Cognac sales jump 31% in 2021

Sales of Cognac leapt by nearly a third in value to €3.6 billion (US$4.1bn) in 2021, according to industry group the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC).

Cognac sales saw a 31% rise in value last year, with volumes of the spirit increasing by 16.2% to 223.2 million bottles, the BNIC has revealed.

Christophe Veral, president of the BNIC, noted that demand for Cognac “has never been greater in our markets than this year”. He said despite weather uncertainties, last year’s harvest allowed for a “continuation” of growth.

Even with the health and geopolitical uncertainties, this growth reflected recovery for Cognac, as well as new consumption habits, the BNIC said in a statement. 

Cognac exports to the US, the largest market for the category, climbed by 11.1% with 115 million bottles shipped last year.

Cognac’s second biggest market, China, saw a 55.8% boost in sales with 34m bottles shipped.

Meanwhile, sales in Europe jumped by 8.1% to reach 37.1m bottles in 2021. Within this region, France, which is the fifth largest market for Cognac, saw a 23.4% rise in sales, as 6.1m bottles were sold.

In a statement released on Monday 17 January, the BNIC commented that with the development of mixology, Cognac is attracting new consumers who are searching for quality products.

The report also cited South Africa and Nigeria as new markets for the drink.

The BNIC said that the outlook for the category is ‘positive’ in the coming months for all regions.

In November last year, it was revealed by the BNIC that shipments of Cognac had leapt by nearly 23% in the 12 months to 31 October 2021, as producers shipped 226m bottles during this period. It was an increase of 22.7% compared with the same period in 2019/20.

To discover more about the category and its trends, check out the Cognac and brandy brands to watch in 2022.