Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells
cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the
commune of
Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big four" cognac houses (along with
Hennessy,
Courvoisier and
Martell), responsible for producing most of the world's cognac. The brand specialises in creating
Cognac Fine Champagne.
The brand is owned by the spirits conglomerate
Rémy Cointreau, which it co-founded in 1990. Rémy Martin typically represents around 90% of the group's
operating profit In accountancy, accounting and finance, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) is a measure of a firm's profit (accounting), profit that includes all incomes and expenses (operating and Non-operating income, non-operating) except interest expense ...
, selling around 2.2 million nine-litre cases of cognac annually.
Rémy Martin is also part of the
Comité Colbert, an association "to promote the concept of luxury".
History
The name Rémy Martin comes from the company founder, born in 1695 near
Rouillac in southwestern France. A vintner by trade, in 1724 he created a cognac trading house. On his death in 1773, the business passed to his grandson, also named Rémy.
[Dictionnaire biographique des Charentais, (Charentais biographical dictionary), Editions Le Croît Vif, (The Living Growth), 2005, p. 1107–1110.] In 1841, Paul-Emile-Rémy Martin assumed control and oversaw great growth. He added a logo to the bottles and cases; a
centaur
A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
after
Sagittarius, Martin's own zodiac sign. The Rémy Martin logo continues; in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
it's réntóumă (人头马), literally "man-headed horse".
In the interwar period, André Renaud, a lawyer, merchant, and partner in E. Rémy Martin & Co. since 1910, took the lead.
In 1927, he launched
VSOP Fine Champagne. Rémy Martin cognacs were then sold worldwide. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Rémy Martin continued to rise under André Hériard-Dubreuil, André Renaud's son-in-law. At the death of André Renaud in 1965, André Hériard-Dubreuil became president.
His children joined him, notably his daughter Dominique Hériard-Dubreuil who became general manager in 1988, and president two years later. In 1991, the House of Rémy Martin incorporated
Rémy Cointreau into the business.
In the 2010s Rémy Martin experienced a significant sales downturn after Chinese
austerity measures
In economic policy, austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: high ...
targeted expensive gifts.
Production
Rémy Martin cognacs have the
Cognac Fine Champagne appellation, meaning they come only from a blend of
''eaux-de-vie'' from the
Grande Champagne and
Petite Champagne crus, with at least 50% Grande Champagne. Being from chalky soils, these ''eaux-de-vie'' have ageing potential and a particular aroma due to the ''
terroir
(; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...
''. In the 1960s, l’Alliance Fine Champagne (the Fine Champagne Alliance) was created by André Hériard Dubreuil of the House of Rémy Martin. This cooperative brings together vintners from Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne, and supplies almost 90% of the ''eaux-de-vie'' of the House.
Rémy Martin produces more than 80% of Fine Champagne cognacs.
Rémy Martin uses traditional distillation of the lees (sediment from grape fermentation) in small copper stills. Ageing takes place in
oak barrels of the Limousin type, during which alcohol evaporates (
the angels' share), blackening the walls of the cellar. The eau-de-vie evolves, punctuated by resting and changes of barrel. The exchanges of wood, oxygen and eaux-de-vie are constant.
Depending on which style is sought, cognac can age in young or old oak barrels, with stronger or finer grain in the staves. The oldest cognacs may be stored in glass demi-johns (also called ''dame-jeannes'') to prevent excessive evaporation. Finally, products from different aged spirits are mixed, to create a cognac.
The House’s current Cellar Master, Baptiste Loiseau,
took the position in 2014, at 34, following André Renaud, André Giraud, Georges Clot, and Pierrette Trichet.
Products
Rémy Martin VSOP
Created in 1927, Rémy Martin VSOP is the biggest selling VSOP Cognac worldwide. The frosted bottle was introduced in 1972.
Rémy Martin VSOP Mature Cask Finish
Exclusive to European markets, VSOP Mature Cask Finish was created in 2011. Originating from the same terroirs of Grande and Petite Champagne, with the same specifications for distillation, after the final blending, this cognac spends another year in 20-year old oak barrels.
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal

Launched in 1997 and named after the royal
decree
A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...
issued in 1738 when
King Louis XV granted the Accord Royal to Rémy Martin in honor of his craftsmanship.
Rémy Martin CLUB
Exclusive to China, CLUB was created in 1986 and features an octagonal-shaped bottle. In 2015, Rémy Martin launched the CLUB Connected Bottle, the first NFC-enabled spirits bottle featuring high-security anti-counterfeiting measures.
Rémy Martin XO
Created by cellar master André Giraud in 1981, XO is a blend of up to 400 eaux-de-vie.
Rémy Martin Carte Blanche à Baptiste Loiseau
A single barrel blend selected by the cellar master, with all eaux-de-vie being at least twenty years old.
Rémy Martin Centaure De Diamant
Sold at an elevated price point, Centaure de Diamant uses only eaux-de-vie from the finest 10% of those available to Rémy Martin.
Rémy Martin Cellar Master Selection
Exclusive to duty free locations, Cellar 16 (Prime Cellar Selection) and Cellar 28 (Reserve Cellar Selection) are selected by the Cellar Master from aging cellars with unique characteristics.
Rémy Martin Louis XIII
Louis XIII cognac is produced and aged in oak barrels for 40–80 years in the
Grande Champagne region of Cognac.
Rémy Martin V
In 2010, Rémy Martin introduced its first clear spirit, Rémy Martin V, in the US. Rather than using the oak barrel aging process, the liquid undergoes a proprietary filtration process, giving it a transparent color and subtle taste with hints of pear and a fresh minty aftertaste. It is not a cognac, but an ''eau-de-vie de vin.''
Marketing
The House of Rémy Martin partners with artists to represent its cognacs. These include Californian actor
Jeremy Renner, Chinese actor and singer
Huang Xiaoming, and Taiwanese
mandopop
Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
singer
Jolin Tsai. In 2008, the American photographer and director
David LaChapelle created a bottle design. In 2013, Rémy Martin teamed up with American-Canadian singer and producer
Robin Thicke to launch a limited edition of VSOP.
In popular culture
Rémy Martin can also be found in the world of rap, especially in the United States.
Fetty Wap has frequently mentioned the 1738 variety in his work.
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...
of
rock band
the Who
The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
wryly thanked Rémy Martin for saving his life "by making the bloody stuff so expensive" in the inner sleeve to his 1980 solo studio album ''
Empty Glass''. He also referred to the drink in the lyrics to his single "
A Little Is Enough" by singing "I'm like a connoisseur of champagne cognac, the perfume nearly beats the taste." Townshend can also be seen drinking straight from a bottle of Rémy Martin in the
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
to his song "
Keep On Working".
Fellow Who member
John Entwistle was also known for his love of the drink,
and included the V.S.O.P. grading on the cover to his 1973 solo studio album ''
Rigor Mortis Sets In.'' It is an inscription on an outdoor grave's footstone, which was either the front cover or the photo used on the inside of the
gatefold
A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for gramophone record, LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½-inch 2.7-centimetresquare). ...
depending on where the record was issued.
The Dynasty and the Chinese market
In 1980, at the beginning of the
Chinese economic reform
Reform and opening-up ( zh, s=改革开放, p=Gǎigé kāifàng), also known as the Chinese economic reform or Chinese economic miracle, refers to a variety of economic reforms termed socialism with Chinese characteristics and socialist marke ...
, Rémy Martin ventured into China with the Dynasty brand (Dynasty Wine Ltd), the first foreign wine maker and the second joint-venture in all China.
See also
*
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
*
Cognac
*
Cognac (region)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remy Martin
1724 establishments in France
Distilleries in France
French brands
Luxury brands
Purveyors to the Imperial and Royal Court
Comité Colbert members
French companies established in 1724
Food and drink companies established in 1724
Spirit drinks manufacturers
Cognac brands