Cognac brands in India

Cognac brands in India, 12 So Far

5/24/2023

Cognac is the world’s best-known brandy. In India Cognac if often associated with Bollywood, “Cognac sharaab nahi hoti” said Rishi Kapoor in Chandni 1989 and then Shahrukh Khan to Kajol in DDLJ 6 years later. If you read between the lines and try to understand the deeper meaning, may be it relates to what the Indian upper classes generally think of the beverage, sophistication. Well Cognac certainly deserves the respect for all it undergoes to come into ones lead free crystal.
Cognac is made from the Ugni blanc grape, double distilled in a special copper pot still called the alembic charentaise and then ages for a minimum of 2 years in oak barrels, either new or in the ones that carried a wine or a wine-based spirit. These days a sherry or a port cask finish is quite common in the Cognac world. The time they spend in the barrel in indicates as VS, VSOP and XO in an ascending order of 2 years, 4 years and 10 years. The years indicate the youngest cognac in the bottle, the oldest may be 5 decades old. This is where the art of Cognac blending comes into picture.

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The Cognac market in India is most in the Southern states of India, Tamil Nadu and Kerala where the blue collared drink locally made brandy (mostly made from molasses) and the upper strata drinks Cognac. So, the following brands of Cognac are available not so readily in India but for the top 3.

Martell: The oldest of the big four in Cognac, the house of Martell was found in 1715 by a Englishman. The brand is now owned by Pernod Ricard and is known for its Borderies focussed Cognac, Borderies being the sub-region where the terroir or the growing environment gives it’s a floral overtone.

Remy Martin: Known for its specialty the ‘Fine Champagne’ Cognac which is a blend of grapes grown in Grande and Petit Champagne the most prestigious regions known for its long-lived Cognacs. It also produces the Louis XIII Cognac, it goes at Rs 3 lakhs plus a bottle.

Hennessy: The market leader of the Cognac world, Hennessy commands a 50% market share globally. It was found by an Irishman, Richard Hennessy in 1765 and today is owned the conglomerate LVMH. They claim to have over 70 cellars in Cognac.

Delamain: Established in 1759, Delamain is one of the oldest and still family run Cognac house. They make only Grand Champagne Cognacs and only XO Cognac which put them in the top tier immediately.

Godet: Found in 1783, this is an outlier of the lot as the house is based in La Rochelle a town in Cognac on the Atlantic coast. Going back in history this was the town where the technology of distillation met the wines of today Back then they called it "Brandwijn" in Dutch which translated to burnt wine.Today Cognac is the greatest of the burnt wines in the world.

Hine: Found in 1763 and based in heart of the Grande Champagne , Hine is know for its vintage Cognacs and specially "Hine Early-Landed Vintage Cognac" the barrels of which are aged in the damp cellars in Bristol, England. This English connection goes back to Thomas Hine who was originally English.

Louis Royer: Found in 1853, the brand is located in the town of Jarnac on the banks of the Charente river. You can't miss their logo, the Bee which stands for hard work and perseverance resulting in honey just like the committed hands which go into craft an exquisite Cognac

A. De Fussigny's : Made in a distillery that dates back to 1814, ADF was born in 1987. They do not have their own vineyards but work with farmers and distilleries sourcing grapes from the Grande and Petite Champagne to make a Fine Champagne Cognac.

Albert De Montaubert: Albert de Montaubert, moved to the Cognac region in 1842 to pursue his passion for viticulture and many years later, Albert’s great-grandson Pierre Barrier had the idea to start a brand to honor his ancestor. Thus, the Albert de Montaubert & Fils label was started in 2002, celebrating the skills and ingenuity of the people who have been tending to the vines in this region for over 200 years.

Bisquit & Dubouche: Started in the early 1800s B&D is named after Alexandre Bisquit and his son in law Adrien Dubouche. They use grapes from 4 crus namely Grand Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fin Bois and Bon Bois and they distill on the lees.

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Otard: Made in the building Chateau de Cognac where Francis the 1st the initiator of the French renaissance was born, Otard was found in 1795 by Jean Baptiste Otard. He was the Mayor of Cognac until his death. The brand is owned by Bacardi now. This Cognac ages in cellars which are at the level of the Charente river with very high humidity and dry cellars over ground which give more blends for the final.

Camus: A family owned company found in 1863, Camus starting 1990s emphasizes on Borderies and also have a 100% Borderies XO Cognac which is their signature. They are also one of those have wine aged expressions in their repertoire.

Courvoisier: Being the only official supplier to Napoleon , Courvoisier has basked in the glory of the title ‘Brandy of the Napoleon’ ever since. They were also the Cognac to toast the ‘unveiling’ of the Eiffel tower.

Tesseron: Founded in 1905, Tesseron was known to make Cognac for other brand until the 90s when they started having their own brand. They only make XO and above Cognacs but for their "Composition" which is a VSOP.

The Happy High's Ajit Balgi is a Cognac Educator accredited by BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel Du Cognac), he is one of the 90 in the world and the only India based wine educator with the accreditation. " I ain't a Cognac expert yet but I love to imbibe the wonderful spirit, its provenance, its history, I sip at a time." says Balgi.