A drink with… Per Even Allaire, Hine Cognac

Thomas Hine & Co’s brand ambassador and sales manager speaks to us about the rise of cocktail culture and his recipe for converting friends to Cognac.

Per Even Allaire, brand ambassador and sales manager for Thomas Hine & Co

What attracted you to work with Hine?

I have more of a wine background and, after having worked for six or seven years in the wine trade, I was quite interested to see what was happening with spirits. There were only a few Cognac houses that really were of interest to me and Hine was one of them. And so far, so good, I’ve been with Hine now for nearly four years.

What makes Hine stand out from other Cognac brands?

People are becoming more and more interested in how products are made, in the raw materials used and brand heritage. A lot of companies talk about authenticity, but at Hine we can actually show it. People want to know what’s beyond the brand – is it just a brand with a good marketing team or does it have a history of doing things a certain way?

You have a very small team of people at Hine – how do you make this work to your advantage?

A lot of people are quite shocked to learn there are only about 20 people working at Hine, and I think this is because Hine has such a good reputation compared to the size of the house. We stay very true to our brand DNA and I am certain that is one of the reasons we are known so well despite our small size. It’s also important to stay close to the raw materials. We are extremely raw material focused and I think that’s partly what attracts a lot of wine drinkers to the brand. We are not one to follow trends – we follow our instincts and intuition and that is how we make our small team work.

Which are your strongest markets?

Like everyone else, the US. It’s really been a very successful market for us and we’ve had quite good results there over the last few years – we are almost doubling in the region.

Are there any key trends you’re noticing for Cognac right now? Cocktail culture definitely, and also the quality of cocktails that principally we’re seeing from the US and UK. And I see it as something very interesting as it is a new way of looking at spirits, and in a qualitative way too. It’s a fantastic way to open Cognac up to an entirelynew audience.

What are the main values reflected in the Hine brand?

This is a tough question – words can be many and sometimes they can feel a little empty, but what I see personally as our brand values are things that make us true to ourselves. We are really implemented in the Cognac region and we are not denying anything about the traditional Cognac or trying to be something we’re not. We have an opportunity to show our DNA that is so special, and one of the reasons Hine is so well known globally.

How do you like to drink Hine?

I personally enjoy Hine with ginger ale, especially Fever-Tree Ginger Ale. I have converted a lot of my friends who knew nothing about Cognac into Cognac drinkers and it has often been through Hine and Fever-Tree Ginger Ale. It’s incredibly accessible.

What can we expect to see from Hine in 2016?

We are thinking of doing a little work with H by Hine, and the 2006 vintage Domaine Hine Bonneuil is definitely the major thing that will happen. We are also going to continue focusing on rebuilding Cognac sales in China. There are a lot of regions where nothing has really changed, but we have certainly noticed a shift from ostentatious categories towards younger qualities like VSOP.