BRANDY THE TRADITIONAL SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

 

Cognac Christmas Tree

Brandy covers a wide spectrum of fruit spirits, from the awesome grape armagnacs, pisco, grappa and brandy jerez, to the apples and pears in Calvados, or cherries in kirsch.

Brandy is warma and fits well with all Christmas dishes and it is historically correct for who wants to be traditional.

During the 19^th century, cognac, a specific type of brandy, had become the tipple for Europe, and despite relations with the French, the British championed the stuff. The Irish meanwhile kept their eyes smiling while opening their own houses – Richard Hennessy being the most renowned purveyor.

And as the American cocktail revolution took hold in the mid 19^th century, it was cognac that was at the base of classics we still venerate today. Alas, the progress of the spirit was severely hindered in the 1870s when French vineyards were attacked by the devastating phyloxera pest, and as the grape growers stewed in their wrath, whisky nipped in to claim the discerning drinking crown.

... see more details here...

Source: Life Spectator

CONSUMER VIRTUAL REALITY AND LOUIS XIII

Louis XIII Cognac’s most recent activation is a great example of how luxury brands are aligning with meaningful causes and influencers to appeal to luxury consumers’ growing desire to feel their purchases are part of something bigger than themselves.

Luxury brands once relied on the tailored customer experience perfected at boutique storefronts on the most fashionable streets of the world’s most glamorous cities to bring their ethos to life.

With a new generation of luxury consumers interacting with brands online rather than in-person, it can be difficult for a brand to differentiate itself and play up the nuances of its legacy, heritage, and superior production.

Thus many brands from across all luxury sectors are turning to activations, or experiential marketing, as an opportunity to provide the high-level, white-glove experience that is missing in the digital customer relationship.

Read more at ...

Source:  Skift

EDUCATION AND PRACTICE MAKE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS INTO LUXURY

 & EDU

On Monday, the LVMH group started its first Italian professional training programme in Florence, where it established a branch of the Institut des Métiers d’Excellence (IME), its vocational training institute. On this occasion, the French luxury group’s Director for Human Resources and Synergies, Chantal Gaemperle, spoke to FashionNetwork.com about the new needs of the luxury goods industry.

“…LVMH’s training is a way of passing on our expertise, of preserving crafts which risk being lost, and of educating craftsmen to deliver excellence…”

“…crafts people transmit not just the quality of their expertise, but also their pride in creating fine products…”

“…Working in the luxury industry means… embracing the uncertainty and ambiguity of things, because we are part of a creative process. The world of luxury is full of paradoxes and tensions…”

Source: UK FashionNetwork

COUNTERFEIT WINE BRANDED MOET-HENNESSY REPORTED IN CHINA

 

LVMH's Moet-Hennessy Unit, and logo

Source: the drinks business
by Natalie Wang
5th December, 2017

Following a formal complaint filed by French luxury group Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce has busted a local Chinese wine company which has been selling counterfeit Rhône wines it claimed were made by Moët Hennessy.

The wines in question, purported to be Côtes du Rhône, are distributed by a company called Shanghai Haotuo International Trading Company Ltd based in Beijing's Fengtai District, and each wine carries a back label stating that it's made by Moët Hennessy, using its trademarked Chinese name, reported Beijing TV.

In fact, Moët Hennessy doesn't make wines in the Côtes du Rhône or indeed any part of the Rhône Valley.

Speaking of one of the wines called; 'Wan De Da Special Reserve', an officer called Zhang Peng with the bureau, explained that: "This is to mislead consumers to let them believe the wine is produced by Moët Hennessy."

However, the wine in question has a front label that says it's a Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet 2003 with a suspiciously sounding French company name called 'France Henris Co Ltd'. Henris in Chinese sounds phonetically similar to Moët Hennessy's Chinese name.

Another imperial bottle claimed to be made by Moët Hennessy with a Chinese name 'Wei Da Mu Special Reserve' is described as "the most treasured bottle" in the shop. It sells for a staggering RMB 99,999 (US$15,121) a bottle. The wine's label says it's a 2007 Côtes du Rhône Sablet, but its back label says it's made by Moët Hennessy.

According to the report, police found more than 500 bottles of counterfeit wines with labels saying they are produced by Moët Hennessy. The wines' retail prices at the shop range from RMB 300 to RMB 99,999.

In a Chinese statement by Moët Hennessy, the company reiterated that it "under no circumstances" had granted Shanghai Haotuo International Trading Company Ltd any right to use its company name, and the products are not produced by Moët.

It's unclear based on the report if any suspect has been arrested.

This is the latest case taken by Moët to crack down on counterfeit wines using its branded names. Previously the company won a court case against wine auction house Acker Merrall & Condit concerning a counterfeit bottle of Krug Collection 1947.

MILLENNIAL SHOPPERS EXPECTED TO SPEND MORE IN CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS 2017

 

Cognac News and Economy

While most consumers (54%) say they’re keeping their holiday spending about even with last year, young adults (18-24 years old) are likely to increase theirs, according to survey released last week by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

• Barely a quarter (24%) of consumers overall say they’ll spend more this year, but nearly half (46%) of those aged 18-24 — which includes the oldest members of Generation Z — and 39% of those aged 25-34 years old, will spend more than they did a year ago.
• Many of America’s youngest consumers will also be heading to stores this season, according to a survey from Junior Achievement USA. Most (54%) plan to do much of their shopping at brick-and-mortar discount stores like Walmart and Target this holiday season. Less than half of teens (46%) said that they would be doing much of their shopping online, while about a third (34%) planned to head out to the shopping malls.

Source: RetailDive

HENNESSY IS ALSO MAKING CRAFT COGNAC NOW!

 

Cognac Hennessy Master Blender's No2

Hennessy's getting into Craft Cognac

Hennessy has launched the second release in its limited edition Master Blender’s Selection series. Master Blender’s Selection N°2 is made from eaux-de-vie selected by former master blender Yann Fillioux and bottled at 43% abv. 

Fillioux’s nephew, Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, took over as master blender this past July, succeeding his uncle after a 50-year tenure.

The new bottling is composed of eaux-de-vie that are at least 10 years old, aged for 18 months in young coarse-grained French oak barrels before additional aging in old barrels. 

Hennessy Master Blender’s Selection N°2 is available now at a suggested price of $92 a 750-ml., exclusively in the U.S.

 

Cognac Hennessy Master Blender's No1

The Edition Limitee No1 had been released in October 2016.

Source: ShankenDailyNews

GRAND MARNIER IS GOING BACK TO ITS COGNAC ROOTS

 

Grand Marnier, Cognac, Liqueur, 1880, Quintessence

Grand Marnier is said to go back to its luxury roots and emphasize its connection with cognac. As you may know, Grand Marnier is made with cognac, and it is originally a cognac brand which became much more famous for its liqueur.

I could even venture to say that they kind of gave up on cognac a while back.

Grand Marnier was still part of the Marnier-Lapostolle family until last year in 2016 when Campari acquired it for $760 million.

Campari intends to take advantage of the current cognac boom and join in with the cognac association to Grand Marnier, and probably getting back into the cognac category.

The USA is Grand Marnier’s biggest market after France with 77% of its international sales.

Here is an excerpt from Shanken Daily News:

..."To capture some of the buzz around the Cognac category, Grand Marnier’s message will highlight that the core Cordon Rouge expression is 51% Cognac and 49% distilled bitter orange. “On-premise will continue to be a particular focus as we work to increase trial and reintroduce Grand Marnier to a new generation, many of whom don’t realize that Grand Marnier is more than half Cognac,” Batchelor explains.

While core label Cordon Rouge ($39.99) makes up the majority of the brand’s depletions, Grand Marnier’s portfolio has broadened over the years to include high-end marques that offer higher Cognac content. The brand’s Centenaire ($199.99), Cuvée 1880 ($349.99) and Quintessence ($899.99) extensions all use older eaux-de-vie and tweak the Cognac ratio, going all the way up to 91% Cognac for the Cuvée 1880. Although Cognac’s popularity has reached such a height that some brands—notably Hennessy—are seeing shortages, Grand Marnier master blender Patrick Raguenaud isn’t worried about stocks running dry, citing century-long relationships with grape growers throughout the region. “We have a collection of 450 winegrowers who supply Grand Marnier,” adds Batchelor. “Those strong and genuine relationships are at the core of Grand Marnier’s commercial activities."..."

Source: ShankenDailyNews