Most of the Cognac produced and sold in the world comes from just a handful of companies: Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy Martin, Martel, and Camus. These companies deal with an unfathomable amount of spirit and produce cognac blends that can sometimes have as many as 140 different cognacs in them.  Olivier Blanc, Director of Leopold Gourmel, does things quite differently than the mass producers. His focus is on creating some of the finest hand crafted cognacs in the world, and to do that he pushes as hard at the boundaries and rules of cognac as he can.

Cognac is a highly regulated spirit that has extremely specific rules on where it can be produced, what grapes can be used, how it must be distilled, and how old it can be. This can often result in a fairly rigid and formulaic approach to making cognac, but for smaller artisan producers like Leopold Gourmel, it provides an opportunity to stand out and do things differently.

Cognac producers are allowed to add sugar, boise (wood extract), and caramel color, but Leopold Gourmel doesn’t add any of these. Many cognac producers chill filter their cognacs to improve clarity, while sacrificing some flavor and texture, while Leopold Gourmel doesn’t. Most cognac producers combine cognac from different years and different growing regions, whereas Leopold Gourmel doesn’t.

The core product line for Leopold Gourmel captures the transformation that cognac makes throughout its life. At 10 Carats (Parisian slang for “years”) is “Age du Fruit;” this reflects the younger fruity phase that aging cognac goes through. 15 Carats is “Age des Fleurs,” which captures the floral qualities of the cognac. 20 Carats is “Age des Espices,” which captures the deep, rich spiciness that an older cognac can have.

The centerpiece of Leopold Gourmel’s offerings is Quintessence, a blend of 30-year old cognacs. Quintessence is a symphony of flavors that captures all the stages of aging cognac, including fruit, flower, and spice. It’s amazing to experience fresh fruit grape notes in a cognac which has been spending over 30 years in barrels.

Leopold Gourmel is one of a few small artisan cognac producers whose products are available in the US, but often get overlooked. If you’re looking for an amazing and unique cognac experience, seek out Leopold Gourmel.