Why New York City's Most Exclusive Bar Refuses To Serve This Cognac
Louis XIII is undeniably superb, an icon of craftsmanship and prestige, but at Brandy Library, it's the one bottle you won't find, by deliberate design.
New York's Brandy Library has become the place to be after hours in the city, but you may be surprised to know that you won't be able to get a pour of the world's most prestigious Cognac. I spoke to Brandy Library's founder Flavien Desoblin to find out more about his exclusive bar and discover why he's banned Louis XIII Cognac from the shelves.
In Lower Manhattan's Moore Street, Brandy Library has become the go to destination for those after a quieter spot to unwind and connect. It's a carefully designed venue that glows with the ambient lighting from walls lined with around 1,500 bottles of spirit from across the world. This impressive collection has been curated by the library to offer an unrivaled opportunity to explore new and existing favourites, from whisky to cognac.
Over 1,500 bottles line the shelves at Brandy Library, offering everything from obscure Scotch and vintage Armagnac to underrated American bourbon gems.
The group sizes are limited to six—although larger groups can request to book a private party or experience—and the ambience is very much reminiscent of a library. The hushed and respectful tone revered for a selection of spirits, although you can also get a glass of wine or beer if that's your preference. You might expect brandy to be their most popular spirit, or a scotch thanks to its increasingly premium reputation, but Desoblin explains that bourbon has reestablished itself as the drink to be seen with.
'The resurgence of Bourbon started as a necessity during the 2008/09 financial crisis,' Desoblin said over an email exchange with me. 'Businessmen would come in but couldn't spend corporate money on the previous go-to Macallan 18, so they switched. What started as an act of active patriotism eventually was loved for its defining qualities. The younger generation, going back to what the grandparents were drinking, has fully embraced bourbon.'
Jordan Belfort, the former stockbroker and financial criminal whose memories were recreated in the film The Wolf of Wall Street was a regular at Brandy Library, although Desoblin says they didn't know who he was until after the movie. Despite its proximity to New York's Financial District, Brandy Library isn't solely focused on the corporate side. Desoblin explains his library setting is perfect for 'dates who want to see what's really inside each other's mind, in a quiet and calm environment when you easily lose track of time.'
I felt it was a must to ask about the elephant in the room—or lack of it—the Louis XIII Cognac. Louis XIII is arguably the pinnacle of luxury cognacs. The price of a bottle starts around $3,000 to $4,000 depending on the edition and it's the crown of Rémy Martin's portfolio. This exceptional brandy combines up to 1,200 different eaux-de-vie that are aged for decades—some reaching a century—and presented in a handcrafted crystal decanter. Despite its renowned quality and striking design, at the Brandy Library they have deliberately chosen not to stock Louis XIII.
Despite its fame and luxury status, Louis XIII Cognac is nowhere to be found at Brandy Library.
I find the interaction of luxury lifestyle and spirits fascinating, so I had to ask Desoblin what drove their decision.
'There's no argument that Louis XIII quality is superb! But I was tired of witnessing ice cubes thrown into it as it was consumed just for status. There are plenty of similarly exquisite Cognacs for a fraction of the price, so we chose to focus on those.'
Sometimes it is nice to have something you are familiar with, but equally if you have access to somewhere like Brandy Library with the selection and expert guidance it can be just as enjoyable to be steered toward something new. I asked Desoblin what he considered overlooked in their vast selection of spirits.
His answer is as succinct as his selection is vast: 'Heaven Hill bottled-in-bond 7 years bourbon and Glen Moray single malt scotch.'
Flavien Desoblin calls Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Years one of the bar's hidden gems—a no-frills bourbon that proves great taste doesn't need a big price tag.
For those that don't know, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Years is a traditional Kentucky bourbon adhering to strict requirements—100 proof, aged at least four years and produced in a single distilling season. The 7-year expression represents the distillery's commitment to their production methods while delivering a robust, full-flavored experience.
Glen Moray is a Speyside distillery that is often overlooked in favour of some of its more infamous neighbours. Established in 1897 Glen Moray creates whiskies that typically showcase the lighter, fruitier side of Speyside malts. They are also a fraction of the price of the better known speyside single malts, which can often make people a bit more open minded about trying something new!
If Kentucky bourbon or a fruity speyside scotch are the right choice for your palate the expert team at Brandy Library would be more than happy to offer a suggestion. Just make sure you book your table in advance for the full experience.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
These Korean Whiskeys Are Giving Japan And Scotland A Run For Their Money
A line of tasting glasses filled with different types of Whiskies for tasting, with the focus on the ... More second glass, the rest is out of focus For years, whisky in Korea was something you poured at a karaoke bar to impress your boss—or drank with imported Scotch while making awkward small talk at a business dinner. But in the past few years, the country's relationship with whiskey has shifted from boardroom obligation to genuine obsession. Today, a new generation of distillers is shaping Korea's whisky future with locally distilled, aged, and blended spirits that stand proudly on their own. It's not just imitation Scotch anymore—these bottles are uniquely Korean, expressive, and in many cases, surprisingly delicious. Here's what you need to know about Korean whisky's roots, and a few bottles you should seek out if you want to drink like you're ahead of the trend. Glass of whiskey with ice cubes on the old barrel. With copy space on wooden background Whisky in Korea has long been synonymous with imports—mostly Scotch and, more recently, Japanese whisky. Local conglomerates like HiteJinro and Doosan dabbled in bottling blends under license, but true domestic whisky? Not so much. That started to change in the 2010s. Changes to Korea's liquor laws made small-scale distilling more feasible, and a few adventurous makers—some with Scotch whisky pedigrees—began laying down barrels. Thus the country's decision to go with that whisky spelling rather than whiskey. Now, Korea is starting to produce some genuinely interesting whiskeys of its own. They may not have decades in the barrel (yet), but they do have something Scotch never will: a Korean passport and a local perspective. Ki One 'Tiger Edition' Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province Three Societies is where Korean whisky officially found its cool older cousin who studied abroad and came back with stories. Founded by Korean-American entrepreneur Bryan Do and helmed by Scottish master distiller Andrew Shand (formerly of The Macallan), this is the country's first true single malt distillery. The Ki One Tiger Edition—their first release—was bottled at a cask-strength 56.2% ABV and made from 100% Korean barley. It's got warm notes of roasted chestnut, apricot jam, grain biscuits, and a whisper of citrus peel, with a surprisingly structured finish for something so young. Think of it as Korea's whisky debutante ball—and yes, she wore tiger stripes. The Signature Busan Golden Blue is kind of like Korea's Crown Royal: loved, ubiquitous, and smoother than you'd expect. It's technically a blend and clocks in at a modest 36.5% ABV, which means it's legally whiskey in Korea, but it might raise eyebrows elsewhere. That said, this is a bottle built for session sipping. The Signature offers flavors of light honey, grain toast, and a faint floral tea finish, and it goes down easier than a Zoom call with the camera off. It's especially popular with Korean drinkers who are just starting to explore whisky, or anyone who wants to feel fancy without working too hard for it. Photography of a glass whisky with ice. North Gyeongsang Province Named after Korea's mythical white tiger and Mount Paektu (the spiritual 'roof' of the Korean peninsula), this new distillery is aiming for myth-making right out of the gate. And surprisingly? They might just pull it off. The Paektu Malt offers delicate notes of Asian pear, almond, oak spice, and jujube, wrapped in a silky texture that suggests careful blending and a lot of taste-testing (for science, of course). With more regional cask experiments on the way, White Tiger could be the one to watch if you like your whisky with a backstory and a bite. Korean whiskey is still in its early chapters—but it's already telling some compelling stories. While many of these bottles are hard to find outside Korea (for now), that's part of the fun. Next time you're browsing the spirits aisle or stocking your global whiskey shelf, leave a little room for Seoul. You'll be glad you did.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
The challenges facing Rémy Cointreau's new CEO
In under three weeks, former Shiseido and Chanel executive Franck Marilly will take the hot seat at Rémy Cointreau, joining a business where sales and profits have tumbled over the last 12 months. Marilly is also taking the helm at a spirits group where Cognac, a category under significant pressure in recent quarters, accounts for around 70% of sales. It's clear the new Rémy Cointreau CEO will have plenty in his in-tray and, while market watchers have a number of questions about the company's near-term prospects, there are, it's argued, some fundamental questions about the make-up of the business. The group's last financial year, which ran until the end of March, was another tough period for the Rémy Martin Cognac maker. Net profit decreased 34.4% to €121.2m ($138.4m), or by 36.8% organically. Operating profit was down 27.6% at €211m. The Bruichladdich whisky owner posted an 18% decline in full-year sales to €984.6m. It was the second successive year when sales and earnings declined. Rémy Cointreau was hit by falling Cognac sales amid a struggling category in the US – one of the two biggest markets for the spirit – and pressures in China, the other principal destination. The company has sought to point to positive signs for its Cognac business in both markets. In the Americas, fourth-quarter sales 'rebounded sharply', particularly in the US. Rémy Martin, the group added, had gained market share in China despite the 'persistently challenging market conditions' in the country. Marilly will take the reins as CEO as Rémy Cointreau nears the end of the first quarter of its new financial year and the market's eyes this week were on the company's thoughts for its 2025/26 fiscal period. The Cointreau liqueur maker expects sales to return to 'mid-single-digit growth on an organic basis'. It said the recovery would be 'driven primarily by a strong technical rebound in sales to the United States' starting in the first quarter. However, in a sign of the macro uncertainty hanging over Rémy Cointreau's Cognac business, its guidance for its so-called current operating profit came with a caveat. Tensions over tariffs, not just on imports to the US but on EU brandy shipments to China, meant Rémy Cointreau's projection for current operating profit was for growth 'in the high single-digit to low double-digit range' – but 'excluding any increase in customs duties in China and the United States'. At the moment, the company's 'worst-case scenario' is for the potential increase in tariffs to amount to €100m gross. This embedded content is not available in your region. Alongside the publication of Rémy Cointreau's full-year profits yesterday, the company became the latest major distiller to withdraw mid-term guidance. The group pulled its objectives for 2030 – drawn up a decade ago – pointing to 'the continued lack of macroeconomic visibility', tensions over tariffs and uncertainty over when the US market would recover. In February, Diageo pulled its medium-term guidance, citing 'macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty'. The same month, Pernod Ricard cut its sales forecasts, saying 'intense geopolitical uncertainties' were hitting the spirits sector. Analysts expected the withdrawal of Rémy Cointreau's guidance and more attention is on the near-term prospects of the company's Cognac portfolio in the US and China and, more broadly, how tariffs could impact the business. 'Management provided a more nuanced view of US depletions, confirming that while volumes remain mid-single-digit negative, the trend is improving sequentially. Notably, VSOP depletions are nearing flat, supported by tactical pricing actions and smaller formats,' Barclays analyst Laurence Whyatt wrote in a note to clients. He added, however, that outgoing CEO Eric Vallat has 'cautioned that it is still too early to declare a full sell-out recovery'. Across the Pacific in China, market conditions for Cognac are challenging for all brands, even if Rémy Cointreau has been able to eke out some market share gains for part of its portfolio, though, as Bernstein's Trevor Stirling says, it's unclear whether that progress has been achieved across the range. 'The Chinese market remains very weak with no near-term upside visible,' Bernstein said yesterday. 'However, Rémy has been consistently gaining share in XO, VSOP and e-commerce, though there was no mention of Louis XIII.' Reflecting on a post-results call between Rémy Cointreau and analysts, Whyatt said the company's management believes it can use the expected improvement in sales to bolster its position against any changes in tariffs. 'It clarified that the assumed €65m net tariff impact could be mitigated more aggressively than previously guided,' Whyatt said. 'Management now believes mitigation could reach 50–60% – up from the 35% initially communicated – if top-line momentum improves. This would reduce the net impact on current operating profit to €25–30m, suggesting a less severe downside scenario than originally feared.' It all adds to the impression that Marilly is walking into a pretty tough job. There are attributes of Rémy Cointreau's business that provide grounds for optimism. Its Cognac portfolio has a more premium bent that a few years ago, while its Liqueurs & Spirits – home to brands like Bruichladdich, Cointreau and The Botanist gin – has seen its organic sales jump by more than a third over the last five years (even if they fell by 9% in 2024/25). However, perhaps Marilly's fundamental task is to make Rémy Cointreau a broader business, one less reliant on Cognac. 'His big challenge is to further de-risk the company, diversify away from Cognac and diversify away from the US and China. Rémy Cointreau is just too dependent on those two countries and on the Cognac category,' one analyst who wished to remain anonymous said. That, of course, will take time – and require the company to be active in the M&A market. Last year, Rémy Cointreau set out plans to find €50m in costs during the fiscal period. Rémy Cointreau said yesterday it had extracted €85m over the last 12 months – and €230m over the last two years. It described more than half over those cuts as 'structural savings'. The group's net debt to EBITDA ratio stands at 2.4 times, providing, the unnamed analyst suggests some room for manoeuvre. 'The balance sheet is not too stretched and doesn't allow for massive acquisitions but there's ways around that if needed,' they said. 'It is important to make a clear step towards a more diversified structure from a category perspective and geographically.' Elsewhere in spirits, the likes of Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Campari have either sold assets in recent months, or have signalled more will follow. Those brands, however, have tended to be away from the more upmarket products Rémy Cointreau has tended to reach for in the past. The conundrum for the new Rémy Cointreau CEO will be finding the right kind of 'premium' asset, which more often than not are either small – so may not immediately help in any attempts to diversify – or be pricey. 'It has to do something with what they call terroir, preferably, with ageing, with a good story behind it,' the analyst says. 'That could be in Tequila, that could be in whisk(e)y, where I also would see probably the best fit with the company, probably the best growth opportunities. 'It would make sense to some extent, to make perhaps a little bit of a bolder move, because if you buy smaller brands, it's going to take a long time before you actually shift the balance a bit towards less Cognac. I know there's probably less opportunities when you think about bolder moves but it's definitely something that I think the board should consider.' "The challenges facing Rémy Cointreau's new CEO" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Remy Cointreau (REMYF) Full Year 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges with ...
Revenue: EUR984.6 million, representing an 18% organic decline. Current Operating Profit (COP): EUR217 million, down 13.5% organically. Organic COP Margin: 21.6%, a deterioration of 3.9 points organically. Gross Margin: 70.6%, declined by 1 point due to cost production inflation and negative price/mix effect. A&P Expenses: Reduced by 1.1 points, now 20.3% of sales. Cost Savings: EUR85 million in '24/'25, totaling EUR230 million over two years. Net Financial Debt: EUR675.4 million, up EUR25.7 million from March '24. Net Profit Group Share: EUR121.2 million, net margin of 12.3%. Earnings Per Share (EPS): EUR2.36, down 35.3% year-on-year. Free Cash Flow: EUR19.2 million in '24/'25. Dividend Proposal: EUR1.5 per share, with EUR1 in cash and EUR0.5 in cash or shares. ROCE: 10.3%, down 5.2 points on a reported basis. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with REMYF. Release Date: June 04, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Remy Cointreau (REMYF) maintained a strong gross margin of 70.6% despite challenging macroeconomic conditions. The company achieved significant cost savings, totaling EUR230 million over two years, with a focus on structural savings. Cointreau gained market share by leveraging the growth of cocktails, particularly in the US, and is exploring new consumption occasions. The Botanist brand has become accretive for the group, benefiting from the portfolio strategy beyond Cognac. Remy Cointreau (REMYF) made substantial progress in sustainability, achieving a 12% reduction in carbon emissions and a 53% reduction in net water consumption. Group sales declined by 18% organically, reflecting broader macroeconomic challenges. The US market remains challenging, with no clear signs of a rebound in sell-out trends. Potential tariff increases in China and the US could have a significant negative impact on financial performance. The company withdrew its '29/'30 objectives due to persistent macroeconomic uncertainties and tariff risks. The Cognac category, particularly in the US, faces challenges in recruiting new consumers beyond its existing core clientele. Q: In the US, are depletion trends close to flat, and how does this relate to sell-out trends for Remy Cointreau and the Cognac category? A: Eric Vallat, CEO, explained that depletions are close to flat but still slightly negative, showing sequential improvement. Actions on pricing, particularly for VSOP, have had a positive impact, though not fully implemented. It's too early to confirm if sell-out is back to growth, but stock levels are healthy, and the company is confident in sell-in recovery. The challenges are seen as cyclical, with a focus on recruiting beyond the existing clientele. Q: What are the sensitivities around potential tariffs on EU imports, and how much of the impact can be mitigated? A: Luca Marotta, CFO, stated that theoretically, a 20% gross impact from tariffs is possible, but the actual impact will depend on various factors, including phasing and volumes. The company aims to mitigate the net impact through strategic actions, projecting to offset more than 35% of the total effects, potentially reaching EUR50-60 million in savings. Q: What is needed to drive a spark in the Cognac category in the US, and how does pricing play a role? A: Eric Vallat, CEO, believes the issue is not solely price-related, as depletions are negative across the board except for tequila and cocktails. Psychological pricing is important, but the main challenge is recruiting beyond the existing clientele. The company plans to invest in communication and activations to rebuild desirability and expand its consumer base. Q: Can you provide insights into the long-term outlook for top-line growth and cash flow, considering the withdrawal of midterm targets? A: Eric Vallat, CEO, emphasized that the withdrawal of targets is due to tariff uncertainties rather than top-line potential. He believes there is significant growth potential in China and the US, with a focus on expanding geographical footprint and non-Cognac brands. Luca Marotta, CFO, added that strategic ODV investments and CapEx are being optimized, with a focus on maintaining a strong cash flow position. Q: How are stock levels across different regions, and what is the focus of marketing spend? A: Eric Vallat, CEO, reported that stock levels are healthy worldwide, with four months in the US and stable in China and Europe. Marketing spend is prioritized based on brand and market potential, with a focus on digital and below-the-line activities. The company aims to maintain a 20% A&P ratio, with adjustments based on market dynamics and brand needs. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
