If you make anything for overthree centuries,chances are you are pretty damn good at it. House Martell is theeldest of the major Cognac houses. Founded in1715 by Jean Martellalong the banks of theCharente, at the pinnacle of the French“LArt de Vivre.”The French basically have this way of living, where they believe in embracing all of the good stuff life has to offer. Martell Cognac is definitely the good stuff, with a full range of expressions for us to indulge in. La vie est belle, daccord? Cheers to House Martell.

The young Briton put himself on the map by marrying into “Cognac royalty” not once, but twice! His second marriage was to Jeanne-Rachel Lallemand, “a direct descendant of Jacques Roux, a pioneering 17th century cognac merchant,” by the 19th century, Martell had becomethe biggest international exporter of Cognacin the world, reaching as far as China and Japan.

Now underPernod Ricard, House Martell has robust range of cognacs; a collection of 10 expressions. They predominantly use Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano) grapes from theBorderies vineyards, aging its Cognac inTronais oak casks.They double distill their blends, with traditional “Charentais alembics” (pot stills).

If Cognacs had royal families, The House Martell would definitely be one. In this Martell royal family there are 10 Cognacs, and 1 bastard Brandy.Martell XOwas first introduced in 2005 “Combining the elegance of the Borderies with the power of theGrande Champagne terroirs.” Martell XO comes in a uniquely crafted arc shaped bottle and is a unique nuance of flavors and aromas.