Louis Bouron :: Exceptional Hand-Crafted Cognac since 1832

Did you know that…
•	The US accounts for approximately 38% of global consumption of cognac (equal to 49 million bottles in 2003).
•	Cognac is produced from a white wine that is double distilled in copper stills and aged in oak casks for a minimum of 2.5 years.
•	The production of cognac takes place in a limited and strictly controlled area in Southwest France.

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The 6 growing areas (crus) of the Cognac region each give unique aromas, flavors and personality to the eau-de-vie (“water of life”):

•	Grande Champagne
•	Petite Champagne
•	Borderies
•	Fin Bois
•	Bon Bois
•	Bois Ordinaires

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Cognac is aged in oak casks from the Limousin and Troncais forests – this oak is porous, allowing the eau-de-vie to extract substances that, among other things, give the spirit its golden color.

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During the aging process, cognac loses about 3% of its volume each year; this evaporation is poetically known as the angels' share.

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Appropriately named, the "paradis" is the area in the cognac cellar where the oldest cognacs are stored.

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Cognac is a blend or “assembly” of eau-de-vie of different ages and crus, producing a harmony in taste. This assembly is done in several steps spread throughout the entire aging process.

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Once transferred out of the oak casks and into bottles, cognac does not continue to age.

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Bottles of cognac should be stored vertically to prevent the cognac from reacting with the cork.

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The cognac label “Grande Champagne ” denotes eau-de-vie exclusively from that cru. The “Fine Champagne ” label denotes a blend of eau-de-vie from the Grande and Petite Champagne crus, with at least 50% from Grande Champagne.

It is said that the double distillation of cognac was discovered thanks to a 16th century nightmare. While there are many variations to the tale, the common element is a knight’s dream in which the devil tries to boil the knight’s body to gain his soul. When the devil does not succeed, the devil threatens to reboil it. The knight then awakens with the idea to distill the eau-de-vie a second time, to “extract its soul.”