Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Sean Connery, in a scene from Goldfinger, adjusts a cuff of his tuxedo while drinking Cognac with M … [+] and the Prime Minister. Bettmann Archive Cognac, like Bourbon, Scotch and Irish Whiskey, have seen admirable increases is sales after decades when all those spirits were lumped together as brown goods while vodka, white rum and tequila sales were soaring. After curtailments due to Covid, Cognac shipments, according to the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, 2022 was the third best year ever recorded for sales, with 212.5 million bottles shipped. Despite small percentage drops in volume in its largest market, the U.S., growth occurred in South Africa, Kenya and Vietnam. For centuries very much tradition bound, the well-known Cognac brands like Courvoisier, Hennessy, Camus, Martell, Remy Martin and others seemed complacent, each having its niche consumer and not branching out much beyond their age-old styles. It didn’t help that the distinctions among Napoléon, V.S., V.S.O.P, Hors d’Âge, XO, XXO, Paradis and other labels were confusing to consumers, but starting with a Remy Martin product named Louis XIII (which fans call “Louie Trezz”) changed the game because it was packaged in an ornate Baccarat crystal bottle that cost $500 when launched; these days it would be tough to find at $4,000. France in 1950. vaulted cellar for brandy in cognac. Photo by Erich Andres France, cognac, barrels, … [+] bottles, bottling plant. (Photo by Erich Andres/United Archives via Getty Images) Erich Andres/United Archives via Getty Images Other maisons jumped on the decorative bandwagon, altering traditional bottle designs as well as promoting Cognacs specially aged in various oak barrels, as bourbon producers have had great success within its market. Camus, in particular, has been in the barrel vanguard, even making Caribbean Expedition ($155)—a small batch product actually matured in Oceanic and Tropical climates. MORE FOR YOU Gmail Says It Will Permanently Delete These Emails In 30 Days Hurricane Expected To Strike Florida This Week—Tampa Bay Faces Hurricane Watch: Here’s What To Know Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Tuesday, September 24 Even single vintage bottlings (called either Millésimes) were formulated despite the opposition of master blenders who insisted all cognacs must be a blend of brandies from various years to achieve balance and house style. Eventually, the National Cognac Bureau (BNIC) came around to demand that once the Cognac producer has decided to set aside a selection of barrels as a Vintage designation, a BNIC official must seal it, allowing for only restricted access and be dated on the label. HOLLYWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 09: A general view of the atmosphere at the official Magna Carter Tour … [+] after party hosted by JAY Z & D’USSE Cognac At Lure Nightclub at Lure on December 9, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for D’USSE) getty As with tequila, celebrities have begun to sell their own Cognacs (made by established houses), including Richard Branson, his, blended by Raymond Ragnaud, and rapper Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, who launched D’Usse Cognac in 2012 to great success. All this is in addition to the same producers’ array of styles once judged distinctive in order to appeal, year after year, to a fan base who never strayed. Here are some of the new Cognacs in the U.S. market I think are both new anddistinctive. Four generations of Martingale have sold their spirits to other Cognac masons but now make they own … [+] in a lighter style. Martingale Martingale ($120). Produced by the fourth generation Guillaume and Amaury Thomas family, who have been producing Cognacs for major maisons for more than a century, this is their very own expression that definitely is an evolution from traditional styles. Just released last year, it is a blend of crus, with a high content from the Borderies region, at 45% alcohol. Packaged in a beautiful bottle of quilted glass, it is designed to be more floral and lighter, therefore a good choice for cocktails. “My grandfather and my father always liked very old wines,” says Amaury. “My tastes are different. I like wines that have life and vitality to them. I see no reason to be bound by the codes I have inherited. The old thinking was all about the robustness of Grande Champagne. Yes, that has a role to play, but give me the floral characteristics of Borderies any day. Palates change. It’s just a fact.” Merlet says it is making Cognacs “for a new generation.” Merlet Merlet. Located in Fins Bois and Borderies since 1850, Merlet, now headed by Gilles Merlet and his forward-looking sons Pierre and Luc, was long the source of many of Cognac’s highly regarded maisons, but now produce their own range. The sons are responsible for Cognacs they call “a new style for a new generation,” including the new limited Sélection Saint Sauvant ($125) made from eaux-de-vie when they reach their optimum age, and a lighter Brothers Blend ($52), with spirits aged from four to twelve years, consisting of 80% of Fins Bois aged for four to five 5 years and 20% of Fine Champagne aged 12 years. Their top of the line is L’Esprit de Guy Cognac ($900) made from 100% Fin Bois and released at 43.9% alcohol. Its special bottle comes packed in a box made of oak and walnut. Courvoisier got together with Japan’s Suntory to produce this small edition Cognac. Courvoisier Courvoisier Mizunara 2003 Blend. The maison was founded in 1828 by Felix Courvoisier in Jarnac, and its Cognacs are known for their floral style. This bottling was the result of a collaboration between Chief Blender Thibaut Hontanx and his counterpart at the House of Suntory, aged in casks made from the rare Japanese Mizunara oak (whose image is found as a gold image on the bottle) filled with brandies from Grand Champagne, Petite Champagne and Borderies, at 48% alcohol. On-line I see the prices range from $2,500 to $3,670. Ambre Noir is packaged in a black bottle. Pasquinet Pasquinet ($45). By comparison to most maisons, Pasquinet is barely into adolescence, founded only after World War II. (Occupied by the Nazis, the Cognac region’s vineyards and cellars were protected by a local of German descent n officer named Gustav Klaebisch.) The company is now in its fourth generation of the Ricard family, who, by starting fresh, were not so bound by centuries’ old traditions and sought to make their own mark. They make a full range of Cognacs under $100 including VS, XO, VSOP, a special Ambre Noir in a black bottle. Looking like a perfume bottle, Vallein Tercinier Pyramide is a Fine Champagne XO. Vallein Tercinier Vallein Tercinier VS ($40). Established in the Saintonge as of 1859, with six generations of the family in charge, these fine Cognacs have always been very reasonably priced. They make a dozen variations, from this splendid, youthful VS made from the Ugni grapes of the Fins Bois and Bons Bois regions, aged for three years, at 40% alcohol to a range in singularly beautiful decanter bottles for its Fine Champagne XO Pyramid ($210), half from the Champagne and half from Grande Champagne, aged 35 years, at 40% alcohol and the Through the Grapevine ($1,053) from the Grand Champagne. Check out my website. John Mariani Following Editorial Standards Forbes Accolades
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