Hardy cognac: a guide to alcohol
About the Hardy brand
Hardy is probably the most popular brand of cognac in France. This alcohol can be easily found in almost all shops and restaurants in Paris. However, oddly enough, the founder of the favorite French brand was the Englishman Anthony Hardy.
Alcohol is positioned as an elite spirit, characterized by a variety of flavors and aromas. Hardy masters combine the most exquisite cognac spirits, turning them into a haute couture drink. Limited collections of Hardy in decanters were created in collaboration with the fashion houses Lalique and Daum, they are works of art.
Certain grape varieties growing in the Grand Champagne region are used in the production of alcohol. The main variety in the drink is Uni Blanc, and in the manufacture of original and cognacs for the collection, the French Colombard type is used, which gives the drink a peculiar shade of caramel and fruit flavor.
Fermentation takes place in barrels, their age is more than 10 years. The humidity and the required temperature are ensured by means of modern technologies, which has an excellent effect on the quality of the resulting cognac spirits.
At the moment, the cognac brand is part of the A. Hardy & Co". This conglomerate sells its products almost all over the world and successfully competes with such giants as Hennessy and Croizet.
History of the Hardy cognac brand
It all started in the 50s of the XIX century, when a British gentleman Anthony Hardy began to supply elite cognac spirits to the territory of Great Britain. Since the drink was produced and the plantations were located on the mainland, Anthony, tired of constant traveling, during which he took the goods and controlled the production, decided to go to live in the city of Cognac in 1863.
After 6 months, Hardy set up a business to produce and sell fine alcohol. From that moment on, a new market participant in the person of Hardy became visible in Poitou-Charentes.
It took only 6 years for the newly-minted brand to achieve success on the world stage and enter the group of specialty drinks. In 1869, in Amsterdam, the Hardy brand received a very authoritative award in the industry - the "Diploma of Excellence".
Appeared in 1872. phylloxera midge has become a real "scourge of God" for the entire viticulture business in the south of France. In a few years, it was able to destroy almost all the vineyards of the Hardy cognac house. And only the significant stocks of cognac spirits created by its owner in the bumper harvests of 1869 and 1871., allowed Anthony's company to get out of this crisis with minimal financial losses. It took more than 10 years to restore the vineyards.
In the late nineteenth century, the French government decided to tighten control over alcohol exports by introducing additional trade duties. The Hardy trading company had to take drastic measures to avoid bankruptcy. All vineyards were sold, and most of the business was transferred to the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. One of these countries was Russia.
In the XX century, Hardy's company managed to regain its position in France. The quality of products and excellent design style allowed the Hardy cognac house to survive all revolutions and wars, remaining one of the best in the world market of alcohol production.
Types of Hardy cognac
The Hardy brand has a very rich selection in the collection by aging and production technology, from traditional to elite. Below we take a look at the traditional cognacs of this brand.
The full list of collections is always available on the official website: http://www.hardycognac.fr/eng/collections/
Hardy VS
Hardy VS has an elegant and slightly pale appearance with hints of gold. This harmonious union of four of the finest cognac creus opens with floral notes and offers a delicate balance between freshness and smoothness.
Hardy VSOP
Hardy VSOP enchants with its bronze color and deep, attractive shades, and its smell with fresh pear aromas that give way to warm walnut notes and spicy cinnamon hints. The flavors in the taste are just perfectly balanced.
Hardy XO
Hardy XO fulfills all its promises in your thoughts about this aged cognac with an amber hue, red color and a delicate bouquet of rose petals, ripe dates and a box of elite cigars. Its silky texture and persistent aromas are characteristic of a mature and large XO cognac.
Hardy XO Rare
The XO Rare draws you into a world like no other: dressed in amber-red, its enchanting fresh rose petals, ripe dates and the aromas of an elite cigar box - it's hard to describe the impression of its appearance, it's all charm. The silky texture that comes with the maturity of a great XO is only matched by its incredibly long-lasting flavors.
Interesting facts about Hardy
To fully adapt his business in a new country, Anthony Hardy chose the famous Gallic rooster as a symbol.
The company's specialty spirits include Perfection. It was produced for American importers, and consisted of an incomparable composition of spirits dating back to 1870. The world-famous Daum company has developed a special bottle made of rock crystal exclusively for Perfection cognac.
Another unique product, Grande Champagne, which was produced in 1983, exists in 333 pieces. It is presented in Caryota decanters made of crystal, and the label is signed by Benedict Hardy. Grande Champagne is a cognac that was sold for the collection.
The total number of units supplied to the international market reaches 1.6 million per year. This level is considered excellent for an enterprise that does not have grape plantations at its disposal.
Update: 02.11.2021
Category: Brandy and Cognac