Courvoisier
The story of Courvoisier began in 1809; With the fires of the French Revolution still smouldering, and a country in recovery from the greatest and bloodiest political upheaval in its history, France's first Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, took the Imperial throne. In this uncertain climate, Emmanuel Courvoisier, the founder, and Louis Gallois, the mayor of Bercy, decided to open a wine and spirit company on the outskirts of Paris, just north of the river Seine. Bercy was the perfect location for their business. It was close to the river for easy transport, already had a thriving wine trade and sat just outside the thick Paris city walls, so they didn't have to pay taxes. It was the beginning of a lusturous business venture.
1811 saw Louis Gallois and Emmanuel Courvoisier's reputation grew quickly amongst brandy connoisseurs, so much so that their warehouses in Bercy were honoured with a visit from the Emperor himself, Napoleon Bonaparte. Perhaps inspired by what he tasted, Napoleon started giving a ration of cognac to troops in his artillery companies to lift their morale during the ongoing Napoleonic Wars, saying, "while you are on the march, [I] have issued to your forces, as much as may be possible, wine in the evening and cognac in the morning."
In 1828, the sons of the founders, Felix Courvoisier and Jules Gallois decided to make a bold move and take the business elsewhere. With intuitive understanding of what their customers desired, the knew business had to change. They wanted more control over the quality of the brandy they had built their reputation on, so moved their headquarters from Paris to the sleepy town of Jarnac, in the heart of the Cognac region. It remainsthe home of Courvoisier to this very day.When Felix Courvoisier died without a male heir in 1866, he left the management of the business to his two nephews, the Curlier brothers, who had lived in Jarnac their entire lives. They built up good trade relations with the UK, where cognac was highly prized, our existing records showing that only Courvoisier was transported in large quantities on board ships called simply 'Liverpool' and 'Jarnac'.
Courvoisier's reputation continued to grow, and by 1869, their cognac gracing the tables of the Royal Courts of Denmark, England and Sweden. Closer to home, Napoleon III, the nephew and heir to Napoleon Bonaparte, also personally requested Courvoisier, conferring on us the much sought-after title of 'Fournisseur de la Cour Impériale', or official supplier to the Imperial Court. When the Eiffel Tower's Grand opening at the World;s Fair in Paris was held in 1889, Courvoisier was the official drink of the event, and won the ultimate international prize of its day, the Medaille d'Or.
Year by year, Courvoisier has gained status and is one of the most recognised producers of Cognac worldwide thanks their classic and innovative blends and releases.
