Courvoisier

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For other uses, see Courvoisier (disambiguation).
A bottle of Courvoisier VS (Very Special) cognac

Courvoisier (French pronunciation: ​[kuʁvwazje]) is a brand of cognac owned by Beam Inc.. The production is based in the town of Jarnac in the Charente department of France.

History

Although no evidence has been found to indicate that Courvoisier cognac was the favorite drink of Napoleon Bonaparte, who died in 1821, before Courvoisier was officially established by Felix Courvoisier in 1835, the company website claims the following:

The origin of our history goes back to the beginning of the 19th century with Emmanuel Courvoisier and his associate, Louis Gallois, running a wine and spirit merchant company, in the Parisian suburb of Bercy. In 1811 Napoleon visited their warehouses in Bercy and he was hosted by Louis Gallois, the Mayor, and Emmanuel Courvoisier. Legend has it that Napoleon I later took several barrels of cognac with him to St Helena, a treat much appreciated by the English officers on the ship who named it 'The Cognac of Napoleon'.[1]

In 1909, the company was run by the Simon family which began to develop the brand's global reputation.[1] In 1964 Courvoisier was acquired by the Canadian spirits group Hiram Walker. Hiram Walker was then acquired by Allied Lyons in 1986; when Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq, Courvoisier was divested to the holding company Fortune Brands, which spun off various product lines in 2011 to form the spirits company Beam Inc.

Bottlings

  • C by Courvoisier [2]
  • Courvoisier VS
  • Courvoisier VSOP Fine Champagne
  • Courvoisier VSOP Exclusif
  • Courvoisier Napoleon Fine Champagne
  • Courvoisier XO Imperial
  • Courvoisier Initiale Extra
  • Courvoisier Succession JS
  • L'Esprit de Courvoisier
  • Courvoisier 12
  • Courvoisier 21
  • Courvoisier Cour Imperiale Grand Champagne

Accolades

Liquor ratings aggregator Proof66 lists the Courvoisier 21 among the Top 20 rated brandies/cognacs in the world.[3]

In popular culture

On Saturday Night Live and in a subsequent film, Tim Meadows portrayed "The Ladies Man" who always tempted his women with a glass of Courvoisier.

French cognac began enjoying a revival after a mention in Busta Rhymes' 2002 song, "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II".[4]

Courvoisier is mentioned in the opening of RuPaul's song "Tranny Chaser" when RuPaul requests a Courvoisier "straight up". During the recording of the Fleetwood Mac album Rumours, Stevie Nicks claimed that Courvosier made for an "excellent singing potion" and regularly used it to prepare her voice for the studio recordings.[5]

The character Sebastian Smythe in the television series Glee likes a shot of Courvoisier in his coffee.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "An Imperial History". courvoisier.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2013. 
  2. ↑ "C by Courvoisier – New Double Barrel Aged Cognac". Cognac Fans. 
  3. ↑ Proof66.com Top 20 List
  4. ↑ French Cognac Makers Get A Boost From Rap Music
  5. ↑ Caillat, Ken (2012). Making Rumours. Wiley. pp. 67,148,319. ISBN 978-1-118-21808-2. 

External links

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