The allure of Cognac
Duty-free retailers pride themselves on stocking a great range of Cognacs. Now producers are going to the next level at airports worldwide
If there is one image that sums up the luxury world of duty-free, it’s a bottle of Extra Cognac presented in a handblown crystal decanter in a glass cabinet at the back of the shop. A duty-free store without a Cognac selection is unthinkable and France’s most famous spirit has been a mainstay of the duty-free industry for decades. Shelves of beautifully packaged XO Cognacs play an important role, attracting wealthy travellers from Asia and Russia, while cheaper VS and VSOP Cognacs sell big volumes in Europe and North America.
The big four houses of Hennessy, Courvoisier, Rémy Martin and
Martell dominate duty-free shelves worldwide. Each house’s core VS, VSOP, XO and Extra ranges provide a solid, if perhaps not the most exciting selection, for travellers to choose from. However, French, Asian, Scandinavian and Middle Eastern hub airports do stock a broader range and limited-edition releases and travel-retail exclusives are becoming much more common these days.
Hennessy remains the best-selling Cognac in duty free. One of its most widely available travel-retail exclusive expressions is James Hennessy. It is named after the globe-trotting son of the founder, Richard Hennessy. James did much to establish Hennessy’s reputation around the world. Presented in a decanter created by industrial designer Marc Newson, James Hennessy is a beautifully balanced Cognac with toasty, smoky notes alongside warm, fruity flavours. It is priced at World Duty Free airport stores in the UK at £130 for a 70cl bottle.
You will all be familiar with the traditional Cognac qualities of VS,
VSOP and XO, but have you heard of XXO? This new classification refers to any blend of Cognac aged for a minimum of 14 years and was only given the go-ahead by the French regulatory authorities in 2018 after Hennessy had controversially introduced Hennessy X.X.O into duty-free. Hennessy X.X.O was first created in 1870 by master blender Emile Fillioux to sit alongside Hennessy XO and was described as containing “eaux-devie with great potential”.
Maison Hennessy’s current master blender Yann Fillioux decided to recreate Hennessy X.X.O, which was discontinued in the early 20th Century, and this reborn Cognac offers up bitter orange, peppermint and freshly grated nutmeg on the nose, while the palate is complex and spicy. Hennessy X.X.O is widely available at European and Asian airports and at Hong Kong airport, for instance, it is priced at HK$3,845 (£304.60).
In duty-free, Cognac houses often team up with celebrated artists and designers to create limited-edition bottles and display cases that can be real collectors’ pieces in their own right. In July, for instance, Rémy Martin collaborated with French metalwork artist Steaven Richard to showcase a limited-edition decanter and gift box at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Richard invented a method to emboss brass and created a unique golden texture featuring the Rémy Martin XO motif, which gives the decanter a new texture.
Meanwhile, Camus, the biggest independent house in Cognac, has partnered with renowned French illustrator Matthieu Forichon to create a range of attractive city-themed gift boxes for its Camus VSOP Elegance line. The Destination Collection includes Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore, and each design is only sold at the city it depicts, making it a great souvenir or gift. For instance, Camus VSOP Destination Hong Kong retails at Duty Zero’s stores at Hong Kong airport at HK$290 (£30.50).
In an effort to be more contemporary and reach out to a different customer base, some Cognac houses are using the language of wine and Scotch whisky for some releases. Thus, age statements, vintages and single-estate releases are becoming more common in duty-free. For instance, family-owned Cognac Prunier, one of the oldest Cognac houses, now offers a range of age statement Cognac in duty-free such as Prunier 20 Years Old, a full-bodied Cognac with notes of dark chocolate, leather and honey, which is on sale at Singapore Changi airport with DFS, priced at S$325 (£192.55).
Also on sale at Singapore airport is Bachegabrielsen 1988 Vintage Fins Bois Cognac. Bache-gabrielsen is a family-owned house and popular in Scandinavia, but this new release,
a rare 1988 vintage from the Brie-sous-matha estate in the Fins Bois appellation of Cognac, is aimed squarely at the Asian market. It has aged for over a quarter of a century in oak barrels. The result is a beautifully rounded Cognac with rose, tropical mangos and orange notes on the nose and palate, balanced by warmer, woody notes. It’s priced at S$600 (£355).
Dubai airport’s Le Clos fine wine and spirits stores stock a wonderful range of unusual and even collectible Cognacs. Among their selection is Rémy Martin Carte Blanche a Baptiste Loiseau at AED1,530 (£342), for instance. It’s a blend of prized eaux-de-vie chosen by cellar master Baptiste Loiseau from a single vat. Aged for a minimum of 27 years, this release has been bottled at cask-strength to preserve its outstanding natural flavour profile, which delivers delicate notes of plum and gingerbread.
Meanwhile, a much rarer offering at Le Clos is the 1947 Hors d’age Cognac from The Last Drop Distillers’ Limited Bottling range. Priced at AED15,000 (£3,353), this rare Cognac was one of the first to be distilled after World War II and has been sourced by Scottish firm The Last Drop Distillers, which specialises in bringing rare bottlings to market. Just 186 bottles of this rare spirit were released, deep bronze in colour, which as you might expect, is incredibly complex in terms of flavour and aroma, but also remarkably fresh and floral for a 70-yearsold Cognac.
Last Drop Distillers' 1947 Hors d’age Cognac is beautifully presented. Each bottle is wax dipped by hand and presented in a deep red leather case, which also has an additional 50ml miniature, a custom-made stopper and a certificate of bottling.
Such collectible expressions can be found elsewhere in duty-free – earlier this year, for instance, I found by chance a rare Cognac Pierre Ferrand, Réserve Marie Domain, one of the world’s oldest Cognacs, dating to 1806, priced at €23,000 (£20,800) at Amsterdam Schiphol’s Exquisite liquor and tobacco store. It’s been a long-held belief of mine that many duty-free retailers could do a much better job of communicating what treasures they have in their shops!