Brand highlights

Two new boutiques in Hefei and Suzhou

LOUIS XIII is continuing to grow in China: it has opened two new boutiques in the centre of the flourishing cities of Hefei and Suzhou, in locations exclusively dedicated to luxury.
These two dynamic urban centres are establishing themselves as major metropolises on China’s commercial landscape. Hefei is known for the enthusiasm with which it embraces innovation and technology, while Suzhou wins people over with its ability to reconcile economic development and protecting its rich cultural heritage.
Both stores include a permanent collection, as well as limited editions – such as the iconic Rare Cask collection. They also feature a number of exclusive services, such as LOUIS XIII cognac tasting and decanter customisation for a bespoke experience in a timeless location.

LOUIS XIII and LaQuan Smith: essential accessories

LOUIS XIII and LaQuan Smith have pooled their creative energies and unveiled an exclusive collection of limited-edition accessories for LOUIS XIII The Drop. The collection includes two bespoke accessories – developed specially by the fashion designer. THE DROP Chain Pouch and The Boudoir Gloves.
These accessories transform the tasting of this iconic spirit into an haute couture experience, a hallmark of a unique art de vivre.

2024 marks an extraordinary milestone for Maison Rémy Martin, which celebrates 300 years of creating exceptional cognacs.

DISCOVER OUR BRAND OF THE YEAR

Sweet awards

Belle de Brillet picked up numerous awards in 2023. They include the Trophy for the International Spirits Challenge in the “Tasting” category, the World’s Best Fruit Liquor in the World Liquor Awards, a gold medal in the “Spirits Selection” category of the International Brussels Competition, a gold medal in the Bartenders Spirit Awards, a gold medal for “Tasting” in the USA Spirits Ratings and a silver medal in the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Welcome Home!

After 18 months of construction work, the original Brillet family house in Graves-Saint-Amant, on the banks of the Charente river (South-West of France) has become the perfect showcase for the brand and its bucolic world. Maison Brillet is the typical cognac trading house, featuring a living area, a spirits storehouse, a distillery and a vineyard, but it kept its family house spirit and now opens to three audiences: members of the general public, who can enjoy a special visitors’ tour, people in public relations (journalists, key accounts, influencers, barmen, etc.), but also companies looking for an outstanding venue to stage internal events.

Margarita: a 3D celebration of an iconic cocktail

Cointreau, tequila, fresh lime juice and salt: 75 years after it was created, the original Margarita recipe remains iconic. To mark this birthday, Cointreau has joined forces with Greek artist Insane 51 to create a limited-edition bottle design based on the anaglyph technique resulting in a three-dimensional illusion. Superimposing a representation of a Margarita over a stylised representation of oranges, this limited-edition design offers an immersive experience, capturing the very essence of the Cointreau’s know-how.

Learn more

A new METAXA Master for the brand

Having taken over from Konstantinos Raptis in 2024, Konstantinos Kalpaxidis is now the sixth METAXA Master. To mark this event that only happens once in a generation, both masters co-signed the new Private Reserve METAXA Orama. In his new role, Konstantinos Kalpaxidis, who has winemaking and distillery expertise, as well as being a cellar master, provides a new vision, with a commitment to winemakers and a determination to protect the environment. So Private Reserve METAXA Orama, now available in lightweight packaging, will be the first of the Maison’s products to join the wines made using organically grown muscat grapes from the island of Samos.

METAXA unveils its new website

The Maison’s new redesigned and optimised website is specifically aimed at digital natives – it provides them with an immersive experience so they can rediscover METAXA interactively. Its new features include brand news, a section all about CSR commitments and a cocktail library with filters so consumers can make selections based on their preferences, as well as links to e-commerce sites. Users can also book a visit to the METAXA LIKNON vineyard on the island of Samos directly via the website.

Visit the website

Single Estate Series: showcasing a terroir and a commitment

Mount Gay distillery, which marked 320 years of uninterrupted business in 2023, celebrated the event appropriately with the rum lovers communities from all over the world via a number of launches: Black Barrel Cask Strength, a new 21-year-old Master Blender Collection, a “Crop Over” edition for the Eclipse and finally the outstanding Single Estate Series. For the first time in nearly two centuries, the distillery has a Single Estate rum – a type of rum produced exclusively from molasses made from cane sugar grown in the historic Mount Gay area. Made from the vintages of 2016 and 2017 and then aged beneath the tropics at the distillery site, it is the perfect embodiment of a unique terroir. The Single Estate Series also represents the Maison’s sustainable commitments – first to regenerative farming at its estate, but also to innovative packaging with a bottle that is the lightest in its category (made up of 70% recycled glass).

An edition refined in calvados casks

In September 2023, St-Rémy unveiled “St-Rémy Finished in calvados Casks”, the latest edition in its Cask Finish Collection. A limited edition of only 12,850 numbered bottles was produced, and they were aged in oak caskets that had previously contained Calvados, created in collaboration with renowned international producer Château du Breuil. An opportunity for the Maison to welcome international journalists on a press junket, and to stage masterclasses and tasting sessions with St-Rémy’s Master Blender Cécile Roudaut, and to arrange visits and memorable dinners.

A limited edition signed by Lucas Beaufort

In October 2023, St-Rémy unveiled its first artistic collaboration with Lucas Beaufort. A meeting of two creative minds: Lucas Beaufort, painter of colours, memories and emotions, and Cécile Roudaut, Master Blender whose expertise creates harmony out of the sheer diversity of France’s regions. In their individual ways, both embody the very ethos of exploration: searching, observing and adapting… resulting in harmonious creation. A private viewing was held in London, attended by journalists, partners and consumers.

Telmont shows its organic “Réserve de la Terre” vintage at ChangeNOW

In March 2023, Telmont staged a workshop at the ChangeNOW CSR show in Paris, with tips on how to be sustainable when it comes to making champagne, but without in any way compromising on quality. Alongside Laure Verdeau, CEO of Agence Bio, the Maison shared its firmly held beliefs about the benefits of organic farming for biodiversity, winegrowers and wine quality. It also talked about what it is doing to reduce its own carbon footprint.
Telmont’s first certified organic vintage – “Réserve de la Terre” – is the result of this initiative.

Read the “Guide to Sustainability in Champagne”

Gold medals all around

The 2023-2024 financial year was marked by numerous awards. In June, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin and The Botanist Hebridean Strength were awarded gold medals at the Global Gin Masters, one of the most prestigious spirits competitions in the world. In August, the jury for the USA Spirits Ratings awarded The Botanist Islay Dry Gin a gold medal and an impressive score of 96 points out of 100. The Botanist was also named ‘Best in Show’ in the “Country” category, snatching first place among all the UK gins taking part. And, in January 2024, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin won gold in the World Gin Awards, in the “London Dry” category and in the “Country Winner” category, for Scotland.

Islay Cask Aged and Rested, coming of age

In February 2024, The Botanist unveiled two new additions to its range – The Botanist Islay Cask Rested and Cask Aged gins. Head Distiller Adam Hannett has been experimenting with ageing since The Botanist was first distilled, in 2010. He has over 200 different types of casks in the Bruichladdich that have held some of the finest red wines, sherries and even American whiskies. These two exceptional cuvées are the results of those experiments. To give consumers clarity in an emerging category, these two new spirits have been named “Rested” and “Aged”, in reference to “Reposado” and “Añejo”, terms used for tequila. Rested is a vintage that is matured for at least 6 months in a variety of casks and Aged has been matured for a minimum of 3 years.

The Bruichladdich Distillery consolidates its B Corp certification

In 2020, Bruichladdich was the first Scotch whisky company in the world to be awarded B Corp certification, recognising the distillery’s high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. In 2023, not only did Bruichladdich retain its certification following a mandatory reassessment, but it also improved its inaugural B impact score by 21% to 100.7 points (up from 83.2 out of 200 in 2020).

Learn more about our B Corp story

Fine and sustainable – reinvented packaging

In line with its commitments in terms of societal and environmental responsibility, in 2023, Bruichladdich launched two major packaging innovations. The first was a complete redesign of its signature bottling The Classic Laddie. In a bid to find sustainable alternatives at every touch point, the elegant and optimised design means that more bottles per pallet can be transported to and from Islay, meaning less transport vehicles on the road. With no secondary packaging and containing an average of 60% recycled glass, the new bottle is 32% lighter than the previous version, reduces packaging CO₂ emissions by 65% and features an organic ink coating – still in its iconic aqua hue.

In 2024, Bruichladdich unveiled its Luxury Re/Defined range; a collection of high-age statement and premium single malt Scotch whiskies which signify landmark moments in the distillery’s history. Challenging traditional perceptions of modern luxury, The Bruichladdich Eighteen, The Bruichladdich Twenty One (Travel Retail exclusive) and The Bruichladdich Thirty feature an industry first, fully sustainable outer wrap. Made from paper pulp and produced using 100% green energy, the light-weight, bespoke outer wrap is perfectly moulded to the shape of the propriety bottle and demonstrates that premium single malt Scotch whisky can be both sustainable and aesthetically beautiful.

Find out more about managing packaging at Bruichladdich

From field to bottle – 15 years of exploration

It took nearly 15 years for the Hautes Glaces distillery farm to fully deliver on its aim: fashion exceptional organic spirits, rooted in their regions, in synergy with their mountain environment, while reinventing the art of distillation. Unveiled in September 2023, its new range – somewhere between a timeless collection and limited editions – embodies these last 15 years of exploration and mystical and fertile travel. It comes in a new eco-friendly flask with a 38.8% lower carbon footprint for an equivalent bottled volume. That’s an 82% improvement in its environmental performance index.

Spelt, uncharted horizons for whisky

While the Anglo-Saxon whisky world has focused on processing barley, rye, corn and wheat, Hautes Glaces has been inspired since 2011 by a grain forgotten by the spirits world: spelt. After 10 years in an old cognac cask, a very limited series (110 numbered 50 cl bottles and 23 reserved for our cellar) was unveiled this year, shaking up whisky code and bringing with it a whole new range of possibilities. S12U23* opens new fields for the exploratory EPISTÉMÈ collection and let us forsee new horizons for the tasting experience with an exceptional eau-de-vie.

Westland Garryana: ranked number three in the world of whiskies

In 2023, Garryana Edition 8, made by the Westland Distillery, was ranked among the 20 “Most Exciting Whiskies”, a ranking put together by Whisky Advocate. It was the first American single malt to be included in the top three. Westland has always wanted to create internationally renowned whiskies. Garryana’s single malt whiskies have received numerous awards over the last few years, and this ranking marks a new stage in its evolution and its focus on becoming America’s leading single malt.