Home page
On this website I like to share all the information on Cognac that I have gathered over the years.
I want to present all this information in an orderly manner: about the production process, the history of cognac, the cognac producers and so on. This is an enormous task and will not be finished in a few days or even weeks. So it is a project in progress. In the next weeks and months I will add new content on the site.
In the above menu under ‘Brands and producers>brands‘ you can find a lot of information on the major brands. Under ‘Brands and producers>on the map‘ you will find a map with every cognac producer around. The rest of the menu speaks for itself.
Don’t forget to do the quiz (test your knowledge).
Enjoy!
Hi. I have a bottle of Cognac that I can’t find in your site, neither anywhere else in the web. It’s a ‘Grand Fine Champagne de Rémy Martin Vieille Reserve, but with 1,4l. So, I guess it’s rare. Can you tell me something about its value?
Nice bottle. It is really difficult to predict what you could get for such a bottle, but €600-800 seems a safe bet.
I also have a few cognacs from your list you don’t seem to have tried and I would be happy to swap a sample of to send you in exchange you you liked that idea (I have 3cl or 5cl size sample bottles).
They are:
Paul Giraud XO and Tres rare – both elegant and 40%.
Hine Homage (40%)- a very interesting blend of Early landing and Jarnac aged cognacs.
Delamain pleides revelation- 45%, no colour, no boise, no sugar, single cask and 20-25 years old.
Grosperrin 12 year Borderies(50.6%) – very small wood fire distillation with natural fermentation; very complect for its age. Rustic but very good.
Godet epicure (40%)- a pure folle blance cognac with cognacs aged 7-20+ years in it. elegant, light and floral.
Hello Ben,
Thank you for the compliments.
Indeed it is very difficult to obtain a l’Exigence. I have one bottle left, but it is closed and will remain closed for some time.
I am not in to swapping cognacs, but you could try the http://www.cognacforum.nl. This is a Dutch site, but it is no problem to post reactions in English and with the help of Google Translate language should not be a big issue anymore. I know there are people on this site who swap now and then.
If you can’t get a sample of the l’Exigence, dont feel too bad about it. There are lots of cognacs I would have loved to taste, but that aren’t around anymore. And every now and then others are produced that are just as good today as they were back then. Think of Navarre Très Vieille, some vintage cognacs of Vallein-Tercinier, maybe even Rémy Martin 1988.
Good luck,
Ton
Dear Ton,
Not a problem and I understand completely. It was just a case of if I don’t ask I definitely won’t get.
I agree that there are many wonderful cognacs that have been and gone before my interest and will come and go after I’m gone. I’ve already been lucky enough to try some incredible cognacs such as Remy Martin 250th anniversary, Henessy No.1 from the 1980’s and A E Dor No.11 so i cna’t complain.
Thank you for the suggestions; I have tried a 1971 Vallien tercinier and,coincidently, I just ordered a bottle of Navarre tres vielle last week which I will collect when I visit Germany later this month!
All the very best,
Ben
Dear Ton,
I thank you for your incredible website. I have been deeply intrested in cognacs for a few years and you website is unique in its depth of information.
I have a question for you. I read about L’exigence de Delauney cognac on your website and its sounded very special so, with the help of my French neighbour, I contacted the house directly to enquire about possibly buying a bottle as I sometimes work in France. They said that they do have a few bottles left but they are only selling them to existing customers. My question is if you know anywhere else that might have a bottle for sell or, if you still had a bottle and would be wiliing, even a very small sample (1.5cl) I would happily pay for the priviledge. There is very little information on the internet I could find and the little I could find seemed to be connected to you otherwise I couldn’t have contacted you.
I hope you take this email as it is intended rather than as rude. Again thank you for all the hard work on this website and from observing the messages a seemingly endless number of requests to age and evaluate bottles!
Best regards,
Ben Cox
Hi Ton, always enjoying your site, it´s a treasure for all cognac-lovers! While writing a new book about cognac and the culture around I would love to ask you if I may use some of your photos from your internet site and what are the conditions for this. You may ask via my e-mail adress to talk about details. Thanks in advance!!
Hi Joe,
Thanks for the compliments.
I’ll answer your question in an e-mail.
Ton
Hi Ton,
Did you see my query from July 25?
Thanks
Best regards
Joern
Hello Ton,
Picked up a couple of bottles and 1 is De lÁsterie Grande Fine Champagne Cognac Bottled 1960s.
I dont seem to find any information regarding this brand, Just wondered if you could shed some light.
Some, but not much. The company was owned by F. de Bianchi. His cognacs were distributed by Le Compagnie Française des Champagnes (CFC), a sales organisation of a number of independent producers which also no longer exists. The company of F. de Bianchi was established in Angeac-Champagne where he was a propriétaire-negoçiant (owner-trader).
Thanks for the feedback Ton
Hello Ton,
Summer holidays are coming up and I am planning a trip to Germany from Madrid to see friends and family. Presents need to be made and I selected 2 bottles (Renault and Delamain) from my “Madrid-bodega-haul” to give away.
Question, as this is always interesting and makes for a good story when presenting a gift: what do you reckon how old these bottles are, ie about which approx. date where they bottled, and how much might they fetch at an auction or would an avid collector pay for each one of them?
Many thanks and best regards
Joern
2 bottles of old Cognac-Delamain + Renault
Hi Can you help date this bottle, unfortunately empty (I helped drink in 1989 but kept hold of the bottle)
Thanks Keith
It is 1960-70s. Difficult to pinpoint it further. Do you remember what closure it had: a screw cap or a cork?
Hello Ton, can you tell me how old this bottle is?
Regards Karl
I am not completely sure, the top of the bottle is not shown in full, but to me this looks like a 1970s bottle. Couronne was a low quality cognac, like three stars.
Ton
Thank you for the information. I have an even better picture. In my collection I am now trying to collect lost cognac houses. Can you give me some pointers on this?
Best regards
I found this bottle cleaning out my late father enlaws bar. I’m hoping you can help me out with what year it was bottled.
Best guess is 1960s, but maybe 1950s. Can you send a photo of the whole bottle, bottom to top? The closure is important to see.
Good morning Ton,
I recently had the pleasure of clearing a bodega in Madrid with several beautiful, old bottles and this Courvoisier is one of them. I understand is was bottled at the time when King George VI was King, ie sometime between 1936-1952. If this is a ‘Napoleon’, how many years has it matured more or less before being bottled? And do you have any indication which price such a bottle might fetch at an auction?
Thank you very much and congratulations on your beautiful website!
Best
Joern
Courvoisier-Grande Fine Champagne Napoléon
Hello Joern,
Nice find! This bottle could also be a bit later than 1952, because they used this emblem somewhat longer before they started with the ‘late King George VI’. I would estimate 1950s, judging by the neat capsule.
You probably have noticed that on some older bottles they added 60 years old (or 80 even). They didn’t on this one, so probably it is considerably less. I have no information on the time of maturation, but 30-40 years would not surprise me.
They are not seen much, so I can only tell you that €300 was an approximate price some 5 years ago. Prices have gone up since then.
Good luck.
Ton
Great, thanks a lot, Ton!
So I think this is a very worthy present for a good friend of mine – and I sure hope he will open it together with me 🙂
I guess I will come back to you in due course with other pics of the bottles which came out of this bodega I was allowed to empty in Madrid, until then,
Best
Joern
I have 4 bottles from an old relative just wondering what year they were and if they were worth selling
They are from the 1970s. Three star is the lowest quality and their worth is around €30 a bottle. But on auctions prices range from €25 to €65. So you have to be a bit lucky.
Thankyou I might just drink them myself
Hello,
do you have new information about the collection of Paul Ronnes ?
Best regards
Peter
NEW information? Were you the one who asked before?
Indeed I have new information, but sadly the only thing I can say is, he hasn’t forgotten about it. At the moment he is too busy with his own job. “He” being the person who has all the elements for the site. He will ask a relative who is working in the IT field… This information is less than a month old.
I don’t have ask. The site of Paul I have seen for a long time and later I would search this site but she was away. I would ask if someone continues his collection.
Hello,
Got a bottle of Raynal VSOP Napoleon Brandy de France – French Brandy
Trying to get a photo uploaded but having troubles. Not sure if you have more information on the bottle
Today, Raynal brandy is not real cognac. It is a spirit made from wine but it doesn’t meet all the requirements to be called a cognac.
But in the past they have made real cognacs.
I will send you an e-mail to facilitate sending pictures.
Heey Ton,
I got this cognac as I gift i tried to find more info on it buti didnt find anything can you tell me anything about it?
Hi,
As you can see here I’ve seen this brand before, but up till today I havn’t been able to track down the producer.
Probably a secondary brand made for a supermarket.
Ton
My In-Home Cabinet for Selected Cognac Brands
Each brand has its own compartment in the cabinet. Impressive!
What is the first word before ‘Bros Cognac Collection’?
It is Physon Bros. My name is Murphy and a long lost buddy’s name is Johnson. We were always talking about doing something together, but, reality was reality could do nothing about it. At least I put our names together to crown my Cognac collection for old times sake.
Hi Ton,
Just wondered if you could please tell me anything about this bottle and if it is worth anything. It is signed by Margaret Thatcher and Michael Heseltine. It has a gold coloured seal and says it is Petits Fine V.S.O.P. champagne.
Many thanks,
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Nice bottle. The brand name is La Grange du Bois, the owners name is Cartais-Lamaure. They are in a little enclave of the petite champagne area, north of the grande champagne area, called Julienne Bourg-Charente. Actually I must say: they were, because they stopped producing last year and are now selling their last bottles. Very sadly, because it is one of my favourite petite champagne brands. I have one open right now.
I have no information about this particular bottle. It looks like someone from the House of Commons specially ordered it. VSOP quality means it has aged at least 4 years, but I am pretty sure it will be towards 10 year. I estimate this bottle to be form the 1980s.
I would expect a normal VSOP bottle to go for around €45-50. I don’t know how much to add for the signatures and the fact it was made for the House of Commons.
It is a rather unknown brand and I have not yet met with anyone collecting this brand. Best guess: €100 on an auction.
Hope this helps,
Ton
Hi Ton,
I have a small collection of Cognacs and with your obvious knowledge of the subject you might be able to help me with a couple of queeries. I have a White Label vsop incl. red and gold presentation box and glass ash tray. On the bottle label it states ‘strength 30 u.p.’ I don’t see this on other bottles listed. The other is an Old Liqueur Cognac (long narrow bottle,red neck label,1950’s I think), but the label reads Bisquit’s and not Bisquit. I would appreciate your help. Great work. Keep it up.
Kind regards, Seamus.
Hi,
I need some pictures. I don’t even know which brand you are talking about (1st bottle) 🙂
Cheers,
Ton
Hello everyone. I was wondering in anyone can give me some information and current value on this particular bottle of cognac. I’ve found some very good information on the Bisquit Dubouche company and many of their products, but unfortunately I was not able to get any information on this exact bottle. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
SG
The photo is a bit small and the capsule is missing. I think it says Extra Vieille, over 45 years old.
These were made in the 1950s. They sell in auctions over €200 (250-300).
If possible I would like to have a proper photo of the whole bottle and put it on the Bisquit bottle catalog page. I will send you an e-mail.
Regards,
Ton
Hello,
What is a price of this bottle, probably 350ml
Hi,
Sorry, I missed this post.
Beautiful bottle. Most Cordon Rouges have a neck label stating 40 ans d’age.
This one has not, but it probably has aged a long time too.
These bottles are rare so difficult to say what it’s worth. But I would say easily over €100.
I saw a full bottle 40 ans d’age Cordon Rouge two years ago for over €200.
Cheers,
Ton
I have two unopened bottles (blue and white) of the Bi-Centenaire Camus Napoleon Cognac minatures made by Limogse. They are both in the original boxes. The bottoms of each read ” 22 k gold Edition Limitie”. The price tags are still on each box. Each cost $195. IK Bought them in the early 1970’s.
I’m wondering what they’re worth. I’ve been tempted to open them and drink the contents.
I need photo’s. I will send you an e-mail.
good morning,
I was wondering if you could help me, I have a bottle that was given to me about 20 years ago, “RODELL COGNAC XO EXTRA NAPOLEON BRANDY”, i can send a picture of it if needed, i was looking for information on it, specially price.
any info would be greatly appreciated.
thank you
Hello Tony,
I don’t think this is a cognac, but rather a brandy. Does it say anywhere that it is a cognac?
This XO Brandy is still available in some shops and it is not expensive. Maybe €30.
Since this is not a cognac I can’t help you any further.
Regards,
Ton
Hello.I have followed your website for a few years now and i think your work and effort are just fantastic!!
Now i got a bit of a problem.I have also used Paul Ronnes website about cognac ettiquettes and labels quite
often,but now his website cant be found anymore.If you could find it somewhere else would you please let me know.Thanks.By the way ,i am a Norwegian living in England.
Ronne’s website is discontinued, but people are working on it to get it back up again.
Regards,
Ton
Thank you for your information.
Still working on it, but unfortunately other commercial priorities necessarily get in the way. Nonetheless the contents have been saved and we are determined the project will not be abandoned.
Hello Ton,
Just come across your website, absolutely blown away by your cognac knowledge!
I’ve got a question that I thought you might be able to help me with – I’m looking for a cognac called ‘La Patience’, which might have been produced by Martell by I’m not 100% sure. Is this something you’ve come across before? Please feel free to email me.
Thanks, all the best,
Martin
Hi Martin,
Thanks for the compliments.
I have never heard of La Patience by Martell. I am curious were you came across that name.
Sincere,
Ton
I just bought this old, unopened bottle of Roffignac cognac and wonder if you can share any information about it. Thank you.
This bottle is from Comte Ferdinand de Roffignac. It is form the borderies region, which is the smallest one just above the city of Cognac. Borderies cognacs can be very good. They are known for their flowery (violets) taste. It is a three star quality, meaning is has only aged for a minimum of 2,5 years. But this one is probably from the 1960s and in that point of time they can easily have aged for some more years (over ten perhaps).
The family De Roffignac lives in a grand chateau, worthy of a visit: Chateau Chesnel, in Cherves-Richemont.
The worth of this bottle is limited, being a three star and with not any collectors for this brand that I know. When auctioned I would estimate the price around €50.
I hope this is enough information for you.
Sincere regards,
Ton
Hello Ton,
Great site!
I’ve just come into a sealed bottle of Courvoisier VS 70cl
It’s fairly old…relatively
The label falls under the 2c category, but bilingual, as I’m in Canada
What’s the year range for the 2c category?
Thanks so much!
The 2c category is quite wide, so I need a photo. I will send you an e-mail.
Thanks for the pictures. This is end 1970s. Nice bottle!
Hello, Ton,
I have a sealed, boxed, vintage bottle of Courvoisier VSOP in a gold-on-green box for which I wish to date and get a valuation estimate. It likely dates from the ’60s or ’70s. What do you recommend I do get it dated and valued for possible auction sale?
Hi, Ton.
Thanx for nice meeting during our stay in Cognac. Safe travel home I hope – will for sure have a look at this site for the future 🙂
II had a really nice evening too. We will surely meet again somewhere.
And thanks for liking this site.
Hi Ton. Hope you would be able to assist me. I have a bottle of Courvoisier Extra Vieille and would like to know if you could date it for me please. I also have the canon stand with it. My label is slightly different to what you have on your list. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards
David Norwie
I’ll send you an e-mail.
Hi! I have a collection that my father gave me more than 15 years ago. Since then I sold a lot but still have 300+ to sell. Do you buy cognacs? Please let me know.
No I don’t buy collections. I would advice you to contact an auction site. Most whisky auction sites also sell cognacs. Or else Catawiki or Drinksplanet maybe…
Thank you for all your time and effort.
– I have a bottle of Frapin Chateau Fontpinot XO (Appellation Grande Champagne Controlee) that I would love to get your opinion on. It is very similar to the first generations bottles on your list. Would it be possible to get your email so I could send you some pictures?
Many thanks.
I will send you an e-mail.
Good morning I have just been given a bottle of Rouyer and guillet ltd bottle of 3 star cognac. it has a cork top and three bricks or steps on the label. it looks like about 70cl and is 70 proof. would you be able to give me some information on this please.
Hi,
With three bricks or steps? It doesn’t ring a bell. Could you send me a picture?
I’ll send you an e-mail.
Regards,
Ton
Hey Ton
I love your site, thanks for providing such a useful resource.
I’m trying to date a bottle of Courvoisier which I’m sure I bought back from a skiing trip quite some time ago.
Using your Courvoisier Bottle Catalog PART 1 page I’ve identified it under code 2b5, but I don’t know how to use your coding system as a dating tool. Can you tell me what date range is covered by 2b5 please?
Cheers,
Dennis
Thank you Dennis.
I try to put the oldest series first and the newest last. For Courvoisier it is difficult. It seems several bottle types coexisted in the same period. But the ‘2b5’-bottles were from the 1980-1990s. Maybe there are addional marks on the back of the bottle that could help to date it. On this page is some helpful information: https://cognac-ton.nl/en/home-page/other-topics/dating-a-bottle/
Good luck,
Ton
Hi
Please let me have an E-Mail-Adresse as I would like to send you a photo of a label I am sure you will not have
Kind regards
Paul
Hey Ton, first of all let me thank you for all of your work – It has helped me a lot in identifying my dad’s collection. Although there are for sure many bottles that you do not have in the catalogue. As I am yet not very willing to reveal my collection to public in person – I would be happy to have your opinion and of course fill in the missing bits in your stunning website
Please drop me an email,
Hello,
I think I have bottle label which you do not have on your website. Please email me if you are interested in buying it.
Many thanks,
M
Hi,
Are you sure? Did you try the search site box?
If so, I would like to know the name of the label, but I am not interested in buying.
Regards,
Ton
What an extraordinary website .Absolutely fantastiic!!
I am norwegian but living in England.
Thank You (blush).
I have a bottle of cognac which doesn’t seem to be listed on your very informative site. It’s very similare but different text on thé label which reads “O.F. Martinel. Vers Old Pale, Trade Mark on Capsules & Cases. However, if you would like a photo for completeness I would be happy to e-mail some to you, maby you have informations about it
Kind Regards
Rickard
Gladly. I will send you my email address.
What an amazing site. Please drop me an email to keep in touch. Thanks
Thank you very much.
How do you know my site?
Hello Ton,
I recently acquired a bottle of Remy Martin cognac which doesn’t seem to be listed on your otherwise very informative site. It’s very similar in appearance to the 2nd bottle from the left in the “7. Age d’Or and Age Inconnu” section, but differs by having a shoulder label which reads “Grande Reserve”. The label states it is No. 54199; Grande Fine Champagne de Remy Martin. It probably isn’t particularly old. However, if you would like a photo for completeness I would be happy to e-mail some to you.
Kind regards,
Roderick Hogarth
Bournemouth, UK.
Hello Peter,
I would be happy to receive a picture of a new bottle. I can try to give you information, but it depends a bit on the picture. It will be a UK bottle of approximately 68cl.
I will send you an e-mail address to send the picture to.
Regards,
Ton
Hi
I have a bottle of Martell with 24 fl ozs and 70 proof but i can’t see a bottle with the same label could i send a picture of the label and would you have any info on it.
Peter
Dear Ton
it was real pleasure to meet you and talk about Cognac
Philippe
Hello Philippe,
Likewise for sure. It is always an honour to meet such a prominent person in the cognac world!
Kind regards,
Ton
Dear Tom,
I got to your blog by finding a google map made by you with plenty of cognac producers. That is quite a big job you did, and I am amazed. We are a small family company working on writing The Alphabetical Encyclopedia of Cognac. We also dedciate our time to educational projects about cognac, and we created a World Cognac Institute. Its main goal is to educate students at the Hotel Academies of European Union.
This is a Virtual Tour of Cognac Embassy in Kosice:
http://kosice.virtualtours.city/pages/4714-cognac-embassy-kosice.html
I just wanted to get in touch with you as we like the same things.
Thank you, and I wish you all the best
Kindest regards
Renata
Hello Renata,
Thank you for taking an interest in my website. I am afraid most of it is in Dutch, but I am thinking of translating more pages into English.
I took a look at your VR website and I could take a look into a few rooms. There is a lot of cognac in there and I spotted a fair amount of Scandinavian marques. I could not find any other information, but I presume it is a project in progress?
I wish you a lot of success with writing the Encyclopedia of Cognac.
Kind regards,
Ton
Hi Ton,
I have just seen your website for the first time today, fantastic content I have a passion for Cognac and have 150+ bottles in my collection. Delamain is one of my favourite Cognac houses and I would be interested in your comments about them thanks.
Paul.
Hello Paul,
Thanks for visiting my website.
Interesting question, although I am not sure what kind of information you’re looking for.
But I can tell you that Delamain is highly respected by every other cognac house in Charente for its dedication to the trade, the quality of their products and also for its history. They buy their eaux-de-vie from winegrowers and cognac producers and they select every year anew from which producers they buy, so they don’t have fixed contracts with an obligation to buy. And they have no lack in supply, there are many producers who are eager to sell them their wines or eau-de-vie. Every day they have a tasting session in the morning hours to select the best of what is offered.
The quality is exquisite. The taste is light and elegant, with subtle wood tones. This gives a little disadvantage in tasting sessions when you compare a Delamain with others because the taste is easily overpowered by other brands that have more wood in it.
Delamain is one of my favourites.
Hope this suffices.
Cheers,
Ton
Hello again,
I friend of mine gave me this youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrneqyB6QM8&feature=youtu.be
It is extraordinary. If I am ever in te neighbourhood I certainly will stop by!
If someone else is reading this, it is really worthwhile to see this little video of Cognac Embassy.
Regards,
Ton
Hello Ton,
I have just found your reply. Thank you very much.
Can you be so kind and contact me on my e-mail info@cognac-embassy.com ?
Best regards
Renata