Cognac market sales could surpass the 6 million case volume in the USA.
Cognac continues to thrive in the USA with category leader Hennessy leading the way. Or dominating would be a more proper statement.
Depletion was 17% up in 2016 compare to 2015, with over 1 billion USD sales which is 5 times more than 2011 in the US.
Hennessy makes 1.6 billion USD sales of cognac/year/world and it is looking at beaking the 2 billion USD sales soon which would be the new high.
Remy Martin plays well as a 2nd with +9% sales and a volume of 823,000 cases sold in 2016. Remy Martin is in contrast to Hennessy in particular focusing on non-VS qualities such as VSOP and 1738 Accord Royal, noting sales from Jan-Sept to be +15% with $431m worldwide, and interest for higher end cognac in the USA.
Courvoisier (owned by Beam Suntor) is the third-largest Cognac in the U.S., and advanced by 6.2% to 470,000 cases in 2016.
Martell (owned by Pernod-Ricard) ranked fourth, and crossed 100,000 cases last year on 6% growth after starting a come back in the USA in 2016. They had left to focus on China but ...
Cognac d’Ussé (a Bacardi brand) launched in 2012, made in 2016 +48% with 86,000 cases sold. It is produced by Cognac Otard not sure why Bacardi is not interested in Otard!
Martell introduces the world of H.O.M.E. at a private mansion party in Hollywood Hills with Grammy-nominated songstress Jhené Aiko served as the ambassador for the Los Angeles-based event, which other guests such as Quavo and Jamie Foxx.
Martell is working on the theme that everyone can enjoy nice coctails at home.
Pernod Ricard-owned Cognac house Martell is ringing in the Chinese Year of the Rooster with the launch of Cordon Bleu Intense Heat Cask Finish, which utilises a first-of-its-kind finishing process for the brand.
Available in Asia Pacific travel retail, Martell Cordon Bleu Intense Heat Cask Finish is created using a cask toasting and finishing process new to the Cognac house.
Extra heat is applied to the casks using as if charring an American whisky oak barrel.
Then, the cognac is aged 6 months.
The resulting Cognac is said to offer “heightened fruit and spice tasting notes” including a “fruity citrus sweetness, a toasted nuttiness and robust spice”.
The pack also features invisible thermochromic inks that react with a consumer’s body temperature to glow fiery red when rubbed, designed to replicate glowing embers.
Martell Cordon Bleu Intense Heat Cask Finish is available in Asia Pacific travel retail now.
Until recently, the U.S. market was largely an afterthought for Pernod Ricard’s Martell Cognac brand, which has long focused on China. But last year, Martell grew 33% to just under 100,000 cases in the U.S., and now Pernod is ramping up innovation activity to expand the brand’s U.S. audience.
Martell is now looking to leverage robust trends in both Cognac and Bourbon with a new hybrid product, Blue Swift ($50), which is hitting select U.S. cities now ahead of a full national rollout in January. The newcomer is a Martell VSOP finished in Kentucky Bourbon barrels for five to seven months, and represents the first in a series of new products that
Martell has in the pipeline. The new expression will target the on-premise, aimed at being a bridge into Cognac for Bourbon drinkers.
Martell Blue Swift 1st edition 2016
In 1783, Martell was the first to ship its barrels of cognac to the United States. Today, Martell celebrates this history with another first : introducing Martell Blue Swift, the first-ever Martell VSOP matured in French Oak casks and finished in Kentucky Bourbon casks.
Martell’s signature process of distilling cognacs free of impurities leave it open to absorbing the rich aromatic tones from the bourbon cask. The result is Martell’s hallmark cognac style redefines the boundaries of cognac.
"The House of Martell has always proudly launched disruptive products, reinventing the standards through new blends, new designs and even new territories," said Brian Smith, Brand Director, Marketing, Martell, Pernod Ricard USA. "Martell Blue Swift is a product born out of the power of curiosity, and we look to celebrate those who embody and share our curious spirit with the release of our latest innovation."
Finishing Martell Cognac VSOP in Kentucky Bourbon casks, Martell Blue Swift is unlike any other spirit on the market. Martell's signature cognac distillation process allows for the absorption of rich aromatic tones from the bourbon casks, adding to the richness of the finished product. The delicate notes of candied fruit and plum, found in Martell VSOP, are complemented by the subtle sweetness of vanilla and toasted oak from the bourbon casks from Kentucky. The result is a supremely unique spirit that is exceptionally smooth with a rounded taste and distinct character that can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in classic cocktails.
The Martell Blue Swift bottle pays homage to Martell's iconic swift emblem, a bird with the unique and rare ability to fly for exceptionally long distances, crossing over the Atlantic Ocean twice a year. The bottle takes on the shape of both cognac and bourbon casks and the elaborate "cut-glass" detail on its base evoking classic crystal decanters.
Martell Blue Swift will be exclusively available in select U.S. markets including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Washington D.C. this October with a suggested retail price of $49.99.
TASTING NOTES ===>To the eye We can admire an elegant coppery color with golden glints.
===>On the nose We first notice gourmet aromas such as banana and caramelized pears. Then a subtle sweetness appears, and notes of vanilla & coconut mixed with spicy and menthol are revealed.
===>In the mouth It is soft, round and gourmand. We taste deep and fresh notes of ginger and white candied fruits such as plums.
We then feel the ample, smooth and long toasted oak finish from Kentucky Bourbon casks.
Serving Martell Blue Swift is a Cognac VSOP finished in Bourbon casks to enjoy on its own, over ice, lengthened with a mixer or as a cocktail.
As part of its 300th anniversary Martell is re-designing its iconic Cordon Bleu cognac.
The new design reflects the luxury nature of the product, besides maintaining the existing strengths of the current packaging including its simplicity, authenticity and consistency over time.
Martell Cordon Bleu XO
London agency Nude Brand Creation has used inspirations from past elements to re-create a traditional appeal.
The new Martell visual elements have been incorporated including the crest and swift. The signature of Edouard Martell is given a prominent position to honour Martell Cordon Bleu’s creator. Every element has been carefully considered. Nude worked closely with a hand-lettering artist to ensure the typography evokes the rich and luxurious side of the prestigious cognac.
What is interesting about this new bottle of cognac is the age statement. Traditionally, Martell Cordon Bleu was a proprietary blend rather secret with a certain quantities of Borderies into it, which is sais to explain it lightness and smooth appeal. Now this product is described as 'Extra Old Cognac' which is the long description of XO. Hence, this must be an XO!
Last June 2015, Cognac Hennessy had a huge private event on the docks of the town of Cognac to celebrate its 250th year anniversary. This event was named the most extravagant event to ever happen in Cognac.
This was a hard act to follow for Cognac Martell on September 2nd 2015 outbidding Hennessy with its 300th year celebration.
Martell 300th Anniversary
Martell often quotes being the oldest large cognac house established in 1715. If you look between the lines it is not the oldest but the oldest of the 4 large house of Cognac which dominate over 90% of the sales in volume.
The celebration took place at the Château de Chanteloup and was declared a local “tribute to Cognac and the people of Cognac”.
Only a selected few were invited to the event. What many people will remember from this event is that the invitation were personally delivered to the recipients. A little look back on how it was done back in 1715.
Invitees were made of winegrowers, distillers and partners who contribute to the production of Cognac Martell.
César Giron, Martell chairman and CEO, and Alexandre Ricard, Pernod Ricard chairman and CEO handed a number of special gifts produced specially for the event such as limited edition cognacs.
One must feel very small thinking about the 300 years that went by and the longevity of this business. It is remarkable to think that it all started with selling one bottle a long time ago, and that the founder was not specifically trying to be a cognac house but a trader of things to ship from France to England where he was originally from.
This is not the only event marking the anniversary. Martell had organized events earlier this year such as in Paris airport Charles de Gaulle or Versailles.
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.
Martell, the second largest cognac producer and the oldest Cognac House among the top 4 largest house is about to celebrate a very important anniversary. 100th! In 1912, the company launched a new cognac which quickly became an iconic product and which is still today considered by many people as the archetype of premium cognacs. It is revered in Asia and it is very unique in its assemblage/formula and flavor profile. One of its secret is the use of cognacs originated from the Borderies region of production in Cognac. This is very much of a house characteristic for Martell as much as the assemblage of Grande and Petite Champagne is a trait of Remy Martin, the Borderies assemblage belong to Martell.
When you analyze the Martell Cordon Bleu product with today's "marketing eyes" one would imagine that it would be a project that would be quickly abandoned. Most of the new products being made are concentrating on the production of modern cognacs supported by trendy packagings. Cordon Bleu like Remy Martin 1738 are offering "old school" looks which are often perceived as evidence of "authenticity" by consumers. Hence, authenticity is an important characteristic for cognacs.
http://youtu.be/1MCxIdk6ZYw
The Chateau of Chanteloup is an amazing castle in the North suburbs of the city of Cognac, surrounded by 147 hectares of vineyards. This beautiful castle can be seen from a far distance from a flat plateau area in the Borderies region. It reminds me of old manors I had seen when I lived in Scotland but also the typical master homes you would find in Normandy. It makes me think in particular at the hunting lodge and horse breeding centers that one can find along the scenic roads of Normandy. In fact, it is all picture perfect for the Chateau of Chanteloups has it faces the Cognac Equestrian Center. I do not think this castle has a typical cognac architecture and style but rather anglo-saxon. Perhaps, it reflects the origin of the Martells who were British people coming from Jersey Island since this is known as the castle of Jean Martell, the founder of Cognac Martell in 1715. The chateau is used for many recreational activities by the Cognac Martell company now inthe hands of the Pernod-Ricard group. Some of these activities includes training and seminars of employees, distributors, ... A few weeks ago I was speaking with someone who manages this Chateau and I could not believe the amount of people and work that happens in this place.
The Chateau de Chanteloup is opened to the public, mostly in the summer, and it can be visited within very specific dates available from the Cognac tourism office [see, www.tourism-cognac.com].
Another option is to win a trip to this castle! The British newspaper The Telegraph offers its viewers to win a trip to Chateau de Chanteloup at this time.
