The World’s Most Famous Cognac

Share

Cognac is an aged brandy distilled from grapes in the Charente region of France. It is made from white grapes, coming from six diverse terroirs of the Cognac region. Cognac must be distilled twice and the distillation season lasts from October 1st through March 31st. After distillation, the eau-de-vie is aged and blended. The blending is what really makes cognac special. Cognac is the most complex spirit in the world to make and it takes the longest time to produce — centuries, in some cases.

Share

Founded in 1763, one of the world's most famous cognac i.e. Hine Cognacs are highly regarded around the world for their quality and complexity – from the entry-level H By Hine to the prestige cuvée Talent. The house is one of the few to regularly release vintage Cognacs, aged in the cellar until they are ready for bottling when it was better known as T Hine & Co Cognac. The estate boasts an exceptional 173 acres of vineyards, and the house has a very special tradition of producing relatively small quantities - but with a very high standard in quality. One of their trademarks is to store their vintage casks in damp cellars in Bristol, England. This way, the Thomas Hine Cognac goes through a uniquely different ageing process due to the humidity of the seaside town, which differs somewhat to that of the southwestern coast of France. These highly priced vintage bottles are called “Hine Early-Landed Vintage Cognac”.

Read More: The Essentials of Cognac or ‘Water of Life’, eau de vie

Hine’s vintage Cognac’s is aged for a minimum of 20 years and are available in very limited quantities. Since 1962, the House of Hine has been awarded a Royal Warrant by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, and remains the only official supplier of cognac to the British monarchy.

The range of Hine Cognacs vary in price - but all of them are of exceptional quality. The Hine Cognac VSOP price is at around 49 euros per bottle, and it ranges all the way to 4,748 euros for the Hine Prestige Mariage de Thomas Hine Cognac.