We find out from brand education and training director Julien Pepin Lehalleur why cognac's reputation is changing in recent years
Cognac has come a long way from being an old man’s drink. With access to more information online, imbibers are finding out that it’s such a versatile drink that you can have day or night—neat, iced or mixed. The fact that the cognac market is growing across the globe, especially in Asia, has led Moët Hennesy to create the role of brand education and training director a few years ago, with the aim of spreading the gospel about this exquisite brown spirit.
Taking on the position is Julien Pepin Lehalleur, formerly of Ruinart and House of Krug. While it seems like Lehalleur’s first love was champagnes and wines (he was the president of his business school’s wine student club in 1996), he tells us that it is actually cognac. “I had my first internship with Hennessy even before I got elected president,” he muses. During those three months of working at the sales boutique in Cognac, he was exposed to the many ways you can drink it. “I wasn’t aware that you could drink it with Indian tonic water, sparkling water or Coke,” he shares, which was a revelation for him at that time.
That fascination with cognacs has never left him since those fruitful few months in Cognac. And 22 years after his internship, he has found himself at Moët Hennessy again with a new role, and sharing more about his beloved drink.
On his recent visit to Singapore, we sit down with him (with a glass of cognac, of course) to find out how the reputation of cognac is slowly changing and what’s the best way to appreciate it.
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What was the perception of cognacs in the past??
Julien Pepin Lehalleur (JPL): In France and other mature markets, the perception of cognac before was often a grandpa’s drink. Painting a vivid picture: a 50-plus-year-old man smoking a cigar and drinking cognac at night in a balloon glass. He’s sitting in an armchair by the chimney with his golden retriever, and it’s snowing outside.
If people keep seeing cognac this way, they will never drink it. But if you go to the US, Africa or the UK, cognac is drunk in moments of joy. It’s a spirit that people can drink day or night and in many ways.
Why do you think this mindset is starting to change in recent years?
JPL: The generation has more access to information online. They want to know more and understand what they drink, instead of copying their parents’ drink of choice. People nowadays are drinking less but drinking better.
Tell us why there is a need for a brand education and training director at Moët Hennessy.
JPL: The world of spirits is growing, so it’s our long-term vision to educate consumers about our luxury products: VS, VSOP, XO and Hennessy Paradis. For the price they pay, they need to understand the true value behind them… it’s not just marketing.
I want people to understand that the price they are paying is worth it, when you have eaux de vie that are much older than most whiskies on the planet. The minimum age is 25 years old, but the age goes way beyond that.
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