Vinexpo Daily 2018 - Review Edition

NEWS
Jérôme Durand
Director General, Cognac Larsen
Hong Kong a Strategic
Hub for Larsen
Successful launch for new Cognac Larsen
Products at Vinexpo Hong Kong
Jérôme Durand, Director General, of
Cognac Larsen reports a highly successful
Vinexpo 2018 edition. Larsen
launched two new Cognacs at Vinexpo
Hong Kong. Larsen VSOP Reserve
and Larsen XO Reserve have been
created especially for the Asian market
and follow Larsen’s new long-term
exclusive partnership with Asiaeuro,
signed in December 2017.
Asiaeuro is now distributing the entire Larsen
range in China and Hong Kong, Macau,
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“The feedback has been very good. We
have made very good contacts”, says
Durand, adding, “Vinexpo Hong Kong is
the most important fair in Asia for Cognac
Larsen. We had two objectives here. The first
one was to continue to build our network,
which is doing quite well, due to qualitative
people all around the fair. Secondly, it was
to activate and animate our clients and
end-consumers, and for that it is also quite
interesting to have the high quality of the
population in this area.”
The Larsen MD says Hong Kong is a
hub for all of Asia for his company. “We
are meeting mainly our Chinese clients,
which is the second biggest market in the
world for Cognacs with more 4-million
cases and really, really dynamic last
year - +38% for the shipments from Cognac,
so it’s clearly booming again, and it’s a
strategic market for us. It’s essential for us to
support our clients and their end-customers by
being here.”
The Larsen VSOP Reserve, and Larsen
XO Reserve are exclusive for Asia, both in
blends and packaging. Larsen XO Reserve
is a blend of eaux-de-vie from mainly the Fins
Bois and Petite Champagne Crus. Robert
Andrieux, Master Blender at Larsen, has used
40 different eaux-de-vies, the youngest 10
years-old and the oldest between 20 and
30 years-old. Long barrel-ageing gives the
Cognac a deep, amber colour, while the
palate is a complex layering of ripe fruit,
prunes, nuts, toasted cocoa beans, liquorice
and moka. The mouthfeel is soft and silky and
the finish is long and aromatic.
“Asia is strategic for us and the house clearly
has a role to play here,” continues Durand.
“Our strategy today consists of presenting two
new Cognacs – Larsen VSOP Reserve and
Larsen XO Reserve – developed specifically
for Asia. We have the ambition to become
one of the most dynamic players after the big
3: Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin. Asiaeuro
is a great partner that has skill and experience
in brand-building and distribution. We are in
the initial stages of our partnership, but we
want to invest significantly to accompany the
strong potential growth. We are very excited
about future Larsen projects that are in the
pipeline with Asiaeuro”
A.E. DOR LAUNCHES FOUR
SEASONS OF COGNAC
ON ASIAN MARKETS
The “Seasons” case from the
cognac house AE Dor consists
of four different cognacs that try
to capture the taste of the four
seasons.
It comprises the following:
Printemps (Spring): A young,
vibrant cognac that’s uniquely
floral, with notes of lilac and
almonds. The finish brings with it
delicious notes of violets.
Ete (Summer): A young,
expressive Cognac that shines
with an unexpected depth of
quality. Fruity, fresh, and floral
with aromas of apricot, peach,
plum, and orange.
LA VIE EN OR
Automne (Autumn): A Cognac
that’s been aged for 4-5
years, proving delightfully warm,
with notes of cinnamon, vanilla,
ginger, and caramel.
Hiver (Winter): Golden in colour,
aged for 4-5 years, it’s well named,
offering the taster spicy aromas
of coffee, grilled hazelnuts, and
pepper.
The four seasons reflect the passion
of this celebrated producer for the
extraordinary. Each bottle is 20cl
in size and the set is presented in
an elegant black gift box
LVO Cognac from Deau was first launched a couple of years ago at
the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, and the bottle was definitely
one of the stars of the show.
Packaged in a luxurious decanter designed by the Parisian jeweller
Arthus Bertrand, it is layered with gold leaf, it is a blend of the
finest, oldest Grande Champagne eaux-de-vies from the cellars of
the house of Deau
vinexpodaily.com
VINEXPO DAILY / REVIEW / TUESDAY 12 TH JUNE 2018 9