Matching the nose, the Homage is fuller on the palate with lovely fresh orange oils, pepper spice, hints of nutmeg and a rich prune ending. Suggested Serve Hine has long made an individual Cognac through a careful, traditional distillation process, complemented by rigorous grape selection and extended ageing in seasoned oak barrels. The pairing of the native ugni blanc (trebbiano) grapes, teaming with exclusive flavours produced by the chalk and limestone soil, with Hine’s two trusted crus, the Grande Champagne and the Petite Champagne, help create a particular style and distinct mode of expression. 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. 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. Alike in every way to the previous Bonneuil except that the grapes were harvested in 2008 and give a snapshot of that year. Nose

Hine Rare VSOP brandy review - Review | BBC Good Food

On the palate, the warming sensation of spices only serves to enhance and lift the sweet and exotic vanilla, complemented by notes of hazelnut and quince. Accents of fig tart and blonde tobacco also present themselves on the palate in a long and lingering finish. This XO may not boast a typical flavor profile for a Grande Champagne blend, but it certainly proves why this region is considered the premier cru with its complexity and depth of character. Awards Our identity is drawn from the heart of two Premier Crus: Grande Champagne & Petite Champagne. Distillation with the lees concentrate the aromas of our white wines tenfold. Light toasted fine-grained wood barrels preserve our cognac's authentic personality that is celebrated around the world. Only purchasable at The Orangerie at Maison Hine in Cognac, France. Hine Antique XO Premier Cru Cognac

The interesting philosophy of Hine is that a great Cognac first and foremost needs to be a great white wine. As such, the house puts a lot of emphasis and lots of effort into producing exceptional base wines, keeping their essence and translating that into exceptional eaux-de-vies.

H by Hine VSOP Cognac : The Whisky Exchange H by Hine VSOP Cognac : The Whisky Exchange

Blossom, peach, cinnamon, Danish pastry, Crêpes Suzette, grapes, warm prunes and melted butter flood the nose with maddening and mouth-watering occasion. Taste 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.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. This is the same liquid as the previous bottle but has been aged in the cellars under The Orangerie at Maison Hine in Jarnac, France, where conditions are very different. Nose 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.