Cooking World

Cognac is not just a spirit but a drink which holds the entity of the initial wine, without losing of its pleasant, much demanded aromas.
Distillers in the Cognac region have been using the double distillation method since the sixteenth century. During the whole winter and until the end of March, the pot-stills work steadily to turn the wine into eau-de-vie.
The first distillation, which lasts about 12 hours for 20hl yields a distillate called brouillis (about 30 % alcohol by volume), which concentrates the best floral aromas. The brouillis is then distilled. The second distillation gives a more refined and stronger alcohol drink named the coeur or heart. To produce one liter of eau-de-vie de coeur it is needed nine liters of wine. This coeur, which contains about 70 % alcohol by volume, is a crystal clear eau-de-vie, which will eventually become a cognac after a long maturing process.

The gradual and natural ageing in oak kegs develops the aromas, flavors and colors of these well-known cognacs.
In the process of ageing, the eau-de-vies lose some of their strength and volume. Each year, about 2 % volatilize from the barrels. This process removes the very volatile substances, leaving those that give cognacs their bouquet.
A great Hennessy cognac is the result of many drinks of different origins and ages, and with various features, that are gathered over time by the master blender.