BRANDY REVIVAL IN CALIFORNIA: SAVE WHISKY DRINK BRANDY

Save Whisky Drink Brandy

California Brandy is coming back!

I have known it for a long time and it is starting to look like I was right.
Why I anticipated this revival?

When I came to California in 1996 for the first time I was surprised by the concept of 'single grape varietal'. A concept rather foreign to me as I was coming from the traditional blended grape varietals from the local appellation which is the way wines are presented in France. This discovery was later to become my impetus for producing Monteru Single Grape Brandyin 2008.

As I ventured into the wine world in the early 2000s in California and later into the distilled spirits it appeared to me that it was just a matter of time before California would reclaim the brandy category it once had.

===>The evidence were:

• California and its concept of wine and entrepreneurial way of life,
• California single grape varietal wine thriving business,
• Micro-brewery and later Micro-distillation boom,
• Spirits venturing into single ingredients such as Rye, specific type of Potatoes, wheat versus corn and etc. I noticed a real interest for studying the process and original ingredients,
• Regain and later explosion for the Mixology, combined with the search of better ingredients,
• People interests for organic, handmade, farm-to-table, sustainability, ... eventually culminating to local is better than far away things. A concept which is well executed by brands such as Tito's Vodka (starting from Texas) or FEW (starting from Chicago's suburbs) for instance.

All of these factors combined and symbiotically moving have increased my confidence in the return of brandy.

Recent Links:
The definitive guide to California brandy old and new
in San Francisco Gate
By Lou Bustamante, October 22, 2018
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-definitive-guide-to-California-brandy-old-and-13323980.php

California brandy is better than ever. Will consumers notice?
in San Francisco Chronicle
By Lou Bustamante, Oct. 20, 2018
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/California-brandy-is-better-than-ever-Will-13323976.php?fbclid=IwAR0hGYCS3fCwsy_yeChrX7DnTTvlvXvRxCjme1HK_fS35Yg1758euKLyQAU#photo-16334737

THINKING OF SELLING YOUR RARE WINES AND SPIRITS?

Auction Hammer

Source: https://www.winemag.com/

BY MELANIE YOUNG

September 18, 2018

Whether you want to downsize a prized collection or can finally procure an elusive bottle, here are expert tips on how to do it.

Global wine auction sales are on the upswing, according to specialists. Jamie Ritchie, head of Sotheby's global wine program, projects $90 million in sales by year's end, which would top the existing record of $88 million in 2010.

Though nothing has topped the Jeroboam of 1945 Château Mouton Rothschild that sold for $310,700 in February 2007 at Sotheby's.

If time is of the essence and you're comfortable with settling on a firm price, a direct sale may be the best choice. However, with an auction, the sky is the limit.

Like any major transaction, it's wise to comparison shop. The reputation and success rate of an auction house is paramount, along with the size and reach of its customer base.

Many houses have minimums based on the value of the wine lot, which can be one item or an entire collection. Also, the lot's size and value can affect the seller's fee, which ranges from zero to 18%.

It's the auction house's responsibility to appraise the wine and set a price. Munro stresses that sellers should submit important documentation well in advance, especially those with large collections.

Most auctions take place between September and May.

Bordeaux and Burgundy are more in demand but scotch and Japanese whiskies are both growing.

One example is the current offerings slated for t e coming 13th Oct. 2018 auction at Sotheby's New York. A bottle of 1926 Macallan Scotch is priced at $700,000 to $1.2 million, a new lot estimate record for Sotheby's.

Join auction house mailing lists, and review past online sales and recent catalogs to compare what's selling.

Another consideration is the buyer's premium to the auction house, which can range from 19.5-24%.

CAN ANCIENT INGREDIENTS MAKE BETTER SPIRITS TODAY?

Heritage Corn Craft Whiskey’s Final Frontier?
Having tapped the bounty of heirloom grains, distillers are turning to the unexplored diversity of heritage corn to add nuance to their whiskeys.
JUNE 6, 2018 story: KARA NEWMAN

Once upon a time, nobody cared for whiskey being made with Rye, Corn or Wheat...
Now people are into details. What kind of corn?
Just a little over a century ago, hundreds of varieties of corn grew across the fields of the United States.

Today, almost all corn-based whiskey, including bourbon, is sourced from a single type of corn. But some craft distillers are trying to revive those ancient strains, creating spirits with greater nuance by stretching back to the past.

This sort of obsessiveness has become a feature of the craft whiskey movement. But even as producers increase their focus on the sourcing of grainslike ancient strains of rye, and even how they’re malted, corn remains the last frontier.
See, article Souce below for more details ...

That reminds me, that in 2015 I revived the concept of 1870 cognac by producing a cognac 'à la pre-phylloxera way' that is using single grape 'Folle Blanche', single cask, vintage and why not from Bons Bois with a higher proof which is looked down for no real reasons besides commercial reasons. I did not do high proof or cask strength because one as to go with baby steps. All of this was too much at once and it was wise to get a few great and 'good old' concepts first and later we will see!

Meet Comandon Cognac 2012 Single Cask Folle Blanche from Bons Bois 41.3% Alc/Vol.
Only 120 bottles were released in the USA and we sold them all to aficionados who were paying attention.

Source: PUNCH, Comandon

COGNAC POPULARITY MAKES THE GLENLIVET SCOTCH WHISKY USE EX-COGNAC CASK FINISH

The Glenlivet Scotch Whisky Captain's Reserve Ex-Cognac Cask Finish

When I started making cognac finished in ex-casks in 2014, that is ex-Sauternes (Bordeaux's prestigious desert wine) and ex-Sherry casks (Spanish fortified wine from Jerez south of Spain) I was pretty much inspired by other spirits and in particular Scotch whiskies like Glendronach, Benriach or more available Glenmorangie. This was a good idea and as a matter of fact I won 'world best cognac' at San Francisco Spirits in 2016 for my vintage Oloroso Sherry cask finish.

Little did I think the scotch whisky producers would in turn use ex-cognac casks to finish their whiskies so quickly after this cask finish movement was started in the Cognac region. The Glenlivet is not the first Scotch Whisky finished in ex-cognac cask but it is the largest brand to venture into this direction which surely will get some people not feeling at ease.

This situation of finishing whiskies in ex-cognac cask is OK, but I would not suggest the opposite, i.e., finishing a cognac in ex-whisky casks. Why not? I do not think it will work out well. Perhaps a very peated whisky so as to bring some sort of smokiness to the cognac but I am not even sure that this is the way to go when working on smokey cognacs.

Read more below from:  Nino Marchetti / May 23, 2018
Source: WhiskyMash

The Glenlivet distillery, based in Scotland’s Speyside region, is known for having serious heritage in the whisky world. Despite this history, those who make Scotch here are willing to follow current trends, such as the art of cask finishing, debuting recently a non-age statement bottling that’s been “selectively finished” in ex-Cognac casks.

The new The Glenlivet Captain’s Reserve, according to those behind it, will be part of the regular range of whisky from this distillery. Finished in ex-Cognac casks, it is said to be a tribute to Captain William Smith Grant, great-grandson of George Smith, founder of The Glenlivet. The Captain not only fought in the First World War in France, but later reportedly went on to guide the brand through the difficult Prohibition years.

“We know that Single Malt consumers are becoming increasingly adventurous and are seeking to explore new flavour profiles and finishes in the category,” said Alan Winchester, The Glenlivet master distiller, in a prepared statement. “Research shows that the global consumption of Cognac is expected to increase by some 2m cases by 2021. By introducing the Cognac casks into our maturation process, we are able to capitalise on the popularity of this flavour and add another dimension to our world-renowned portfolio. The Cognac casks’ influence will bring a real richness to the smooth and fruity style of The Glenlivet, which we’re confident new and existing Single Malt Scotch enthusiasts will enjoy.”

Plans call for Captain’s Reserve to price at a minimum of £45, or about $60 USD. You’ll find official tasting notes from The Glenlivet below for your consideration.

• NOSE:Bursting with sweet and fruity aromas. Rich in honey and apricot jam, with notes of sweet cinnamon bread and a subtle sensation of spicy liquorice.
• TASTE:Succulent flavours of mandarins in syrup, ripe poached pears and chocolate-dipped raisins.
• FINISH:Incredibly smooth and luscious.

Source: WhiskyMash

SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY IS PUTTING TOGETHER A SELECTION OF SINGLE CASK COGNACS

 

SMWS Single Cask Spirits, Cognac Selection of Single Casks

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) more known for their scotch whisky selection and single cask scotch whiskies is now introducing a few Single Cask Cognacs. This is not the first time as they had one Single Cask Cognac in late 2015.

In addition, they are working with Michelle Brachet who has recently joined the world of cognac after working on a documentary assignment about cognac in 2014 which got her started thinking about cognac, and her interests grew further since.

SMWS is rather influential in the scotch whisky category. Let's hope that their venture in creating other single cask selections and in particular cognac will get whisky drinkers to become interested in cognac.

Source:  TheDrinksReport.com

SINGLE GRAIN WHISKY FROM JAPAN

 

Suntory's Chita Single Grain Whisky

Suntory launched a new Japanese single grain whisky in the UK named Chita Single Grain Whisky.
This whisky was matured into Spanish oak casks and American white oak casks.

The Chita Distillery was established in 1972 in Aichi region, and it has been dedicated for single grain distillation.

Source: Drinks International

JAPANESE MIZUNARA OAK CASK USED TO FINISH A FRENCH BRANDY

 

Monteru Brandy Ippon, Finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak Cask, same oak and cask used by the most famous Whisky made in Japan. First bottle ever, and bottle One of One.[/caption]

Experts and consumers are increasingly recognizing whiskies and single malts made in Japan as some of the best in the world. This reputation is largely explained by the type of oak casks the Japanese use to craft these whiskies called 'mizunara' oak. These original oak casks are more than 10 times more expensive than most of the commercial oak and often just not available outside of Japan.

Monteru Brandy since 2009 has started reviving the world of luxury brandy with revolutionary ideas such as crafting the first 'single grape brandy’ with a variety of grape varietals such as cabernet, chardonnay, merlot, etc.

In 2015, they offered a line of small batch of rare cask finished brandies including sauternes, sherry and heavily charred American oak cask finished. There is no 'run of the mill' to foresee coming out of Monteru, but the most transparent and inspiring craft spirits expected to come out from France with 96 pts and above from recent ratings.

Monteru Brandy is the result of the visionary leadership of Jean-Michel Naud and Franck Vigneron, artisan distillers and passionate cellar masters.
"We are very proud to offer a unique experience to the growing luxury brandy segment which are not only looking for innovations but also uncompromizing authentic products" says Pierre Naud, Monteru's international sales manager.

Today, once again, Monteru is innovating with the first ever brandy finished in Japanese mizunara cask. Not only this is the first ever brandy but the first ever French spirits crafted using oak casks made from authentic mizunara oak from Japan.

These casks were made using Japanese traditional cooperage methods and directly imported to the Maison Monteru in Charente Maritime, South West of France.

Before offering a small allocation of a few bottles from the first batch, Monteru Brandy will release a single bottle of Monteru Brandy Mizunara, limited bottle serial number 1 of one.

This one bottle limited edition is coming into an ultra luxury and custom presentation named 'IPPON' which means 'one piece' and 'a perfect full point' as this is the highest score a fighter can achieve in judo, a Japanese martial art.

Monteru Brandy Ippon was revealed to the public for the first time on Monday 19th june 2017 at Vinexpo 2017 in Bordeaux France. There was a real excitement among connoisseurs and journalists that knew of the importance for this release as this makes a full circle between today's many trends.

NO AGE STATEMENT WHISKIES ARE ALL THE RAGE

Shanken Daily News just posted a very interesting article on the decreasing number of whisky brands launching products with age statements, and in comparison making more products without sub-branded names such as:

Talisker Storm
Mortlach Rare Old
Macallan Ruby
Macallan Rare Cask
Kilkerran Work in Progress 5
Laphroaig Select
Bowmore Small Batch
Glenmorangie’s Private Edition Companta
The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso

Aberlour A'Bunadh No Age Statement

Aberlour A’Bunadh
Anchor's Revival
Anchor’s Glenrothes Select Reserve

Apparently consumers want more choices and therefore brands are proposing more choices than 'age statements'.

This is an interesting trend which has a direct relation with how one can envision the cognac drinkers to look at VS, VSOP and XO. Should cognac makers in contrast go into 'age statements' or go into sub-branding with mentions such as 'Grand reserve' etc.?

With more competition, more regulations and lesser stocks Scotch Whisky in particular is starting to feel the problems cognac makers have been faced with.

Source: ShankenDailyNews.com

Whisky While You Do Kamasutra

The whisky marketplace is much larger in volume than Cognac. However, the whisky has a much larger number of producers and divergence not only in styles but more critically in origin - shall I say a much larger problem; what problem am I talking about? English whiskies (e.g., Saint-Georges), Welsh wiskies (e.g., Penderyn), Irish whiskies (e.g., Jameson), Australian Whisky (e.g., Lark), Canadian whiskies (e.g., Crown Royal), US whiskeys/Bourbons (e.g., Eagle Rare), Japanese whiskies (e.g., Yamazaki), French whisky (e.g., Glann ar Mor), German Whiskies (e.g., Gruel) Scottish whiskies/Scotch (e.g., Cardhu) and many other countries are producing whiskies like the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, etc...

More recently India entered the whisky production in a big way with a bold winning proposition: a whisky made in India blended with Scotch blends. Whattttt!!!! you are thinking while reading this a second time!  Can they do this? Yes and they did.  This whisky is now coming to America and it is called: "Royal Challenge".

Next thing you know it could even be very nice, experts in blind taste may rave about it and it could costs less than premium fruit juices. In slower or hard economic downturn people are price sensitive and these whiskies coming from India or soon China may prove to be successful operations. In Fact, India offers a dozen of brands of whiskies made in India inside the Indian market. In the last Wine and Spirits Wholsaler of America (WSWA) trade show Royal Challenge was launched in the USA by Toni Bedi, the President of the UB Group. The UB Group is a huge multinational from India more famous for its beer business and its high tech division, but also airline business. www.aubsl.com

Royal Challenge Whisky made in India by the UB Group