COGNAC MEUKOW LAUNCHES MEUKOW XPRESSO LIQUEUR MADE FROM COFFEE AND COGNAC AT THE CANNES DUTY FREE TRADE SHOW 2012

Meukow Xpresso made of Cognac and Coffee

Cognac Meukow is to launch a new coffee and Cognac liqueur called Meukow Xpresso at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes (Red Village J6) this October 21 to 26th 2012.

The product is described as a combination of natural coffee aromas and Meukow Cognac, with high quality ingredients.

The "smooth and intense" liqueur is 22%abv and can be enjoyed on the rocks.

Meukow Xpresso has high mixology potential, the company said, and provides an opportunity to tap new trends in the Cognac category.

It is available in different sizes for both domestic and duty free markets.

For details, contact Damien Bertrand, Duty Free Manager, on e-mail d.bertrand@cdgcognac.com

Sources:

©The Moodie Report by Mary Jane Pittilla

Visit www.meukowcognac.com

LIST OF WINNERS OF THE BEST COGNAC IN THE WORLD AT THE WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION SINCE 2000

Here is the list of cognac brands in alphabetical order that I won "best cognac in the world" at the World Spirits Competition (San Francisco) since 2000 for more than 150 USD.

. COMANDON COGNAC, XO, $150

. COURVOISIER COGNAC, L' Esprit de Courvoisier, $5000

. DELAMAIN COGNAC, Réserve de la Famille, $550

. HARDY COGNAC, Noces D'Or, $1800

. HENNESSY COGNAC, Paradis, $800

. HENNESSY COGNAC, Richard, $3500

Comandon Cognac XO

Cognac Courvoisier L'Esprit

Cognac Delamain Reserve de Famille

Cognac Hardy Noces D'Or

Hennessy Cognac Paradis

Hennessy Cognac Richard

These are cognacs for experts and aficionados of high-end lifestyles. Some world best cognacs are more affordable than others. I guess it depends on how much you value what you drink and your wallet size for sure.

Next, is the list of brands most rewarded and actively participating in the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.

Camus

Comandon

Courvoisier

Delamain

Frapin

Hennessy

Louis Royer

Marnier Lapostole

Martell

Remy Martin

Spirits unlike wines have not been so subjected to ratings for making sales. One has to look at any wine catalogs or visit any local liquor stores to realize that wines are mostly purchased by ratings and price ranges. Perhaps spirits are not better off as most of the consumers are biased to advertising and celebrity endorsements.

Wines are like graduate school: the higher the GMAT score the more you get.

Versus Spirits are more like political candidates: the bigger the campaign budget the more chance to be elected.

Source: World Spirits Competition

WORLD RECORD FOR MOST EXPENSIVE COCKTAIL BY SALVATORE CALABRESE IN LONDON PLAYBOY BAR

Salvatore Calabrese's bottle of 1738 cognac worth $78,000 which was intended for his record of most expensive cocktail this week was broken back in August 2012 as we reported it in CognacParadis.com (Aug. 10th 2012).

Cognac Clos du Greffier

This did not stop him this week to beat the record of most expensive cocktail owned by The Skyview Bar at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, with a $6000 a glass.

Calabrese is the man known as the world vintage cognac expert having compiled a rare collection of vintage cognacs in its Playboy bar in London estimated at more than 1 million dollars.

Composed of 40ml of 1788 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac, 20ml of 1770 Kummel Liqueur, 20ml of 1860 Dubb Orange Curacao and two dashes of Angostura Bitters from the 1900s, the cocktail was bought by an undisclosed long-term client of Calabrese for about $8,800.

The Guiness World Record has yet to approve this record which will make Salvatore Calabrese's cocktail the world’s most expensive cocktail and possibly oldest, as it includes a Cognac older than the French revolution and liqueur from the time of the American Revolution.

This revolutionary man has proved again that cognac is the epitome of luxury and the ultimate historical spirit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnEDsZCf_ww&hd=1&t=15s

Source: The HuffingtonPost

COGNAC FRAPIN RECEIVED THE COVETED PRIZE OF FRENCH LIVING HERITAGE COMPANY IN 2012

Cognac Frapin is the 2nd Cognac House (after Remy Martin) to receive the coveted prize offered by the French government which rewards the French companies with the most outstanding excellence in traditional and industrial skills, labeled 'Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant' EPV - sort of Living Heritage Company.

EPV was recognized for Frapin because of their precise control of the entire line of production: from the vineyards to the bottling. Their skills are exemplary and  their attention to details make them one of the few recipients for 2012 in France. Jean-Pierre Cointreau and his family are the guardian of this living heritage treasure.

Cognac Frapin is also known under Domaine Château de Fontpinot SAS

Cognac Frapin - Chateau de Fontpinot

Source: in French; www.patrimoine-vivant.com
L'entreprise a été fondée en 1926 par la famille Frapin, implantée dans la région depuis 1270 et impliquée dans la fabrication de boissons alcoolisées depuis les débuts du développement de la production dans la région. Une des propriétaires actuelles, Madame Cointreau-Renaud est la petite fille du créateur de l’entreprise actuelle, Pierre Frapin. L'entreprise fabrique exclusivement du cognac.

L'entreprise maîtrise entièrement la production «de la racine de la vigne au goulot de la bouteille» : la culture du raisin, le moût, le vin, la distillation, l’assemblage, le vieillissement et mise en bouteille. Les savoir-faire complexes, la distillation et l'assemblage, sont détenus par six personnes : le maître de chais, trois maîtres distillateurs, deux responsables des assemblages.

Le savoir-faire se distingue dans le métier en raison du niveau élevé des prestations et par une étape originale : le mélange de la lie et du vin avant distillation.

INNOVATION IN COGNAC: A NEW WHISKY CALLED BRENNE

Cognac is brandy but not all cognac is brandy as the saying goes. However, in Cognac people know how to innovate and perhaps challenge the status quo with innovative products at least in recent years.

Jean-Marc Daucourt had already surprised with Jean-Marc XO Vodka, then XRated Liquor (now part of the Campari group), now he has OR-G and more recently Bastille Whisky which is a little irritating in the middle of the cognac world but it tastes very good. Well, he will not be the only one whisky with Bastille any longer as he was recently joined by another whisky made in Cognac also starting with a "B", i.e., BRENNE WHISHY, specifically French Single Malt Whisky.

French are joining the bandwagon of non-traditional whisky countries such as Indian Whisky we reviewed in a previous blog posting las t May 2012 (Amrut and Royal Challenge).

Brenne Whisky

Brenne is coming with the objectives to (1) offer a non-traditional small batch whisky made in France, (2) using locally organic production, (3) aged in Cognac barrels, and (4) presented in a more female friendly and/or rather non-male oriented presentation.

I think this is a real good idea. Knowing how cognac makers think it will make for some real elegant and light whiskies, creating bouquet and fruit notes, etc... away from the stereotypes of smokey standards. It will certainly create a little bit of cannibalization and look disorganized to have cognac barrels and whisky barrels sitting together but as they say 'if you cannot beat them join them' and who knows what will happen when in a few years the cognac is going to hit the bottom of supply what we will be left to do!

Brenne Whisky was launched in New York this week as it was created/owned by an American couple. However, do they know that France is per capita one of the top consumer of whisky with more than 200 million bottles of whisky sold in 2011. Coincidently, the oldest French distillery still producing whisky in France is celebrating 25 years of continuous production this week: Distillery Warenghem, famous for its single malt called Armorik.

Warenghem Whisky Breton Armorik

There are about 20 whisky distilleries in France and most of them are in Brittany. It must be something to do with being 'Celts', at least this is what I have been telling myself.  

Photos from Brenne Whisky

LINKS:
www.facebook.com/BrenneWhisky
www.drinkbrenne.com

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMERS ARE GETTING INTO COGNAC WITH MARTELL SELLING +10% PER YEAR

Increasing interest for premium spirits in Australia is driving consumer towards cognac. Cognac category in Australia is growing at 10 per cent a year, with Martell reaching 30 per cent market share in Australia.

The two fastest growing products of the 5 SKUs in Australia are Cordon Bleu and Martell XO according to Martell Brand ambassador in Australia.

Cognac Martell - Main Product Range 2012

Martell is also benefiting from a large diaspora of wealthy Asian people who had fled Hong Kong in the 1990s in fear of Hong Kong becoming a Chinese province. Soon to be a 300 years old brand in 2015, Martell is getting organized to celebrate the anniversary.

Martell was established in 1715 and it is the oldest of the 4 big cognac houses, i.e., Remy Martin (Estd. 1724), Hennessy (Estd. 1765), and Courvoisier (Estd. 1835).

Martell is not the oldest house. The oldest cognac house is supposed to be Augier Frères & Co founded in 1643. The Augier Cognac House was acquired by Martel I think in the late 1970s. Martell now and then makes a limited production of Augier cognacs.

Augier Freres XO

Source: The Shout Australia

HIGHER PROOF COGNACS OFFER MIXOLOGISTS MORE WAYS TO MAGNIFY SPIRITS IN COCKTAILS

America has embraced a range of artisanal alcohol offerings in recent years, from single-malt Scotches to craft beers and ciders.

In following this concept, the overproof movement is somewhat akin to the natural state and organic food movement as well, where people are searching for  authenticity.

For the cocktail crowd, the strength of the alcohol is not about  putting hair on your chest but about emphasizing taste. The higher the proof the higher the flavor of the spirits coming out and conserved within the mixed in cocktails.

There are a few cask strength also called barrel strength cognacs such as the recently offered Comandon Single Barrel Cognac expressions with 41%/Vol to 47% alc/vol ranges. These cask strength cognacs are not compensated with distilled water to the standard 40% alc/vol you will normally find.

Comandon Single Barrel Cognac Cask Strength

Tim Cooper, resident bartender with the downtown New York cocktail spot GoldBar, says he focuses less on names and more on how this burgeoning category of spirits helps him concoct drinks.

“The higher the proof, the more flavor that’s extracted,” says Cooper, who last month won the grand prize in a “Show Me the Proof!” cocktail-making competition sponsored by cognac maker Louis Royer SAS.

Cognac Louis Royer Force 53

The event, held in New York, featured drink mixers from around the country competing to create a winning cocktail using Royer’s overproof “Force 53” VSOP cognac. (The 53 refers to the alcohol percentage, which means the cognac registers at a potent 106 proof.)

Other recent additions to the high-alcohol market — in strengths topping out at nearly 150 proof -- include bourbons (Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve), rums (Plantation Rum Original Dark Overproof), ryes (Wild Turkey 101) and gins (Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin). Sales are strong for these and other overproof brands, according to officials at various brands.

Beam Inc., the Deerfield, Ill., spirits company known for its namesake Jim Beam bourbon, notes its Scottish-made Laphroaig Cask Strength whisky ($59.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle) as an example. Sales have surged by 70% for the brand in the latest quarter from a year earlier, the company says. That is a faster growth rate than that of its still-popular, standard-strength Laphroaig 10 Year Old ($49.99).

Examples of Cask Strength Spirits

Beam anticipates selling out of its entire 2,500-case U.S. allotment of the Cask Strength expression by year’s end. “High-proof whiskies are in hot demand at the moment,” says Beam spokesman Dan Cohen.

Source: "Now on Tap at your Local Pub" by Charles Passy, Oct. 3rd 2012, MarketWatch/The Wallstreet Journal

WHAT ARE THE RECENT INNOVATIONS IN THE COGNAC CATEGORY?

For one company to survive it needs innovation. People often equate innovations to the creation of new products or the use of technology. Cognac is a traditional product but if it does not innovate it may disappear as there are many other spirits competing against cognac.

Cognac innovations are not only about creating new presentations. Here are a few basic ways cognac can innovate.

1) the introduction of a new (or modified) cognac;

2) the introduction of a new method of production of cognac;

3) the opening of a new cognac market;

4) the exploitation of a new source of supply;

and 5) the re-engineering/organization of improved business management processes.

I have rounded up the cognac innovations for the past 16 months in the cognac marketplace. Do not hesitate to contact us to suggest any other innovations you think should be presented here.

Most of these cognac innovations have focused on modified presentations and modified blends/ assemblages. 

The cognac is not offering a great deal of new products such as ABK6 Ice Cognac, and more specifically there are very few new sub-categories, such as Comandon creating the Single Barrel Cognac category within an XO selection. In the product business jargon this is called  'a product line width extension'.

LIST OF RECENT INNOVATIONS IN THE COGNAC CATEGORY

The Martell XO Architect Edition by Christian de Portzamparc  recently debuted in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan airports. It will then be available in Kuala Lumpur airport from April to May 2013. The limited edition packaging includes a gift case that captures the light and to create a diffused glow transforming the case into a delicate architectural material that envelopes the bottle in subtle opacity. The Martell XO bottle has been reinterpreted to feature a gold bottle neck and cork closure and gold metallic label (2550 bottles in Asian Duty Free stores only).

Cognac Martell XO Architect

Pernod Ricard also launched its travel retail exclusive Martell Millésime 1968 in key Asian airports following its success in the Martell Experience Boutiques and Singapore’s VIP Duty Free Store. Presented in a luxury leather and wooden gift box with a hand-written number denoting its status as a limited edition, Martell Millésime 1968 will be showcased in high profile promotion locations within duty free stores.  The distinctive bottle shape was inspired by the ‘montre’ bottle used by generations of Cellar Masters when composing the final blend.

Cognac Martell Vintage 1968

Comandon Single Barrel Cognac is the first cognac house to introduce a full line of single barrel cognacs while also producing the classic VS/VSOP/XO qualities. The Single Barrel collection consists of a three different bottles, with different growth area origins. A Comandon XO Single Barrel Cognac from the Borderies, Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne Appellations all available at cask strength. An original vintage look!

Comandon Single Barrel Cognac XO Selection

Martell launches Chanteloup Perspective in its travel retail outlets in Asia. The arch-shaped decanter features a silver motif echoing the wrought-iron gate which protects the cellar. A brushed-silver gift box embossed with a single ‘M’ further accentuates the new blend’s luxury credentials.

Cognac Martell Chanteloup

Cognac Camus launched one of its latest fine cognac  – Ile de Ré Cliffside Cellar – from the vineyards of the Ile de Ré, the most westerly part of the Cognac AOC region. Drawn entirely from eaux-de-vie grown, distilled and aged on the island in a very humid cellar, it has a lively, dry palate with a fruity touch. Additional maturation in a cellar deep in the Fort de La Prée then adds a unique marine and mellow character. Built in 1626, the Fort de La Prée is located on a cliff overhanging the Atlantic, and its cellar is subjected to the full force of the oceanic climate.

Camus Ile de Re Cliffside

To recapture the spirit of the quintessential cocktail days in the 1800s, Cognac Ferrand has launched Pierre Ferrand Cognac 1840 Original Formula – a revival of the classic three-star Cognac – in the US. This eminently mixable Cognac – created by Alexandre Gabriel, proprietor Cognac Ferrand and cellar-master Christian Guerin. The blend is closely modelled on a rare and well-preserved bottle of Pinet-Castillon Cognac from the year 1840, a generation and more before the phylloxera louse devastated the vineyards of Cognac.  It has ben bottled at 45%ABV to enhance its use in cocktails. RRP $44.99 /75cl bottle.

Cognac Pierre Ferrand 1840

Rémy Martin VSOP Urban Lights limited edition hits the streets this autumn in a dramatic black bottle decorated with the startling red neon lights of the city and lettering in scarlet and glittering gold. The 1 litre bottle will be available from selected travel retail outlets all over the world from September 2011 while stocks last at the same retail price as Rémy Martin VSOP Fine Champagne Cognac.

Remy Martin VSOP Urban

Originally punch was made with cognac it is said. As part of Courvoisier’s promotion campaign Courvoisier VS 'punch pack  is available in a special ' pack' containing a free clear plastic ladle to encourage consumers to "upgrade their drinking experience and enjoy punch at home".  The 30,000 window carton packs feature Courvoisier’s signature serve punch recipe, which mixes Courvoisier VS with lemonade, a few dashes of Angostura aromatic bitters and a garnish of orange and lemon wheels. Neck hangers, that also feature the Courvoisier Punch recipe, plus a free music download, will be placed on a further 175,000 bottles in the offtrade.

Courvoisier Punch Pack

Courvoisier is revolutionising the cognac category with the launch of a range of cognacs with an age declaration on the bottle. The Courvoisier Connoisseur Collection is launching with two qualities: Courvoisier 12 Year Old, using grapes from the Borderies; and Courvoisier 21 Year Old, made exclusively from grapes harvested in the Grande Champagne region. Their respective RRPs are £50 and £175.

Courvoisier 21 Years Old

Rémy Martin launched Centaure de Diamant in the Americas.  This new presentation, created exclusively for travel retail is set to appear in key airports across the Americas including New York, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, Puerto Rico and also on cruiselines. RSP US$1,000. The chiselled glass carafe is topped with a silver collar and cabochon stopper that bears the centaur emblem of Rémy Martin. The carafe comes in an elegant presentation coffret in metallic silver with bevelled edges, which open backwards to reveal the decanter and act as a display case on shelf.

Cognac Remy Martin Diamant

Bacardi Global Travel Retail Division is launching Baron Otard’s Fortis et Fidelis. A rare cognac into select travel retail outlets worldwide (RRP US$4,500). The crystal carafe is handcrafted by Royale de Saint-Louis. 

Baron Otard Fortis

Rémy Martin’s Coeur de Cognac is being presented in is distilled very slowly for extra smoothness and vibrant fruitiness and is designed to offer non-Cognac drinkers an accessible premium quality product.

Remy Martin Coeur de Cognac

ABK6 Ice Cognac: The Abécassis family, known for its single estate cognacs, launched Ice Cognac, a contemporary cognac that has been specifically blended by the cellar master to be savoured on ice. Its flavours develop progressively, highlighting a range of distinct aromas from fruit to lemon sorbet and mint through contact with the ice and water. This product is kind of reminiscent of Remy Ice Boxx and following this concept for colder cognac users.

ABK6 Ice Cognac