Camus

The Cognac house of Camus is widely regarded as producing some of the finest eaux-de-vie in France. Five generations of the Camus family have been making Cognac since the company was founded in the 1860s. This heritage and family dedication to excellence have led to Camus becoming revered amongst Cognac connoisseurs. It is the fifth best-selling Cognac in the world.    

Camus Cognacs are known for their highly aromatic and flavoursome character with elegant notes of citrus blossom and zest, dried fruits, nuts, vanilla and orchard fruits.

The core range features VS (Very Special), VSOP (Very Special Old Particular) and XO (Extra Old) expressions. These are joined by two key products - Borderies XO and Ile de Ré Fine.

Borderies XO is made from grapes taken from Camus' own vineyards in the Borderies cru. These cover just 180 hectares. Camus were the first to release a Cognac made with 100% grapes from vineyards on the western island of Ile de Ré. The Ile de Ré Fine is regarded as one of the best examples of a contemporary Cognac. Super-premium bottlings include the Camus Cuvée.    

The production of Camus takes place within the Borderies cru of Cognac - the smallest of the six crus in the region. The others are Bois Ordinaires, Bon Bois, Fin Bois, Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. They are the largest vineyard owner in Borderies and grow mostly the Folle Blanche variety. The majority of Cognac houses use Ugni Blanc grapes

Double distillation takes place through two 2,500 litre copper stills. It is distilled 'on-the-lees' - this means dead yeast is not filtered or removed after fermentation. The resulting eau-de-vie has an expressive intensity as a result of the combinations. This is then exclusively matured in small oak casks to increase the interaction between the wood and spirit.    

Camus was founded by John-Baptiste Camus in 1863. He formed a consortium of independent Cognac producers under one company and brand - Camus La Grande Marque. Camus had been a producer himself and felt the move would increase quality and consistency. This helped to grow sales abroad, especially to the UK.    

Camus' two sons, Edmond and Gaston, joined the company in 1894 and 1896 respectively. Edmond Camus became Master Blender and helped to grow sales within France. He also made Camus one of the first Cognac houses to sell in bottles, rather than barrels. Gaston Camus worked in export sales, especially in Russia where Cognac was extremely popular at the time.

Michel Camus joined in 1932 due to his father's ill health. He would work in the company for 45 years and helped to develop Camus into the travel retail market during the 1960s. Michel's son, Jean-Paul Camus, joined as Master Blender in 1977. He was instrumental in a rapid expansion that saw the company increase production, purchase new vineyards and build new warehouses. This activity was based in Borderies where the family began their business.

Cyril Camus, the fifth generation of the family, joined in 1994 and helped to grow the export markets to Asia significantly. He became Marketing Director in 1998 and then President in 2004. Under his leadership, the company has developed numerous travel retail and luxury expressions, plus the Camus Elegance range.