Monnet Cognac has debuted in Australia as the historic brand continues efforts to regain its standing among the category leaders.
Founded in 1838 by Jean-Gabriel Monnet, Monnet Cognac is known for its ‘sunny’ cognacs with floral and fruity aromatics, as depicted by famous illustrator Cappiello in his iconic 1920s poster, ‘Sunshine in a glass’.
Export manager Austin Cooney told Drinks Adventures that Monnet was one of the largest producers and exporters of cognac in the 1920s and 1930s.
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“It was the number two cognac brand in the United States in the early 1920s, right behind Hennessy,” he said.
The Monnet family retained control of the company until 1962, when its sale triggered decades of ownership volatility, with its various custodians including Hennessey Cognac and Angostura.
“It was owned by three or four different companies between the 1980s and 2010,” Cooney said.
Monnet regained its independence in 2013, when it was sold – along with its affiliate brand Hine Cognac – to EDV SAS, a French firm managed by the descendants of the family behind wine trader and retailer Nicolas.
EDV SAS is also a significant investor in luxury giant Hermes.
“My goal in the next 20 years is to compete again with Hennessy and the ‘big four’ cognac brands that dominate the industry today,” Cooney said.
“It’s a slow start, because it’s a very congested market with lots of big brands.
“But if there’s one company on the industry that has a chance against these big houses, I think it’s Monnet, because of its inventory, its history and its capabilities.”
‘Big four’ cognac brands
Cooney said the big four – Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Courvoisier and Martell – account for around 93 per cent of cognac sales around the world, with the remainder shared between the other 350-ish cognac producers.
He said that Monnet is effectively a single estate cognac, handling every stage of the production process in-house, which enables it to price its spirit more competitively.
“A lot of the bigger houses buy the eau de vies from the smaller farmers, then they increase their prices to compensate for the cost of the initial purchase.”
Distributed by Proof Drinks Australia, Monnet Cognac has launched with six different expressions.
They are now available in Dan Murphy’s at the following RRPs: Monnet VS ($72.99), Monnet Sunshine ($75.00), Monnet VSOP ($82.99), Monnet XO Carafe ($189.99), Monnet XXO (TBC) and Monnet Salamander ($41.95).
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