Cointreau Noir

From Luxist

"If regular Cointreau is just a bit too orange-heavy for you to drink by itself you might want to taste Cointreau Noir. The tagline for the drink is "nothing to add," highlighting the fact that Cointreau on its own is a ubiquitous mixer.

The new Cointreau Noir is a blend of Cointreau liqueur and Remy Martin cognac meant to be sipped neat over ice or straight. The bottle is almost identical to the regular Cointreau bottle's squared shape except this bottle has a bright copper coating and a bold black label. But it's what inside that commands attention. The pairing of Cointreau and Remy Martin has resulted in mellowing out Cointreau's sweet orange flavor and adding soft vanilla and nut notes, as well as a golden amber color It's a natural for pairing with fall desserts like pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. It also turns a cup of coffee into a deliciously decadent drink Were I headed to an outdoor fall event, this would be a wonderful warmer to keep in my flask. It can be found for around $63.99 for a 750ml bottle."

Interesting to see Remy sneaking in here.

Giant Nose Promotes New Whisky Book

From Luxist

"They say that when blending whisky it's all about the sniffer. Small wonder then that a new book by master whiskey blender Richard Patterson and Gavin D Smith features Patterson on the cover with his nose headed glassward and goes by the title "Goodness Nose." Cute, right? What's even cuter, although perhaps veering into the strange is that a six-foot high nose, based on Patterson's more modest proboscis has been spotted around Edinburgh as part the promotion for the book. The Edinburgh News reports that the nose has been spotted in the city's Multrees Walk, the Royal Mile and Princes Street Gardens. I'm hoping pictures surface soon, this I've got to see."

I am particularly interested in this... because of our Le Nez de Courvoisier project which is all about the array of aromas in our cognac.

Remy XII Collaboration with Christophe Pillet

From Luxist

"Here at Luxist we've mentioned Louis XIII Cognac a bunch of times but the pricey brand has recently unveiled a new artistic collaboration with designer Christophe Pillet to create limited-edition collection of items including a crystal glass, a silver illuminated serving platter, a crystal candleholder and a display case. When patrons of certain high-end restaurants throughout the world order Louis XIII, it will be served alongside Pillet's collection as an enhancement to the presentation. They may also be made available for purchase through some fine retailers. Louis XIII is made from grapes grown in the most fertile region of Cognac, which are then distilled, blended, and aged up to 40 to 100 years and bottled in hand-blown Baccarat crystal."

Exclusive Ltd. Edition Hennessy Sneakers by Jhung Yuro

From Luxist:

"Hip luxury lifestyle brand Jhung Yuro has created an exclusive new limited edition sneaker for world renowned cognac house Hennessy. Dubbed the Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top, the brown and cream (like the bottle) sneaker is made from soft full grain leather with a suede tongue and vamp, napa pigskin interior and a croc embossed overlay and strap. It also has a non-marking rubber midsole and crepe rubber outsole with a leather logo patch. Only 500 handmade pairs of the limited edition shoe will be available for sale beginning Dec. 1 for $300 at Jhung Yuro's (pronounced "young Euro") website. Each pair will come packaged in a custom lizard skin embossed shoebox with a braided rope handle. The cognac is extra."

Last of the $10,000 Erté Courvoisier Cognac Collection

From Luxist:

"Courvoisier is selling off the very last sets of its rare bottles designed by famed Art Deco artist and fashion illustrator Erté 20 years ago. The legendary cognac house commissioned the seven bottle set from the Russian-born artist for its extraordinary blend of precious Grande Champagne cognacs, some dating back to 1892. The last remaining sets which had been held in reserve will now be sold for $10,000 apiece; only eight of them are making their way to the U.S. market in November and can be pre-ordered here . Each of the seven bottles' designs represents a different facet of the cognac making process:

Vigne (Vine) shows the importance of the soil and environment to the grapes produced to make cognac.
Vendanges (Harvest) celebrates the passion of perfection for which Courvoisier is best known.
Distillation illustrates the process of distillation as a woman riding a volatile giant peacock.
Vieillissement (Aging) symbolizes the aging process as a robed female emerging from darkness.
Degustation (Tasting) shows the blending process of the cognacs.
L'Esprit du Cognac (The Spirit of Cognac) interprets the cognac spirit as a woman standing majestically surrounded by grapes.
La Part Des Anges (Angel's Share) symbolizes part of the aging process where some of the spirits' volume is lost through evaporation."

Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl

From Luxist:

"A nice one-bedroom apartment in NYC rents for about $2,500/month. And for that same price you can get a shot -- yes, just a taste -- of Louis XIII Black Pearl Magnum cognac, a limited edition, natch, kept in a glass case and then offered exclusively at NYC's Rose Club at the Plaza hotel. The spirit, produced by Remy Martin, cannot be sampled anywhere else in the State of New York. The bottle, designed by Baccarat and hand-blown from black crystal, has not yet been uncorked since it was introduced in June. A recent Rose Club patron asked if he could buy the entire bottle, one of only 358 in the world. Rose Club manager Anthony Evangelista turned him down, and the man left without even tasting it. There are about 32 pours in the 1.75 liter bottle, meaning that the decanter contains $80,000 worth of cognac."

Here's some comments from the Daily News:

"This is why people in the world hate us. $80,000 for a bottle and $2500 big ones for a drink that is the price they charge in the hot azz desert. I remember the days of quarter waters (25-cent juice) and 50-cent sodas and four wings with fries from the Chinese spot all for under four dollars and fifty cents."

"Let us play a game to see what $80,000 G’s can get you; A house down south, a bachelors degree , three open heart surgeries, ten dates with the ex-governors girl friend, protection from the mob, fifth-teen hit-men, a bribe for a politician, hush money, five suits for mayor money bags, 40,000 hot dogs with every thing on it, one hundred overtime hours for city workers, eight years of season ticket for the Kicks ,and 160,000 jelly doughnuts."

"If I have 80G I would used it for something else."

Not necessarily positive, but it is being talked about!

Delamain - Le Voyage

From Luxist:

"Delamain Le Voyage Cognac, the latest addition to the Delamain portfolio, recently picked up a new honor, being awarded "Best of the Best" 2008 Spirit by Anthony Dias Blue for Robb Report. Le Voyage is a blend of Grande Champagne cognacs from the Delamain cellars. It has aromas leather, tobacco, coffee and spice with the rich tastes of the grapes from the hillsides of the Grande Champagne region, aged for many years in the Delamain cellars. The cognac is housed in a Baccarat crystal decanter inside a dovetail leather traveling box. Le Voyage sells for $7,000."

Hennessey VSOP x Devilock Palm Boy

From Freshness Mag

"French lux cognac label Hennessy, along with DEVILOCK, will launch a temporary concept store in the capital city of Taiwan on the first week of July. By amalgamating luxury concepts and urban styles, both labels will offer a commemorative products - a limited edition PALMBOY figure with every purchase of Hennessy V.S.O.P. cognac. This offer will start this Friday, June 13th till July 1st at all participating Hennessy retailers in Taiwan. In addition, each buyer will have the chance to participate the VIP party/grand opening of Hennessy x DEVILOCK Taipei City Concept Store in July. More information to come in the near future."







Reminds me a lot of the "Fast" that CP+B created for VW Golf GTI fans in the States. They landed up selling for $800 on Ebay. I wonder whether Hennessy will have the same success? Or whether people will be as baffled as I am about how much they are cheapening their brand.



It goes to show that objects of sociablity, or ooze, as Hugh Macleod would call them, do get picked up and talked about.

Music 'can enhance wine taste'

Fascinating article from the BBC that could influence some of our sampling techniques and lead to talkability.

"Playing a certain type of music can enhance the way wine tastes, research by psychologists suggests.

The Heriot Watt University study found people rated the change in taste by up to 60% depending on the melody heard.

The researchers said cabernet sauvignon was most affected by "powerful and heavy" music, and chardonnay by "zingy and refreshing" sounds.

Professor Adrian North said the study could lead retailers to put music recommendations on their wine bottles.

The research involved 250 students at the university who were offered a free glass of wine in exchange for their views.

Brain theory

Four types of music were played - Carmina Burana by Orff ("powerful and heavy"), Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky ("subtle and refined"), Just Can't Get Enough by Nouvelle Vague ("zingy and refreshing") and Slow Breakdown by Michael Brook ("mellow and soft")

The white wine was rated 40% more zingy and refreshing when that music was played, but only 26% more mellow and soft when music in that category was heard.


MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Cabernet Sauvignon: All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix), Honky Tonk Woman (Rolling Stones), Live And Let Die (Paul McCartney and Wings), Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who)
Chardonnay: Atomic (Blondie), Rock DJ (Robbie Williams), What's Love Got To Do With It (Tina Turner), Spinning Around (Kylie Minogue)
Syrah: Nessun Dorma (Puccini), Orinoco Flow (Enya), Chariots Of Fire (Vangelis), Canon (Johann Pachelbel)
Merlot: Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding), Easy (Lionel Ritchie), Over The Rainbow (Eva Cassidy), Heartbeats (Jose Gonzalez)
Source: Montes wines

The red was altered 25% by mellow and fresh music, yet 60% by powerful and heavy music.

The results were put down to "cognitive priming theory", where the music sets up the brain to respond to the wine in a certain way.

"Wine manufacturers could recommend that while drinking a certain wine, you should listen to a certain sort of music," Prof North said.

The research was carried out for Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes, who plays monastic chants to his maturing wines.

Mr Montes said: "It was therefore a natural extension to link with Heriot Watt and to scientifically determine the impact that music has on how wine tastes."

Previously, Professor North conducted supermarket research which suggested people were five times more likely to buy French wine than German wine if accordion music was played in the background.

If an oompah band was played, the German product outsold the French by two to one."

New cognac based cocktail

From cognac-world.

After spending 3 days in Cognac for the International Cocktail Summit, top bartenders and mixologists from around the world have created a new cocktail made with cane sugar, fresh ginger, lime, artisanal lemonade and cucumber. The cocktail has been imaginatively named "The summit".

The Bureau National Interprofessionnel Du Cognac site should have more details shortly.

Martell Chateau de Versailles Cognac

"The latest version of Martell Cognac was recently launched with a party at the Palace of Versailles. Why there? Because their latest limited edition is the Château de Versailles Exclusive Edition. The limited-edition VSOP will be sold in a bottle with the Versailles Sun King motif and comes in a box that opens out into the shape of a golden flower. It will first be sold exclusively by travel retailer DFS Group in the new Singapore Changi Terminal 3, which opens in January 2008 for $99 Singapore dollars. The Moodie Report has a lovely slideshow of the Versailles launch."

By Deidre Woollard on the luxist blog.

The launch event at King Louis XIV's palace featured a feast for 170 guests, including international media representatives. The food was created by Michelin-starred chef Alain Senderens.

Hennessy Beaute du Siecle Cognac

"Hennessy's latest deluxe offering, the Beaute du Siecle, has been making rounds at luxury affairs lately. This impressive display was designed by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. Ten different artists collaborated on the chest which is made from melted aluminum and mirrored glass. It has a bronze key and at the press of a button the bottle rises up on a tray. The bottle is Baccarat crystal and set in a metal lattice designed by Guerlain. It contains the Beauté du Siècle Hennessy Cognac, a limited edition blend that was blended by cellar master Yann Fillioux from Hennessy reserves, which are up to 100 years old with the youngest being 47 years. One chest has already been presented to Killian Hennessy as a birthday present, and another was donated to Elizabeth Taylor's AIDS charity and auctioned for $200,000 earlier this year."

By Deidre Woollard on the luxist blog.

Johnnie Walker Has Your Name On It!

"Sure a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a significant and posh gift as it is ($200) but think of the additional impression it will leave if the recipient's name is engraved on the front of the bottle! This service is available for a limited time for FREE at various locations across the nation and through their consumer care line. Consider the possibilities for your signature bottle: "Not a breakfast beverage" or "Share only with the worthy"."

By Laura Malesich on the luxist blog.

Alcohol can be seen as a rather impersonal gift, so this is a great initiative. More and more brands are now offering personalised versions of their products for gifts or special events, such as weddings. Even M&Ms are in on the act.

International Cognac Summit

From January 20th to 23rd 2008, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) is holding the first International Cognac Summit.

Bartenders and cocktail experts will spend three days in Cognac, debating and taking part in workshops, lead by Fernando Castellon (author of the Larousse des Cocktails). The main aim is to create a Cognac-based short drink and long drink that will take cocktail-lovers everywhere by storm. Media gurus will also be attending.

The guest list includes:

• Dale DeGroff, President of The Museum of the American Cocktail
• Salvatore Calabrese, National President of the UK Bartenders’ Guild
• Stefan Gabanyi, Head Barman at the Schumann’s, Munich
• Colin Field, Head Barman at the Ritz Hemingway Bar, Paris
  

It will be interesting to see what they come up with, given the importance of cocktails to cognac brands throughout the world.

For full details, see the BNIC website (linked here).

The site also has a useful links section, which mentions other cognac sites.