Courvoisier is the smallest of the so-called “big four,” as the four largest cognac houses are known (the others are Hennessy, Martell, and Remy Martin). See Hennessy; Martell; and Rémy Martin. Its origin dates to 1843, when Felix Courvoisier became managing partner of a new cognac trading company based in a chateau on the bank of the Charente River in the town of Jarnac, where the company still has its headquarters. The company remained in control of Courvoisier and his heirs until 1909, when it was sold to the Simons, an English family.
It was the Simons who solidified the brand’s connection with Napoleon Bonaparte, who supposedly was enamored of the cognac sold by Felix’s father, Emmanuel. They created a new “Napoleon” grade of cognac and incorporated a silhouette of the erstwhile emperor into the brand’s logo. In the early years of this century, after the brand was acquired by Allied Domecq, Courvoisier’s successful targeting of young African American consumers culminated in the release of Busta Rhymes’s hit rap song “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II.” Courvoisier is now owned by Beam Suntory and sells in the vicinity of 12 million liters of cognac a year. Courvoisier’s cognacs tend to be rich and fruity, with some heat when young but with an appealing brightness and juiciness in the older expressions.
See also cognac.
Bonin, Hubert, and Isabelle Précigoux. “Un symbole de l’économie marchande de la côte atlantique: La société de cognac Courvoisier (des années 1830 aux années 1980).” In Négoce, ports & océans, XVIe-XXe siècles: Hommages à Paul Butel, ed. Silvia Marzagalli and H. Bonin, 113–132. Bordeaux: Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2000.
By: David Mahoney