Rémy Martin

This famous Cognac brand was founded in 1724 and is one of the oldest in France. It is one of the Big Four houses - Courvoisier, Hennessy and Martell are the others. Their sumptuous range of Cognacs is renowned for its consistent and premium quality. It also boasts the world's best-selling Cognac in the VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) category with the Rémy Martin VSOP and its famous frosted green bottle.    

Rémy Martin is known for its elegant house style, which is particularly suited to long maturation. This has elevated fruity and floral notes with a delicate sweetness. These evolve to exhibit dark dried fruit, candied citrus peel and earthy, savoury and warming spice characteristics in older expressions.

Key bottlings include the classic Rémy Martin VSOP and XO (Extra Old), which account for a large percentage of sales. Super-premium offerings include the revered Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal and Louis XIII.

The 1738 Accord Royal was launched in 1997. It celebrates the royal decree issued to Emile-Rémy Martin in 1738. The Louis XIII is named after King of France when Rémy Martin was established. It is widely regarded as one of the worlds finest eau-de-vie. Regular limited-edition releases are also bottled, especially for the Asian and American markets.    

For three centuries, Rémy Martin has been produced using grapes only grown in two of the six Cognac regional crus. These are Grande and Petite Champagne. This enables the brand to label its brandies as Cognac Fine Champagne.

The grapes from the two crus are made into a sharp, acidic wine. This is unfiltered when distilled and complete with the lees (the sediment created by fermentation). Small copper pot stills produce the first distillation known as brouillis. This is around 20% ABV. This is distilled again to give the final eau-de-vie at 65-70% ABV. The eau-de-vie then undergoes maturation in French Limousin oak barrels for a minimum of two years.    

Rémy Martin was established in 1724 by Emile Rémy Martin. He was a wine producer in Cognac but decided to set up a distillery. This is located in Touzac within the Cognac region of France. He died in 1773, but the distillery and brand remained within the family. A key figure in the brand's growth outside Europe was Paul-Emile Rémy Martin, who took control in 1841.   

The family maintained control until 1991. Then, Rémy Martin controversially merged with Cointreau & Cie to form Rémy Cointreau. This brought together two iconic French institutions - Rémy Martin brandy and Cointreau triple sec. The company now also own worldwide brands including the Scotch single malt of Bruichladdich, the Greek liqueur of Metaxa and Mount Gay rum from Barbados.

Rémy Martin has had just five Cellar Masters since the position was first appointed in 1924. This includes André Renaud, André Giraud and Georges Clot in chronological order. Pierrette Richet was the first woman to ever hold such a position at any Cognac house in France. Baptiste Loiseau is the current Cellar Master and became the youngest ever (34 years old) when succeeding Pierrette Richet in 2014.