The battle is on: The Cognac lobby is not happy at all with Remy’s new product.
In the world of Cognac, Remy Martin is one of the most important players. When the cognac house released Remy V this year, Cognac Expert reported about the launch – but also about the concerns.
V is a spirit that is produced with local grapes, then distilled but not aged. Here comes the problem: The product Remy Martin V uses known Cognac codes – consumers may be confused and can’t distinguish between VSOP and V, or V and VS. While VS and VSOP are official quality grades, V just stands for “life” (in french “vie”), which again is a reference to “eaux-de-vie”.
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“V” for Vendetta
The V bottle also uses the name of Remy Martin and the typical form of Remy Martin’s cognac product VSOP. But hey, “V” is not cognac, because cognac needs to be matured in oak casks for at least 2 years: VS quality.
Now, the cognac lobby BNIC asked Patrick Piana to abort the market testings. At this point, Remy Martin tests in Atlanta and San Francisco. But the cognac house refuses to stop the testing, while the BNIC prepares for legal battle. This is highly political and even spectacular. You can bet that other bigger cognac producers like Martell, Hennessy and Courvoisier support the BNIC.
Why is Remy Martin V a smart product idea? Because it totally covers the demand of mixable spirits, and it is far cheaper to produce than Cognac – because there is no ageing procedure.
Let’s remember: Hennessy once tried to launch a Whiskey, using their brand. This activity had to be aborted, the loud critisicm in the region stopped Hennessy Whiskey.
White liquor booms in the US, Remy Martin had a very good idea – and they had to expect trouble. But are they really ready to get into a fight with the BNIC, with other producers from the region? Perhaps. Rémy Martin V could be a game changer, a cash cow – or a desaster for Rémy Martin.
Source: Sudouest
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2 Comments
I need Remy V in the Mid West!!!!!!!
In the Remy V issue, you keep on repeating that Hennessy was stopped by the BNIC or the region in its attempt to sell a Hennessy Whiskey (you say whisky). I do not know how you check the information you publish, but this is wrong. The product was an Irish Whiskey, called “Hennessy Na-Geanna, Whiskey from Ireland”, and had been designed exclusively for Japan, to help Hennessy VSOP to fight the expansive Japanese whiskies sold by Suntory in hostess clubs. It certainly generated some hickups in Cognac, but it was launched nationally and did its job during several years. Supply problems and the difficulties of the Japanese economy then reduced its significance.
This Hennessy Whiskey had no relation with cognac nor Cognac, and it was not put in a cognac bottle. On no account was its effectiveness to rely on confusion with a cognac. I guess this is why it lived its own life freely. And this is why I think Remy V should not.
HC