Hine Rare French Cognac, Smooth & Elegant Fine Champagne Cognac, Best Enjoyed Neat, Rare Hine Cognac, Grande & Fine Region Grapes, Fruity & Floral Cognac, 70cl, 40% ABV

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Founded in 1763 by Englishman, Thomas Hine, Hine is highly regarded around the world for its refined and complex expressions, as well as the House’s impressive collection of single vintage Cognacs. Find out more about Hine Cognac and our trip to Maison Hine here Tasting Notes: Hine Cognac H by Hine VSOP Cognac Established in 1763 by Thomas Hine, the House of Hine – like all the great cognac producers – has been around for a long time. The house was built on the principle that you cannot have a great cognac without great white wine. For that reason, Hine draws its identity from the heart of two Premier Crus: Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. While other houses strive for complete consistency year after year, Hine produces cognacs made with vintage crus that encapsulate the uniqueness of the stated year. Single vintages have been Hine’s signature for decades but are possible only when nature provides the optimum conditions. If you don’t want to wait for the next vintage to emerge, you can still experience the best of Hine with its Antique XO blend. This is the combination of 40 eaux-de-vie produced exclusively with Grande Champagne grapes. This special edition Cognac has been produced by cellar master, Eric Forget, using a blend of 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987 “Early Landed” Grande Champagne Cognacs that were matured in the UK, as well as some XO Cognac from Hine’s cellars in Jarnac. Nose The house uses grapes grown in the Grande Champagne, shunning mass-market VS (two-year) and VSOP (four-year) cognacs to focus its efforts on producing prestigious XO. Its ethos is not just to protect the heritage of cognac but to resist the general pressures of a speed-obsessed world. This is Hine’s most entry level Cognac that is blended from more than 15 Cognacs, all more than four years old. Nose

Hine Rare VSOP Cognac Review - Bespoke Unit Hine Rare VSOP Cognac Review - Bespoke Unit

Since that dramatic arrival to the Château de Jarnac estate, Thomas Hine & Co has seen six generations of the Hine family succeed one another as head of the company. Yet, its greatest honour was surely bestowed in 1962, when the House of Hine was awarded a Royal Warrant by Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II. To this day Hine remains the only official supplier of Cognac to the British monarchy. Alike in every way to the previous Bonneuil except that the grapes were harvested in 2008 and give a snapshot of that year. Nose Blended with eaux-de-vie exclusively from the premier cru, Grande Champagne, this Hine XO Antique Grande Champagne Cognac is innovation, a relic from the times of Georges Hine brought to life for the modern Cognac connoisseur. The recipe was developed in 1920 by Hine himself, and was relaunched in 2010 by the Cognac house as a single cru XO. The 40 different Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie have been aged for a minimum of 10 years in traditional French Limousin oak casks, a homage to Hine’s heritage and the Cognac house’s history of fine craftsmanship. Strikingly different from the UK-aged vintage! Rich toffee and salted caramel, with a fruit basket of cherry, prune and dark berries that is complex without weighing heavily on the palate. Suggested ServeThe depth of flavor presented in this XO Cognac make it the ideal digestif, served with a cheese course or chocolate orange, the creamy and citrus textures flawlessly contrast the fruity, earthy and sweet notes brought by Hine's Grande Champagne blend. Blossom, peach, cinnamon, Danish pastry, Crêpes Suzette, grapes, warm prunes and melted butter flood the nose with maddening and mouth-watering occasion. Taste Cognac, like other brown spirits, is shaking off its reputation as an old man’s drink. Today, US demand for the luxurious spirit is growing at a rate producers can barely keep up with. The best cognac brands have successfully caught the attention of a younger generation that is more in tune with what true luxury looks and feels like. Again, enjoy neat, and perhaps alongside a dessert such as a rhubarb crumble or apple strudel. Price It is also believed he took several barrels of cognac with him to St. Helena, where he was exiled, and even shared it with the British soldiers on his journey there. Unlike Napoleon, Courvoisier succeeded in conquering the world, at least in sales. Its XO blend, which contains eaux-de-vie aged from 11 to 25 years, is one of the best-selling of its kind.

Hine Rare VSOP Cognac | Master of Malt Hine Rare VSOP Cognac | Master of Malt

The maturation of Hine Cognac also benefits from the insistence to preserve this local, familiar approach. By housing its cellar two metres below the level of the close River Charente, Hine allows high humidity to naturally engineer the conditions that lend the aging process of this Cognac to develop greater complexity and structure. With rich aromas, pronounced oak and the highly sought ‘rancio’ characteristic, Hine makes Cognac reminiscent of the early incarnations so romantically cherished in France. A solid all around well balanced XO. I found much of the typical Grande Champagne notes - candied orangey fruits, creamy chocolate, peaches, elegant vanilla and spice. More recently, Martell released an ultra-rare cognac, Assemblage du Lapin, in honor of the Lunar New Year. The special release features the house’s most precious blend, L’Or de Jean Martell 1715, mixed with rare vintage eaux-de-vie that were distilled in past Years of the Rabbit. A rich nose filled with leather, honey and vanilla, and dappled with hints of spice and floral elements. Taste The result is, naturally, that Delamain is not as well known as its counterparts but produces cognac on par with any of them. The Delamain Pale & Dry XO offers notes of peonies, apricots, orange and vanilla.Dramatically different on the nose to the 2006! Much richer with dates and raisins combining with red cherries. Taste At Kelt, they believe this influence is crucial to the liquid, which is why the brand takes its barrels on a 90-day sea journey around the world before bottling. Kelt considers this its own essential stage of maturation and means it can offer the original taste of exported cognac. The highly regarded Kelt XO Tour du Monde (Tour of the World) shows there is method in the madness. This collectible bottle of Hine VSOP Fine Champagne Coganc is from the 1980s, and comes with two very round brandy glasses. You can still find the brand today, and though the label is different, the bottle shape is still very much recognisable, and the iconic stag still remains. In the simplest terms, cognac is a type of brandy produced using white grapes. Like champagne, a cognac can only be described as such if it is made in the Cognac region, located in France’s southwest. The grape juice is double-distilled in copper stills to produce a young spirit called eau de vie (water of life), which is then aged in oak casks. Those casks must be either brand new (virgin casks) or previously used to age cognac. Compare this with the Scotch whisky industry, which can use casks previously used to age a variety of other spirits, like bourbon or even tequila.

Hine XO Antique Grande Champagne Cognac Hine XO Antique Grande Champagne Cognac

Courvoisier is also one of the most experimental of the great Cognac houses. The house recently revealed an experimental cognac aged in rare Japanese mizunara oak casks. These exceptionally rare casks are prized among distillers for their ability to impart a particular spice to a spirit. Due to its slow growth and tendency to twist, the oak itself is in very short supply. The family believes cognac should be strong and aromatic, which is reflected in the brand’s powerful blends. Today’s master blender is not thinking about what he wants for his blend but what his successor’s successor might want. As a result, the House of Rémy Martin has been actively working to reduce its environmental impact. It is helping its winegrowers attain High Environmental Value (HEV) certification, which recognizes a holistic approach to air, water, soil and plants. Last year, it reached its goal of having 50% of land HVE-certified, two years ahead of schedule, and is aiming to have 100% certified by 2028. Only purchasable at The Orangerie at Maison Hine in Cognac, France. Hine Antique XO Premier Cru CognacIf you’re looking for a vintage comparison between Early Landed and Jarnac aged, why not try Hine 1983 Vintage Cognac alongside Hine 1983 Early Landed Vintage Cognac . Hine 1985 Grande Champagne, Aged in Jarnac Although owned by the House of Rémy Martin, Louis XIII is worthy of its own section due to its position at the pinnacle of cognac production. A single blend of Louis XIII can contain up to 1,200 of the most treasured eaux-de-vie in its vast cellar. Among the oldest Cognac brands in the world, with a legacy that spans some 300 years, Martell rightfully takes its place as one of the industry’s most respected Maisons. Despite its towering history and famous legacy, Martell isn’t afraid of innovation. These long sea voyages would have a huge influence on the cognac in its final months of maturation. The combination of constant movement, salty air, temperature variations and air pressure changes gave the cognac unrivaled smoothness. But when the practice stopped in the early 1900s, that characteristic was lost. These single estate and single vintage Cognacs from the Bonneuil vineyard in Grand Champagne are about producing and demonstrating Cognacs with a wine approach. Both versions we try are aged to around 19 years old and come from the same plot, meaning the only difference is the year they were harvested (so what the grapes tastes like that year). There are around 8,000 bottles released and Rudolph, who is hosting our tasting, explains the expressions need longer ageing, but are still an interesting experiment into terroir. Nose