Distillery Focus: Understanding Martell Cordon Bleu

As one of the top four biggest Cognac brands in the world, Martell Cognac is amongst the most recognisable dark spirits in a modern day spirits collection or cabinet. Jean Martell founded the company in 1715, and in 1728 purchased the land and buildings beside the Charente river that are still home to the Martell distillery and some ageing cellars today. He utilised his family coat of arms including three hammers, a swift and the indigo blue colour, referencing both Jean’s past as an indigo trader and the seafaring roots of the Martell family, to create branding that continues to be recognisable despite multiple new launches and bottle designs over the following three centuries.

A family company characterised by industrious leadership, Martell started to ship its Cognac in bottles in the mid-19th century and by the end of the 20th century the brand controlled around 40% of the UK’s total brandy market. Martell earned global acclaim, shipping its striking silver and blue bottles as far afield as China and Hong Kong.

It was in the first half of the 20th century however, that saw the birth of what has become Martell’s most iconic product –Martell Cordon Bleu.

Edouard Martell was the great grandson of founder Jean Martell. Looking to put his stamp on the company, he introduced the first new product in the Martell range since the 1840s phylloxera blight and the first mass-market high end Cognac, naming it Cordon Bleu in further acknowledgement of the Martell seafarers, referencing the Blue Riband accolade awarded to the fastest ship to make a transatlantic crossing.

There is debate about the launch date of Cordon Bleu, with the brand itself claiming a 1912 launch at the Cafe de Paris in Monaco, while eagle-eyed researcher Michael at ‘Vieux Cognacs’ claims 1922 as the launch date of what we now know as Cordon Bleu following his research into historic trademark applications. He suggests that the Cordon Bleu blend existed prior to 1922 as Martel VSOP or VVESOP, rather than as a separate brand.

Launch date notwithstanding, no one can deny the impact of Cordon Bleu on the Cognac world since its release, driving premiumisation, championing the Borderies region and, most recently, inspiring bartenders through the Cordon Bleu Challenge. Today, the Cognac itself is blended from over 100 eau-de-vie aged between 10-25 years, making it officially XO standard. In a rare move for premium Cognac, Cordon Bleu champions the Borderies region and associated flavour profile, and perhaps it is this that makes it stand up as a delightful sipping Cognac as well as one of the most loved Cognac products for Cognac cocktails in premium bars.

There are several bottles of Martell Cordon Bleu in our December live auction. Here’s our picks, alongside some of the best examples we’ve sold in auctions past.

Martell Cordon Bleu from the 1970s – 1L

If we are to generalise, Martell Cordon Bleu across the ages tends to come in a clear glass bottle with a white label. However, in the late 1970s – early 1990s Cordon Bleu was presented in green glass with cream/yellow label as seen in this lot. This presentation was mostly for the US market but could also be found elsewhere. For anyone looking to delve into the detail of Cordon Bleu’s evolving design over the years, Cognac-Ton is a great resource.

 

Martell Cordon Bleu from the 1980s – 70cl

In the biggest departure from classic Cordon Bleu labelling, tapered bottles with dark labels were produced for around a decade from 1980, before the brand returned to its traditional white label. For true Cordon Bleu fans, a rarer green glass tapered bottle with a dark label can occasionally be found.

Martell Cordon Bleu from the 1950s – 70cl – Spring Cap

Martell was the only known spirits brand to use spring caps and not be part of the Distillers Company Ltd. These closures could be found on bottles between 1933 and 1962 on some Martell releases, including Cordon Bleu.

This bottle sold in our October 2023 auction for £675.

Martell Cordon Bleu 35 Year Old from the 1930s – 75cl

The oldest, and most expensive single bottle of Martell Cordon Bleu sold at Whisky.Auction, this beautiful old bottle was produced in the 1930s, before the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac brought in stricter regulations around age designations on bottles, hence the claim to be ’35 years old’. When you look in more detail, it is only the box that makes this age claim, with the bottle stating that the Cognac is ‘guaranteed over 35 years old’.

This bottle sold in our November 2021 auction for £1650.

 

Martell Cordon Bleu bottled 2022 – 70cl

After several attempts to redesign the Cordon Bleu bottle in the late 1970s and 1980s, Martell went back to basics in the in the 1990s with a classic white label and clear glass design. From the 1990s Cordon Bleu continued to grow in reputation as an outstanding product, becoming the darling Cognac of bartenders from the 2000s with the advent of the Cordon Bleu Challenge. As with the origins of the product itself, there are differing opinions about the origins of the Cordon Bleu challenge, but general consensus points to bartender and bar consultancy owner Michael Butt who is said to have created the challenge following a (now legendary) trip to the Martell Chateau. A group of bartenders took part in a cocktail competition during the visit in which bartender Paul Van Heerden created a Cognac twist on a Cosmopolitan, cementing the idea that “the flavour of any classic cocktail can be improved by the substituion of the main ingredient with Martell Cordon Bleu.” For other accounts on the founding and the importance of the challenge, see this great guide to Cognac classics by ex Martell brand ambassador, Matthias Lataille.