Top10 cognacs in 2011

It looks like Ludacris, DTP and Luda’s cognac partner Kim Birkedal-Hartmann,have a lot to celebrate. Chris’ new spirit endeavor, Conjure Cognac, has just been included on “Top Ten 2011 Cognac list: The Coolest Products For The Next Year”by expert cognac blog site Cognacexpert.com.

Here is our Top10 list.

1. Conjure Cognac … because Ludacris and Kim Birkedal-Hartmann are in the house. Simple as that. A great launch in the US speaks for itself. Read more about Conjure
2. Remy Martin V … because it’s highly mixable, a clear vodka-like spirit and a clever, clever, clever move to use the brand of a high-end cognac producer to produce a brandy, that is not a cognac.
3. ABK6 … because they have a modern approach to design and taste, win the most awards, are a sympathetic family business and have a Dr. Dre cognac in the pipeline.
4. So Yang … because it’s the only one that combines the Chinese market, a female Chinese RnB spokesperson, the cocktail trend, the wellness trend and women as a targetgroup. Wow.
5. Comandon … because they are rebooting the brand, support several music events, were nominated as 1/12 hottest spirits and have a cocktail called ‘Comandonte’. What a cool name.
6. De Luze … because they are about to reposition their brand in a solid way, have huge production capacities and a great balance of family tradition and modern ideas, plus a website that feels like poetry.
7. Courvoisier Exclusif … because Charles Dickens was a Courvoisier lover, and the re-invention of the “Punch” Cocktail is a great deal of contemporary consumption, story telling and tradition.
8. Martell … because they understand to market their Cognacs in Asia and help restoring historic interiors in Versailles, the birthplace of modern gastronomy.
9. Hennessy Black … because they combine the right events with their brand ‘Artistry’ in a very smart way, are about to test the European market to re-introduce Cognac to Europe as a piece of the HipHop world (which again is a cultural import), starting with the difficult cognac market of Germany.
10. Rastignac … because the Chateau des Plassons is a great small family company with two young brothers managing it with their father, there has to be another smaller producer in this list, and the XO is a masterpiece.