Ever wondered what goes into a Rémy Martin cognac?

Cognacs, XOs, VSs and VSOPs are often thought as different types of liquor but it is essentially just cognac, a type of distilled brandy made in the region of Cognac in France.

This myth was busted when the house of Rémy Martin started “The Heart of Cognac Experience” to educate the public about what makes a cognac so special and how this ultra-premium brandy is produced.

Learning the essence of Rémy Martin cognac

For the first time ever, “The Heart of Cognac Experience” was brought over to the Asian region in two countries – Malaysia and Singapore - from 21st October to 25th October 2013. We were invited for a preview of the educational session with Rémy Martin brand ambassador, Brendan Fernandez.

The class started with an introduction of Cognac, the region where Rémy Martin among many other brands produce their cognac collections.

For a brandy to be labelled as a Rémy Martin cognac, it must be made in its namesake region using the best grapes from two prime regions in Cognac named Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.

The grapes are processed and distilled before being aged in oak barrels, which could take between 4 years to 100 years depending on quality.

Brendan Fernandez says, “By law, cognac must be aged in French oak barrels and at Rémy Martin, we only use a very specific oak, the Limousine French Oak as it allows more exchange between the liquid and the oak.”

Ephemeral cognac cellar master

Cognac is not complete after the aging process - that only creates the eaux-de-vie. By mixing a selection of these eaux-de-vie, it creates true cognac and this can only be done by a certified cellar master. In the century-old history of the Rémy Martin house, there are only four certified cellar masters including the current master blender, Pierrette Trichet, who is also the first female master of the house.

During the workshop, we were given a chance to be the cellar master and create our very own cognac.

3 types of eaux-de-vie ranging from 4, 8 and 14 years were provided and with only very few hints, we began the challenge of recreating Rémy Martin’s VSOP Fine Champagne Cognac.

The task started with a taste of the real cognac and by that lingering taste in the mouth and aroma in the nose, we had to utilise the three eaux-de-vie to find the balanced ratio and mimic the taste of Rémy Martin's VSOP.

While it might sound easy but recreating an exact flavour with only a faint memory of taste and smell was almost an impossible feat for amateurs like us and that is only with three eaux-de-vie.

A true cellar master uses hundreds of different eaux-de-vie to create the Rémy Martin cognacs but the mission impossible is to create the Louis XII de Rémy Martin, the pinnacle bottle of the brand, which utilises more than 1200 types of eaux-de-vie.

Tasting XO in a cellar

After a fun session of mixology, we moved on to a dark room where the cellar of Rémy Martin in France was recreated to enhance our experience of tasting the XO selections – the XO Excellence and XO Premier Cru.

Real Limousine French Oak barrels were imported into Malaysia for the event to truly give an experience of being a cellar master tasting the fine liquor straight from the cask.

The session ended with light canapés served by Maison Francaise and specially designed cocktails created by using Rémy Martin cognacs.

Xavier Desaulles, Managing Director of Remy Martin Asia said, “ Instead of only being able to bring a small group of clientele to our distillery in Cognac, France, we brought the feel and spirit of Cognac to Kuala Lumpur for many more consumers to experience.”