Among the drinks regulated in the relevant legislation in France that have the right to be called cognacs, this rightfully takes its place of honor. Hine - French cognac, but with English roots. This is probably why the cognac house of the same name is the only one in the whole region officially awarded the right to deliver its products to the royal court. And in France, at home, this drink is one of the most elite among the inhabitants of the country.
History. Start
Hine Cognac House was born a long time ago, in the Voltaire era of France, in 1763. This year, an English national, Thomas Hein, goes to the neighboring sunny country - France. He comes to the town of Zharnak to improve in French grammar. But here the war begins between these neighboring countries, and the young man is arrested. Having left after some (short) time to freedom, he marries the Frenchwoman Francoise Delamen, whose father was engaged in cognac business. Soon the son-in-law became a companion, and in 1817 Thomas already began his production management and gave the company the name “Hein”. Since then, for almost two centuries, the company's business has been going uphill, and Hine is cognac dearly loved by true connoisseurs of spirits. The famous logo - the deer, which still adorns the labels of containers - appears in 1866.
Home story
Hine Cognac House is one of the very first to receive international awards. For example, in the USA, at a competition in 1859. And in the middle of the last century, the Hein company was entitled to make deliveries to the British Royal Court (in an official way). As a result of the reformatting of the business, part of the shares went to the holding of Louis Vuitton, the notorious Hennessy. But to the credit of the Hein house, they were able to maintain their basic organization of production and structures. Today, the company is run by Bernard Hein, a direct descendant of Thomas, the founding father of the company, in the 6th generation.
Bernard and cigars
By the way, the current leader is a big fan of cigar culture. Not for nothing in the recommendations on how to use Hine (cognac), so much space is given to the compatibility of the drink with the main types of cigars, which has become the company's unspoken trademark and taste of this cognac.
Production
Hein House has virtually no vineyards of its own. It would seem that this fact should complicate the production of a quality drink. However, the solution is simple: alcohols are purchased from trusted manufacturers from Gran and Petit Champagne (mainly young distillates). A certain amount for the manufacture of their own products is also purchased in Feng Bois.
Company Quality Code
There is also its own Code defining the quality of production, the rules that the craftsmen there strictly follow.
- Only horizontal presses are used for squeezing raw materials.
- Full natural vinification is carried out.
- Mandatory test distillation is carried out, and the main one is with a suspension of fine particles.
- For aging, only hand-made oak barrels of the areas of Tronse and Limousin are used.
- The aging container is scalded with boiling water and wetted with brandy. And before exposure, alcohols are diluted to 60% strength.
- The air humidity of basements and warehouses is 80% and higher.
- Excerpted at least 8 months in new barrels, then the raw material is poured into old.
- Drinks are assembled only at the end of alcohol exposure.
- Ready cognacs are aged in small barrels for another year, and are filtered additionally before bottling in glass. The bottles themselves are rinsed with cognac before filling.
And these are only the basic listed production principles, according to which high-quality cognac is made (see the process photo below).
Non-mass drink
It is clear that such strict rules, the observance of which are both the owners of the company, and controlling internal and external bodies, do not allow talking about the mass industry. But maybe it’s for the better, as this drink, no doubt, has its original face. For the same reason, Hine - VSOP cognac or any other representative of the Hain house - does not always find a place on the shelves of shops selling related products. And now a little information about each product at home.
Hine: VSOP Cognac
For the production of this type, the original blend is used. It consists of 60% alcohols for the production of Grand Champagne cognac, 40% of the raw materials of Petit Champagne. Moreover, if the youngest alcohol in aging is 4.5 years old, then the most “old” alcohol is 15 years old. The advantages of the blend are revealed by preliminary aging of the spirits in barrels separately from each other. Then the raw materials that have already been aged accordingly are mixed, and the resulting noble drink is additionally aged in small containers - French oak barrels. Result: soft and rounded cognac (see photo below), which is perfectly balanced. It is distinguished by tones of flowers and fruits, jasmine and honey. It has an excellent lasting aftertaste and ripeness of taste. This VSOP - truly the pride of both the brand owner and the Cellar Master - received well-deserved silver in 2000 at the international event, the Spirits Challenge. The alcohol content in the drink is 40%.
Hine: XO Cognac
Cognac Hine Antique XO is a very delicate and reasoned drink. It is almost perfectly balanced from more than 50 types of cognac, origin of Petit and Gran Champagne. It has been produced since 1920. It has a sweet, delicate aroma that combines strength and soft tenderness in an optimal way. The taste will gradually reveal to you all the wealth of shades: vanilla, red and white pepper, star anise and mint, cinnamon. Oak notes are also present, which indicates a long exposure to raw materials. It has a very long finish and ripe harmony. Fans of cigar breaks: Bernard Hein strongly recommends this particular option for Montecristo cigars number 1 or 3.
Set
Heyn brandy set is an ideal gift for a lover of a noble and elite drink. Hine Vintage Set No. 1 includes three containers with cognac of 0.2 l each, strength - 40%. This is a real male drink. And quite a rarity in the alcohol community of true connoisseurs of cognac art. According to tradition, like good wine, vintage cognacs taste and character largely depend on the natural conditions of a given year of harvest, aging conditions. Assessment of the potential of the drink, developed over the long years of the existence of the house, allows us to talk about ideal taste. Vintage Hine cognac, the price of which starts at a thousand dollars per set, actually includes three different aged distillates from a blend of spirits, each of which is unique. Such sets are available in limited quantities and are always highly appreciated by fans. Three tasting millesim - the perfect gift for a birthday friend, business partner, or male boss.
- Hine Vintage 1957 has soft and luxurious flavors: fruits, flowers, jasmine and apricots. The finish is rich and long. A fragrance with predominant notes of dried fruit and fine skin.
- Hine Vintage 1975 - tones of spices and oak, pronounced tannin. Distant notes of cloves and a long finish are felt.
- Hine Vintage 1981 - shades of various fruits, notes of vanilla and peach.
Cognac Hine. Reviews
The collection of these drinks is clearly not designed for ordinary and mass consumption and production. Hine is a cognac that requires attention and respect. Take, for example, the fact that it is officially delivered to the Queen's English Court. Also interesting is the fact that, for example, Hine Family Reserve cognac, one of the ones presented by the Hein House, is available in strictly limited quantities, poured into numbered bottles. The blend of the drink is created from various alcohols produced by Gran Champagne. And the peculiarity is that the final stage of aging occurs in small barrels of their French oak (after mixing the raw materials). Such a super-elite cognac is the embodiment of the elegance and traditions of the Hain house. It is recommended to save it for big holidays: family celebrations, weddings, anniversaries. Reviews about the use of such cognacs are above the middle bar and, as a rule, only of laudatory content. The drink always pleases guests dear to the heart, has a round taste, a very long and noble aftertaste, the aroma of good old cognacs: flowers and woods, oak notes. According to many connoisseurs (as well as on the recommendations of the owner of the company), this cognac is best harmonized with Dominican cigars with delicate aromas. And also, according to reviews that tasted a noble drink of a dream, Heyn cognacs combine very well with dark chocolate, not too sweet desserts, fruit and chocolate-biscuit ones. This drink is certainly not served on the table for the first and second courses. According to fans, he has a friendly conversation after dinner, quite satisfying, can be emphasized with a cup of coffee with cinnamon and good cigars or cigarettes.
The latest history of the old cognac house
Since the beginning of 2000, the latest history of Hain began. Thirty-five-year-old M. Cornell is appointed to the position of manager, which shifts the focus of production of cognac products at home. So from now on, the company is practically limited to the manufacture of Cognac Hine Antique XO and cognac VSOP. The emphasis also goes to the production of vintage bottling in small elite bottles of 0.2 liters in terms of gift sets, which are quite expensive. On the back of each of the containers with cognac of different years of production there is an inscription that can be translated from French in this way: we do not do much, we do only the best! Embodying this motto, the company itself has become a kind of chic "cognac" Aston Martin, the elite in the automotive industry. And as part of the development of these new strategies, the company is also a sponsor for automotive rarity competitions in English Goodwood.