A chance to sample some of France’s rarest and most interesting cognacs, armagnacs and calvados, in London in March
The Cognac Show, organised by The Whisky Exchange, takes place at Glaziers Hall on 10-11 March. Among the 30 cognac houses (plus armagnac and calvados producers) represented will be the giant maisons (including Courvoisier, Martell and Rémy Martin); other well-known producers (such as Delamain, Frapin, Hine and Prunier); and artisan makers or independent bottlers, which will be new even to many relative cognac connoisseurs (Fanny Fougerat, Version Française et al).
As well as over 150 individual brandies to sample (choose wisely!), there will be cognac-based cocktails being made by the team from Bar Luciole, temporarily relocating from the banks of the Charente to the South Bank of the Thames. And, if visitors need a break from the drinks, there are masterclasses that provide… absolutely no respite whatsoever, as, for example, a discussion of terroir involves samples poured to demonstrate the character of petit champagne vs fin bois and so on.
The show is open between 5.30pm and 9.30pm on Friday evening and between midday and 6pm on Saturday. Tickets cost from £50 (for the shorter Friday evening) and include a “dream pour” token, which can be redeemed against a sample from the most desirable bottles at the show, worth between £250 and £500. These include such gems as a Croizet 1928 Grande Reserve, a couple of Delamain Pléiades series releases, a 37-year-old Bache-Gabrielsen from 1973 and a Baron de Lustrac 1953 armagnac.
Extra tokens can be bought for £5 each to put towards a pour from even rarer bottles – you need 17 for a glass of Hardy Lalique Winter, which retails at £8,500 a bottle.
