France Day 5: Cognac & Business
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 02:15PM 
Today was the day of reckoning for some of us. I managed to get about seven hours of sleep, but Charles was up all night with a stomach ache, and Girard couldn't fall asleep until late. We all missed our alarm clocks and breakfast was a struggle. Nevertheless, we had an appointment at Dudognon and they're a Cognac we already carry and love. The weather was cold and rainy, but we rallied to the cause. Dudognon is run by Claudine Dudognon-Buraud and her husband, working at their small distillery nearby their quirky little home.
We tasted a few things out of the barrel, but quickly learned that Grande Champagne Cognac of this quality isn't really too great out of the cask. It's too delicate and doesn't really show well at cask strength.
Their still is tiny and has a very long swan neck for a more elegant spirit. They have chairs nearby to relax while they distill. While we truly loved everything we tasted, we already knew that we wanted to carry their spirits. They're some of the best we offer and now we know that great people are behind them.
We made it over to another few producers, but we didn't see anything too worthwhile. Now we're back in the hotel room, going over the samples, while Charles breaks down the pricing. The pricing is looking good right now. We've decided on about eight different expressions, including the 1900 vintage from Barailllon! Look forward to some amazing brandies very soon. Calvados tomorrow!
-David Driscoll