Speciality Brands takes on Hine Cognac in the UK

Hine Cognac has appointed Speciality Brands as its new distributor in the UK, taking over from Pol Roger Ltd – the Champagne brand’s UK subsidiary.

As of this month, Speciality Brands, headed up by managing director Chris Seale, will be responsible for the supply and development of Hine Cognac in the UK, including all sales and marketing activity.

“Hine is one of the most highly regarded Cognacs with a reputation built on 250 years of craftsmanship and innovation,” said Chris Seale.

“We are extremely excited about the future for Hine and very much looking forward to activating some of the plans that the team in Jarnac have been working on.”

Most recently the distiller unveiled a redesign of its Cognac “H” by Hine VSOP, using a cut-out ‘H’ in its label to give it a “livelier, fresher, more vibrant presentation”, as part of its bid to better better capture the cocktail market.

In January, the brand released a pair of 30 year-old vintage Cognacs from the 1987 harvest. Although both Cognacs came from the same harvest, one was been matured at Hine’s cellars in Jarnac, and the other in the UK, maintaining a tradition that dates back to the nineteenth century of ageing a proportion of its production in Bristol, calling these Cognacs ‘Early-Landed’. The Bristol-matured Cognacs tend to age more slowly than those in the warmer and less humid conditions of the Cognac region in France.

Hine joins Speciality Brands’ portfolio of premium spirits which includes Diplomatico, Cocchi, Nikka, Kavalan, Michters and Rutte.