Hennessy & Courvoisier : A Brief History

85% of the total cognac market is dominated by four major brands - Courvoisier, Hennessy, Rémy Martin and Martell. Cognac, also known as the healing drink has long seen by many as a drink for the wealthy. Although some cognac prices fall on the high end, there are many that are easily affordable by the drinking crowd. XO cognacs are usually the most expensive ones but there are some that can be purchased for a relatively low price. If you haven’t already, treat yourself to some cognac.

Today we will discuss Hennessy and Courvoisier. Next we plan to do a brief history post on Rémy Martin and Martell. These brands have been around for years and have emerged as powerhouses when it comes to brands favored by cognac drinkers. There are many other cognac brands but these four enjoy 85% of the total cognac market. We will discuss the history of these brands in bullet points. Short and to the point to give you an idea how it all started and when. Lets begin.

Hennessy History

• Began delivering cognac to U.S. in 1794
• The trademark “Jas Hennessy and Co.” was adopted in 1813
• The official grade X.O was created by Maurice Hennessy
• During 1905 campaign the company used the phrase “Hennessy, the company which made Cognac famous.”
• In 1930 the company started marketing itself with the slogan “The World’s largest stock of eaux-de-vie.”
• Merged with champagne producer Moet and Chandon in 1971
• Another merger follows in 1987 with the fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton
• In 2001 Hennessy broke the record of 35 million bottles sold worldwide
• Hennessy products include : VS, VSOP, XO, Pure White, Private Reserve, Paradis, Richard, Ellipse
• Only 100 bottles of Ellipse have been produced
• Official Hennessy site : www.hennessy.com

Courvoisier History

• The history of Courvoisier starts with Emanuel Courvoisier and Louis Gallois
• It is also said that Napoleon loved Courvoisier and the company still uses “The Cognac of Napoleon” to this day
• In 1843 Courvoisier was moved into the Chateau at Jarnac in the cognac region
• Napoleon III granted Courvoisier the title of “Official Supplier To The Imperial Court” in 1869
• Cognac became the choice in the royal courts of Denmark, England and Sweden
• In 1889 Courvoisier won the Gold Medal and was served during the official opening of the Eiffel Tower
• In 1909 the Simon family took over the leadership of Courvoisier
• Courvoiser received the Prestige de la France (Highest award for a fine wine or spirit in France) in 1983
• Today Courvoisier is owned by the fourth largest premium spirit company in the world, Beam Global Spirits and Wine Inc.
• Courvoisier EXCLUSIF is the only cognac that is designed for cocktail drinks. It was launched in 2007
• Official Courvoisier site : www.courvoisier.com

We are also planning on creating a timeline for each of them with more details. If you think timelines are valuable and something you could utilize please let us know and we will create timelines as well.

Related posts:

1. Hennessy, Courvoisier and Martell : The Rich History
2. Hennessy Announces Fourth Annual Hennessy Artistry Series
3. Hennessy Getting Ready To Debut Hennessy Black
4. States Where Hennessy Black Is Available
5. Cognac and Hip Hop – A Brief History

One Response to “Hennessy & Courvoisier : A Brief History”

1. MGL in Mo. says:

   March 25, 2009 at 1:17 pm

   I love Cognac.