A little drop of Cognac by the river

Today we took a trip to the town of Cognac, home to many producers of the drink of the same name. We went to the Hennesy distillery who host regular tours (in French, German or English) of the premises.

The tour started with a boat ride across the river to a series of exhibits that showed the production process.

After that you are lead into one of the warehouses covered in "pas fumer" signs and flanked by rows of fire extinguishers, and once you walk in and smell those alcoholic fumes from the fermenting barrels of cognac you understand why.


A protected area of the warehouse revealed some barrels that date back to the late 19th century, with the oldest that we saw marked with a white "1893".

After a boat ride back across the river we had a quick overview of the various sorts of Cognac that Hennesy produce including the popular VS and VSOP and some of the more exclusive blends such as the 6,000+ Euro Hennessy Cognac in Baccarat Crystal.

Then, the final part of the tour, where you get to sample some of the blends.

A couple of measures of some fine Cognac at 11.30 in the morning was a pretty good way to start the day.

More information on Hennesy and the tour can be found on their website: http://www.hennessy.com/