Cognac: Innovating history

Cognac is experiencing a period of innovation which is challenging some of its own traditions, but could this further enhance the glowing reputation of the French spirit? Shay Waterworth travelled to the south of France to investigate.

Innovation is the key component for any brand, organistation or team to move forward. France, the home of cognac, recently lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy in Russia and although it was a team filled with young talent, the difference between the French and any other nation was their ability to innovate. Germany went into the tournament as one of the favourites but were knocked out in the group stage for the first time since 1938 while Spain, Brazil, Argentina all had poor tournaments - not to mention Italy and the Netherlands who failed to qualify – all because of a lack of innovation.

Cognac, like the French national team, has one of the richest histories in its respected field. But just as the football team has been forced to change tactics to utilise its young, talented players, cognac is now having to go through a similar process.

Rémy Martin made a bold move four years ago, appointing Baptiste Loiseau as the youngest cellar master in the history of the company. Undoubtedly a part of this decision was to connect with the younger generation of consumers and, you guessed it, keep innovating.

The growth in popularity of single malt whiskies, bourbon and aged rum is putting extra pressure on blenders such as Loiseau to come up with something new and exciting for consumers, but with is a series of strict laws enforced by Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), some brands have gone in different directions to seek innovation.

These laws determine the location of production, useable grape varieties and the selected casks allowed for ageing or finishing. But these rules aren’t there to limit imagination, they have shaped the category and made cognac one of the most prestigious spirits in the world.

One representative from the BNIC told DI: “Cognac is a cosmopolitan product, appreciated throughout the world, with guaranteed quality and assured by its AOC status. It is this nature that distinguishes it from other spirits.

“It has all the assets to meet the expectations of the consumer of tomorrow: local product, resulting from unique know-how, it is developed with a constant concern for quality and excellence. A real cultural heritage to discover and rediscover.

“However, this does not prevent cognac from innovating and there are many ways to innovate within the strict regulations and within the specifications.”

SINGLE IS SEXY

What a lot of single malt Scotch drinkers don’t realise is that there are cognac producers doing similar things to the Scots, it’s just under the radar. Fanny Fougerat is a fourth-generation cognac distiller who, up until 2013 had provided eaux de vie from her 30Ha in Borderies and Fin Bois crus to bigger cognac houses. Since then she has begun bottling her own cognac and her USP is that none of her cognac is ever blended. Essentially she is creating ‘single malt cognac’ and the result is the emergence of terroir within the spirit.

Maison Camus is on a similar page to Fougerat. It’s Ile de Ré range boasts an entirely different terroir than other cognacs. Ile de Ré is an island situated in the Bois à Terroirs cru, the most westerly region of the cognac appellation. The island produces grapes that have a naturally higher iodine content than those harvested on the mainland and Maison Camus then ages the eaux de vie to create cognacs with totally different flavour profiles.

Having recently won a trophy in the International Spirits Challenge, Cognac Frapin is still at the cutting edge of quality cognac. Frapin was the first brand to release vintage blends and its master blender Patrice Piveteau (pictured) is currently testing the Folle Blanche grape variety as a possible innovation to its blends, something which could develop over the next four to five years.

Piveteau says: “We are in a very fortunate position to have 16 years’ worth of Grande Champagne stocks – the average is seven years. We actually have more Grande Champagne stock than any other producer which means we can afford to experiment with different blends.”

Piveteau also has wines dating back to 1870 stored away in demijohns in one of Frapin’s ageing warehouses, which he uses in limited edition blends to give unique flavor profiles.

RULE-BREAKERS

The other aspect of single malt whiskies which is exciting consumers is the variety of woods used to finish off the ageing process. Anything from ex-rum to former IPA barrels are now used by Scotch brands to produce different flavours, but BNIC rules state that cognac brands may only use barrels which have previously held wine or grape-based spirits.

Martell’s launch of Blue Swift has challenged these laws. Blue Swift is not a cognac. It is produced by one of the most internationally recognised cognac producers in almost exactly the same way as other blends, but because the au de vie was finished in American whiskey barrels, it is legally not allowed to be called cognac.

It is a brave move by the Pernod Ricard brand because it has challenged the BNIC to question its legislations and made other brands think about the opportunities available if theiy are prepared to drop ‘cognac’ from its label.

Martell brand education ambassador, Margot Stagni says: “We’re trying to innovate and we’re fearless of finding new expressions. Although what we are doing goes against the rules laid out by the BNIC, we’re not against them. We have a positive relationship and we aren’t expecting any changes from their side because of what we’ve done.”

David Boileau (pictured), cognac ambassador at BNIC says: “Producers want something different and we’re always looking for something different. Blue Swift is the start and a big conversation right now, and one we need to have.”

According to the same BNIC spokesperson from earlier, the opportunities for innovation sit with the younger cognac styles. “As a younger generation enters the cognac market there is more scope for experimentation, especially with younger expressions (VS and VSOP) and within the marketing of cognac products. The strict set of rules that govern cognac production will always ensure that a quality spirit is produced.”

The BNIC is also working hard to stay at the forefront of consumer, environmental and cultural trends to keep cognac relevant around the world.

The spokesperson adds: “Moreover, we can observe a significant and global innovative movement: the entire supply chain is evolving. A real effort on sustainability is made, and particularly on environmental impact of the cognac production, from vineyards to bottles.

“On the marketing side: packaging is being reimagined, communication campaigns are being modernised (including important endorsement strategies), and focus is being extended to cocktails and long drinks.

“Cognac brands are really active, full of ideas and close to the modern international consumers’ habits, with a strong environmental awareness. So yes, like other industries, cognac innovates, although under strict regulations and specifications.”

France won the World Cup with its youngsters showing flair and speed, but the core of the team was still made up with experienced players, who were tactically more advanced and able to demonstrate leadership on the field. Perhaps then, in order for cognac to open up new opportunities, it needs to maintain its history and tradition through high quality XO expressions, and experiment with the younger VS and VSOP varieties. And while the temptation is there for some brands to deviate from the laws of the BNIC, there is still plenty of room within them to innovate.