a list of the world’s six best cognacs was compiled.  How very pleasing it was to read that our Hermitage 2008 Grande Champagne Cognac was listed as one of them.  We have always known that this is a very special cognac.  Relatively youthful for one from the premier cru, it is just 10 years old, single-cask, single-estate and very expensive, but it is also one in a million.  The IWSC described it as “Fresh and powerful with a wealth of flavours delivered through a very expressive and complex set of aromas on the palate. Luscious leather, ginger and rancio notes are boldly evident and intricately balanced with cherry stones and warming spice.”  Being single-cask, availability is diminishing fast so if you would like to taste it for yourself, don’t hang about.  If you are interested in finding out more about single-cask cognacs take a look at our latest Technical Topic here.

The ‘Digestif’ – After Dinner Drink

DigestifThe digestif is an alcoholic drink served after dinner to aid digestion. So, one may ask, does it? Well yes it does. I guess that you would expect me to say this as luxury cognac producer, but I can support that view.  I have on occasions, taken a small cognac after a meal and having done so, I experienced greater well-being than when no such digestif was available.

Indeed, I recall that my Grandmother, who was a lady in waiting for a rich socialite who lived in my hometown of Chichester, always enjoyed a cognac after a meal. Perhaps it was because of a type of social correctness or maybe because the ladies and gentlemen around the table (this would have been in the 1920s and 1930s) really did find that it helped relieve the effects of the generous portions served at that time.

There is also a certain etiquette to serving a cognac. It is, after all, the top dog of the digestif arena, best known for its high alcoholic content, a quality which promotes the production of enzymes, said to help digestion. We have more recently been bombarded with all sorts of alternative digestifs; whisky, whiskey, liqueurs, rum and even white spirits have been suggested by drink entrepreneurs as suitable ways to settle ones stomach after a heavy meal. But for me, when one drinks wine all evening, continuing with the honest grape, albeit reduced from wine by a factor of ten and aged in an oak cask for decades, cognac is the perfect and most deserving way to end the evening.

Last night I had a small glass of a very old single estate cognac and awoke in the knowledge that I had enjoyed a unique experience.  Every cognac house crafts their cognacs according to their family traditions and skills, and every single estate cognac is different. When I went to bed I dreamed about the aromas and taste and the pleasure the cognac had given me and I felt great the next day. Yes, it is the perfect digestif.

Happy Christmas.

Calvados & Whisky – An Unusual Blend

Calvados & WhiskyScottish whisky blender, Compass Box, has released a new spirit drink comprising calvados & whisky.  The calvados, from the Christian Drouin distillery, has been blended with whiskies aged in French oak casks and Sherry butts. Compass Box’s founder said “We have been blending calvados and Scotch whisky at home for years, enchanted by their complementary qualities.  Although one of the world’s greatest spirits, calvados is also one of the most underappreciated”.  The result is said to possess ‘layers of apple character married beautifully with malty, vanilla and spice-like notes’.  Compass Box is not the only firm to recognise the success of this flavour combination, though.  Sweden’s Mackmyra distillery has just released a single malt whisky, finished in ex-calvados casks.  Perhaps such ideas will help calvados get the appreciation it so deserves?

Cognac Investment – The Time Is Now

Cognac InvestmentCraft Vintage Cognacs are rare and finding them is a specialist business as they are unique, and the level of luxury sought is only found in a few of the very finest and oldest cognac firms.  Vintage Premier Cru cognacs are in extremely limited supply. Very good, award-winning cognacs are even more rare which is why Hermitage Premier Cru Vintages are not generally available in the wider volume markets. The secret is to find the cellars that still house some of the oldest and rarest nectars still in existence.  Many of them belong to families who have, for generations, been producing cognacs.  These cognacs have been allowed to gradually mature through the ages, masterpieces forgotten in time.  Each special vintage is highly valuable and sealed in glass to preserve its greatness and value for future generations – a superb cognac investment.

Today, increasing demand in the rapidly growing cognac market means that single estate vintages from the top crus are largely swallowed up into generic blends of indeterminate age and quality, their youthfulness obscured by syrups and caramel additives. Less is kept back by individual producers for the family cellars and much of that which is retained, is sold at a relatively early age.

Cognac investmentRecent sales of some rare vintages have only served to highlight the value of old vintage cognacs. Prices of more than £200k a bottle were achieved on two occasions and we have seen other mouth-watering prices being paid. But not only have the prices of early pre-Phylloxera cognacs increased, so have the prices of more recent vintages and well-aged cognacs of 60 – 80 years as their availability decreases.  It is clear to the experienced cognac specialist that availability of the older ages is on the decline with some of the ‘grand marques’ supplied by the big houses already using lower aged cognacs from lesser crus in their blends.  Over the last 5 – 10 years, we have also seen the prices of some well-known commercial cognacs double. Bottles of Remy Louis XIII, which doesn’t even have an age statement, sold for about £1200 six or seven years ago but can now fetch more than £2500.  Richard Hennessy sold with a trade price in 2017 of around £1500 sells today at £3500 again, it has no age statement.  Clearly this is working to the producers’ advantage as the cognac barrel ages are almost certainly in decline.

Premier cru cognacs from the Champagnes are slow in ageing and naturally aged cognacs from this area will take fifty or more years in cask to develop their natural qualities.  Some form of age statement will provide the clearest indication of quality, and therefore value, since age and value are inextricably linked.  It is little wonder that clients with larger disposable assets are now investing in these extremely rare, older vintage cognacs. The time to do this is now for we do not know how much longer will we continue to find these old ‘rancio’ brandies that have matured to a rich and valuable glory.

Many Different Types of Brandies

We all know that every cognac is a brandy but not every brandy is a cognac, well most of us do, but what different brandies are there out there and what are they like?

Different BrandiesWell, cognac is the finest of them all and the best known.  It must be made in line with all sorts of regulations to ensure that quality is maintained and that it is properly distilled and aged. The other well-known French brandies are armagnac and calvados.  Armagnac is distilled on a continuous still as a single distillation and tends to be quite fruity in flavour.  Calvados on the other hand is made from a cider and can have quite a pear drop flavour as it is necessary to add pears for greater acidity to help the distillation.  However, there are other French brandies too.  One is from Alsace which is traditionally made from their Gurwüztraminer grapes and of course there is Marc made in the burgundy region usually from the heavy lees which probably include the skins, pips and any other leftovers.  A little less known is Champagne Marc. This is distilled from the champagne grapes which are pressed whole and distilled. It is quite fruity and distilled at a low rate of about 52 degrees.  It is quite normal to add sugar which of course can make it quite sweet. Other French Brandies come from the Cote-du-Rhône, Provence and Jura where there is a long tradition.

Next best known is Spanish brandy. This is made in the solera fashion which is a top-up system of ageing. Producers can take up to 20% off the bottom of the barrel and replace it with new eau de vie on the top. Spanish brandies are also aged in casks that have contained other drinks, usually sherry. They are said to be the oldest brandies in the world using traditions passed on by the Arabs.

The Italian brandies are relatively tightly controlled, and only specific wines can be used. They are distilled at quite low alcohol ranges to preserve the fruitiness of the brandy.  Italian brandies are not to be confused with Grappa, often referred to as the peasant’s drink. Grappa was traditionally taken with coffee and used for all sorts of medicinal purposes, even disinfectant.

German brandies are made from grapes imported from either France or Germany, they often contain macerated fruits as well as caramel and sugar syrups. Probably the best known is Asbach.

American brandies are generally thought of as a fall-back beverage from the millions of bottles of wines that are produced.  They are mainly made in Califonia from the generic grapes of the region and can include all sorts of additives including caramel, sugar syrup and prune juice.  Consequently, they are similar in flavour to the Spanish style brandies.

In Latin America there are a range of brandies including Pisco, a pure brandy made from the indigenous grapes of the region. Pisco takes its name from ‘pisku’ which in Quechua, the language of the Incas, means flying bird.  This is a good description for this light and volatile spirit.

Other brandy producing nations are Australia, South Africa and Greece (where Metaxa is produced).  Also, Israel who is the only producer of Kosher brandy.

Martell Aim to Be Different

cask finishPreviously we reported that Martell had introduced their first non-chill filtered cognac. Since then they have also released an ‘Intense Heat Cask Finish’. Adding a finish to cognac is new territory for the industry as the production process is heavily regulated by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC). Martell, however, have produced their ‘finish’ within current rules. Their ‘Intense Heat Cask Finish’ refers to the intense burning of the oak barrels used for ageing. The result is a cognac with intensely woody tones. Toasting the oak barrels to varying degrees has always been an accepted part of cognac production so this ‘Intense Heat Cask Finish’ should be allowable. In the spirits industry, the phrase ‘Adding a Finish’ usually applies to the use of other used barrels e.g. ones previously containing sherry – we wait to hear the BNIC view on that!

Another first for Martell is the launch of their single estate cognac – something that we have always championed. It is from Domaine de Charbonnière in the Borderies cru and available only at Hong Kong International Airport. Sadly it is neither a vintage nor does it have an age statement so whilst it may be single domain, it remains a blend of unknown age.

Our own single estate cognac from the Borderies cru is a vintage from 1914 :