Category: cognac
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Between the Heart and the Tails, the ‘Seconds’
In pot-still distillation we always talk about the cuts: the heads and tails that are discarded (or recycled), and the hearts cut that become the spirit that ends up in the bottle. But some distillers make a cut between the heart and the tails called the “seconds.”
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A Daylong Visit to Cognac Hine
I visited a bunch of cognac houses in the fall of 2014, and spent nearly a whole day with Cognac Hine at their vineyards, winery, distillery, and blending house.
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The Complicated Aging Process for Cognac, as Seen at Cognac Hardy
In 2014 I visited several cognac houses, and had the pleasure to spend several hours with Benedicte Hardy of Cognac Hardy in their aging and blending facilities. We got really nerdy with specifics on aging cognac. But first, some background. Hardy specializes in luxury cognacs, and in general is blended in an "approachable" and "feminine" style.…
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A Visit to Merlet Cognac and Liqueurs in France
The Merlet family has been distilling in France for 5 generations, but have only launched their own brand of cognac in recent years. They have a really interesting history that I learned on a visit to their chateau, vineyards, and distillery in 2014.
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Camper English Awarded International Cognac Writer of the Year 2014
Last week I had the honor of being awarded the International Cognac Writer of the Year for 2104. The annual award is granted by the Bureau national interprofessionnel du Cognac, the BNIC.
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Why Add Sugar to Rum When it’s Made from Sugar in the First Place?
As mentioned in yesterday's post, rum is distilled from any sugar cane derivative like fermented fresh cane juice or molasses. But some producers add sugar to their finished rum after distillation. Adding sugar to any spirit can soften it and hide some flaws, but if you look at the (allegedly) sweetened rums in this post on…
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How Cognac D’USSE is Made
While I was in Cognac with Grey Goose, I made a quick trip to the Chateau de Cognac where they make cognac Baron Otard in addition to the new product for the US market, D'USSE. I previously visited this chateau to learn about Baron Otard, which was then just called Otard. Baron Otard is the…
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Filtration in Spirits: A Primer
For CLASS Magazine online at DiffordsGuide.com, I wrote an article about filtration in spirits. This was based on the research I did for my talk on the subject at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic earlier this year. Don't Forget the Filtration FactorBy Camper English Nearly every spirit undergoes some sort of filtration, yet we rarely acknowledge…
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Cognac Cocktails in the Los Angeles Times Magazine
My first story for the LA Times Magazine is now online. It is in the Sunday, December 7, 2010 print edition. (Photo by Bartholomew Cooke) The story is a brief airing of a pet peeve: Why are there so few cognac cocktails being served when we're supposedly in the midst of a classic cocktail renaissance? The…