Brits’ taste for Cognac on the rise
More than 190.2 million bottles of Cognac were exported in the past year, according to the Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac (BNIC), the organisation responsible for the promotion of Cognac.
Exports have risen for the third year, with an overall uptick of 10.2% in volume and 15.2% in value for the past 12 months, indicating a rising global trend for the variety of brandy produced in the French town of Cognac.
The UK increased its take-up of the brandy by 3.6% in the past 12 months, while Europe in general accounted for a rise of 10.1% in volume sales and 8.1% in value. Total European export sales of Cognac reached 42.1m bottles this year.
Back-to-back campaigns
A rise in shipments of the liquor to Europe was attributed to a series of back-to-back campaigns targeting new drinkers, claimed BNIC.
China is responsible for a glut of exports into the Far East, accounting for 22.6m bottles of the 53.7m exported to the region.
Meanwhile, Courvoisier VS was ranked the 44th top drink to stock on The Morning Advertiser’s Drinks List: Top 100 Brands last year.
The list, compiled using a mix of sales data and consumer research, is a barometer of the best-selling drinks in pubs and what consumers desire.
The Drinks List 2016
Revenue from the brand’s on-trade sales were more than £28m in 2015/2016 and revenue rose by 13% between 2014 and 2016.
Remy Martin VSOP Mature Cask Finish pipped Courvoisier VS to the post of most popular Cognac by ranking 19th on the list.
The brand, established in 1724, has become one of the biggest Cognac houses in France and uses eaux-de-vie from grapes grown only in the top two Cognac regions.
In 1923 the brand aligned itself with the first deluxe version of the Side Car cocktail, developed at the Ritz, in Paris.
