A magical Cognac with rich heritage
SINCE making something of a grand entry into the South African drinks landscape in 2009, Bisquit has quietly moved to make an indelible impression on the palates of Cognac drinkers – all with some success.
Thanks to the growing appreciation of Cognacs by local tipplers in recent years, Bisquit is now firmly entrenched in the local market alongside other global brands such as Hennessy, Courvoisier and Remy Martin.
This brand, which was bought for R390-million by South African liquor giant Distell in 2009 and which still retains its roots in France, competes for local palates with other French spirits of the same genre and local fine brandy – including an XO Cognac owned by KWV produced in France.
The difference between Cognacs and local fine brandy is that the French spirit is named after the town in which it is exclusively made in France, and therefore local brandy may not be termed as such. Also, while the two are made from distilled grape juice essentially using a similar process, brandy is required by law to be aged in casks for no less than three years and Cognacs for at least two years.
Such is South African’s growing appetite for Cognac that statistics from Moneyweb, quoting research group Nielsen’s figures, reveal that roughly 80 000 to 100 000 12bottle cases of Cognac are imported into South Africa each year. Last year, Distell group managing director Richard Rushton noted that Bisquit had made impressive gains in the country in the past few years.
The magic of Cognacs, eloquently exalted in the quote “in beer there is freedom, in wine there is health, and in Cognac there is power…”, lies largely in its lineage as a luxury and opulent spirit steeped in ancient tradition and the sleek marketing behind it. But, local brandy is not young either – tracing its origins more than 400 years ago, though its fortunes have arguably been let down by packaging and the stigma of being a macho drink.
Hosting an exclusive dinner at Fine Living Restaurant in Sandton, Bisquit cellarmaster Denis Lahouratate said the Cognac’s unique characteristics stemmed from longer distillation – which is an hour longer than common practice – which resulted in “a more intense aromatic expression”. The Cognac is produced in varying degrees of sophistication, finesse and opulence in four editions, which include VS (Very Special), VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) and XO (Extra Old).
Lahouratate said the three – VS, VSOP and XO – should ideally be enjoyed neat, notwithstanding exceptions based on personal taste. At the dinner, he introduced what he termed “the perfect serve” to enjoy Cognac, a ritual he described as the best way to enjoy the spirit. ”. The ritual emphasises the importance of temperature when serving Cognac by using a special kit called Cuillère de Richesse (Spoon of Richness).
The spoon includes a small stainless steel plate on which an ice cube is placed before Cognac is poured gently over it. Pouring it this way helps to minimise contact between spirit and ice cube (as opposed to enjoying it with ice in a glass) while quickly reducing the temperature, but avoiding the dilution of Cognac.
The kit is not available for sale to the public but can be requested at places which serve Bisquit as part of the experience.