To celebrate the brand’s French heritage, the new design also features the house’s founding date, the signature of its founder Paul Bardinet, and a traditional eagle emblem. Bardinet Brandy: crafted with passion

Today, Bardinet is crafted with passion at its Domaine de Fleurenne estate. Bardinet is is one of the world’s top 10 best-selling brandies and is among the the top three best-selling brandies in duty free and global travel retail. The final flight of the day was Flavoured Spirit Drink, which awarded a Gold medal to Bardinet Coffee. At the annual Brandy Masters blind tasting, the aim is to separate the brands bottling inadequate liquid and those creating intriguing points of difference through delicious, medal-worthy spirits. Bardinet brandy has refreshed its bottle design and launched an all-new marketing drive to highlight its craft credentials. Bardinet Brandy’s portfolio includes XO and VSOP bottlings

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The 2023 edition of the tasting took place at The Carriage in the Great Northern Hotel, in King’s Cross, London. Judges were split into two panels, the first of which was chaired by Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions (The GSMC). She was joined by: Ruchira Neotia, partner – Collectivino; and Ed Bates, founder of Distilled London. To celebrate the brand’s French heritage, the new design also features the house’s founding date, the signature of its founder Paul Bardinet, and a traditional eagle emblem. The abreviations VSOP and XO are also defined in full on the label to enhance consumer understanding. The 10-year-old was found to have a “delicious mouthfeel”, with “caramel, dark chocolate, good structure and a lovely warming finish”. From there, the judges shifted to brandies from South Africa, where two Silver medallists were discovered. Distell collected the awards for its Van Ryn’s 12 Years Old Single Pot Still Brandy, and Van Ryn’s 10 Years Old Single Pot Still Brandy.

Bardinet brandy has refreshed its bottle design and launched an all-new marketing drive to highlight its craft credentials. At the turn of the 20th century, Bardinet was being run by Paul Bardinet’s son, Edouard Bardinet, and was based in Bordeaux, France. This had a lovely coffee aroma with hints of dark chocolate,” noted Kiely. “The palate is sweet, with sugary coffee, a hint of brandy – a touch more would have enhanced this even further.” A Gold medal was also awarded to Chateau Vartely Aqua Vie Rachiu de Tescovina. This brandy is made in Moldova, and was described as having a nose of “pot pourri – quite aromatic”. The palate brought more floral aromatic flavours, with “some peppery spice and bold flavour”.Brandy and cognac are truly a connoisseur's choice when it comes to distilled spirits. Their smooth, warming character makes them excellent for sipping after meals, while VSOP (very superior old pale) is best served as an apéritif. Or you can give a proper end to your dinner with a glass of calvados. Sweet and fruity, this apple brandy pairs well with rich desserts like chocolate cake and tiramisu. After ageing, Bardinet’s master blender Bénédicte Bertet, who has spent 30 years at the brand, leads a team of blenders to combine the eaux-de-vie to create Bardinet’s signature taste.

Unlike Cognac, brandy can be made anywhere in the world, with far more relaxed rules. For some, unfortunately, this is a gateway to sub-par spirits production; but for others, it is an invitation to innovate without limits. One of the “big four” cognac houses, Remy Martin has been producing award-winning cognacs since its inception in 1724. Cognacs produced by Remy Martin have a Cognac Fine Champagne appellation. This means that they only use eau de vie made from Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne crus. While the brand has a whole line of cognacs, one of its most popular is its VSOP. Known for its flavours of licorice, dried fruits, vanilla, and caramel, it’s a must-try cognac.

One of the world’s top-selling international brandies, Bardinet is created following traditional French processes. To highlight its ties to tradition, Bardinet launched a distinctive bottle shape, enhanced label design and new advertising campaign, which features the tagline ‘Crafted with French passion’.