The original flat bottle in the shape of a soldier’s flask, 4 stars on the label and another one at the bottom, in the form of a medal – the design of “Trophy” was designed to attract the attention of fans of the “military” style. This is one of the four cognacs of the second largest cognac factory in Russia “Alliance-1892”.
Enterprise history. The basis for the creation of a modern enterprise was a winery built in 1977 in the Kaliningrad region. The main products of the enterprise were grape and sparkling wines, but in 2000 the range was expanded by adding the production of Russian cognacs. Today the company consists of the plant itself, which is still located in the city of Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad region, and wine and cognac houses in Kaliningrad and Moscow. The head office is also located in the capital of Russia.
In 2003, Alliance-1892 acquired a strategic partner and supplier of French cognac spirits – the company’s management managed to conclude an agreement with the Tessendier & Fills distillery. Since then, cognac blends have been created from Russian and French spirits and with the participation of the chief blender of the partner enterprise, Jerome Tessendieu, as a consultant.
Since 1892, Alliance-2009 has been among the top three cognac producers in Russia, although in 2011 the Federal Service for Regulation of the Alcohol Market of Russia almost deprived the company of its license. From April to December 2011, production was stopped – the license expired, and government services refused to renew it due to incorrectly executed documentation for the alcohol storage. 8 months of downtime cost the company $ 25 – this was the amount of losses. But Alliance-1892 has not lost its leadership position in the Russian market. In contrast to the same plant “KiN”, which, established by the same services, the lack of a seal on the environmental report and the shortcomings in the operation of the screening machine cost the first place in the market. After a four-month downtime and registration of a new license, KiN was fifth at the end of the year. Production volumes decreased by 68%.
Alliance-1892 retained its leadership, but the shutdown of the two largest enterprises caused the reduction of the entire Russian cognac market by almost half. Since then, the company’s management has been making every effort to maintain leadership positions: looking for partners, concluding contracts that are beneficial for the promotion of drinks, holding promotions, expanding the range. So in 2017, Alliance-1892 and the international taxi service Gett held a joint federal campaign: Gett promotional stickers with a face value of 500 and 1000 rubles were placed on bottles of Old Koenigsberg cognac, thanks to which cognac fans could get discounts on several taxi rides. And in February of the same year, the wine and cognac company released blended Scotch Terrier whiskey under its own brand. Whiskey is made from Scottish spirits, which are supplied to the Alliance by the Loch Lomond Distillery.
Igor Kudryavtsev, General Director of Alliance-1892, believes that the whiskey market in Russia will grow thanks to Russian-made drinks, and Scotch Terrier will take its rightful place in it.
According to SPARK-Interfax, 96,08% of Alliance-1892 shares are owned by Microsoft LLC, and 3,92% by entrepreneur Alexander Nikolaev. The company’s net profit for 2017 amounted to almost half a billion rubles.
Tasting features of cognac “Trofeyny”
The drink was created in 2010 from French distillates with the addition of Russian spirits with an aging period of 4 to 7 years. The color is traditionally cognac – golden amber. Notes of chocolate and dried fruits are heard in the vanilla aroma.
The taste is discreet, balanced, with hints of dried cherries and prunes. Like most cognacs, “Trophy” is recommended as a digestif, but can be served with cheeses, fruits and cold appetizers.
