Jean Fillioux Cigar Club Premier Cru du Cognac Grande Champagne 750ml

Jean Fillioux is genuinely one of Cognac's most intimate, small-scale family producers — founded by Honoré Fillioux, with roots at the Domaine de La Pouyade now stretching across five generations, currently overseen by his great-grandson Pascal Fillioux, who personally supervises everything from the soil and grapevines through to the final distillate. The estate's 63-acre family vineyards sit in what's genuinely known as the "golden triangle" of Grande Champagne — the prized land between the communes of Angeac-Champagne, Juillac-le-Coq, and Verrières, a micro-terroir long regarded as producing the very finest parcels of Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, provided they're given the extended aging needed to reach their full potential.

Cigar Club is exactly that kind of patient blend — a selection of very old Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, chosen specifically to pair with a fine cigar, bottled in a distinctive tall, elegant bottle with a thin neck, heavy glass base, and cigar-colored foil on the neck. As Jean Fillioux's own copy puts it: "committed to the nobility of its origin and to a process which involves no manipulations, the House of Jean Fillioux offers an Eau-de-Vie which is supple in character, fruity, elegant but sufficiently full-bodied and lingering — the only one in its Cognac & Cigar category worthy of a grand Puro."

The critical reception has been genuinely exceptional. Paul Pacult awarded 4 Stars (Highly Recommended) in The New Kindred Spirits, describing "beautiful mahogany/sinopia color" and, after allowing the initially "muted and reluctant" aroma ten minutes to open, finding it come "alive in the exotic forms of baked banana, roasted meat, BBQ sauce, fish oil, cocoa bean, and soy sauce," with a midpalate that "takes an unexpected left turn" through "black tea/orange pekoe, bean curd, and green vegetable" mingling with "dried apricot and raisiny fruits," calling it "a wonderfully weird, deeply flavorful cognac." The Ultimate Spirits Challenge scored it 93 Points, finding it "reminiscent of rich oiled leather, pipe tobacco, campfire, and sultry stewed stone fruits," with "big and bold flavors of smoke, raisin, burnt orange peel, and savory, earthy brown spice." Cigar & Spirits Magazine (Sommeliers International) awarded a remarkable 97 Points, calling it "pure, very delicate, elegant, and fine, ample and round... subtle and refined," naming it "one of the sommeliers' favourites." This is genuinely one of the most decorated cigar-pairing Cognacs available — real, patient Grande Champagne craft from a family that's controlled every step of production, from vine to bottle, for five generations.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Jean Fillioux Cigar Club Premier Cru du Cognac Grande Champagne is produced by Maison Jean Fillioux, founded in 1880 (some sources cite 1894) by Honoré Fillioux, based at the Domaine de La Pouyade in the "golden triangle" of Grande Champagne, between the communes of Angeac-Champagne, Juillac-le-Coq, and Verrières. The estate is now run by fifth-generation family member Pascal Fillioux, who personally oversees every stage of production, from the family's own 63-acre vineyards through distillation and blending.

Cigar Club is a blend of very old, 100% Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, specifically selected for their capacity to pair with a fine cigar, produced with no manipulations. Bottled at 40% ABV, 750ml.

Critics Reviews

Paul Pacult, The New Kindred Spirits — 4 Stars, Highly Recommended:
"Beautiful mahogany / sinopia color; unblemished purity. This opening aroma is muted and reluctant so I back off for ten minutes; following more aeration, the aroma comes alive in the exotic forms of baked banana, roasted meat, BBQ sauce, fish oil, cocoa bean, and soy sauce. Entry bursts with soy sauce, Asian cooking spice-like flavors that are elemental, bitter, vegetal, and spicy; midpalate takes an unexpected left turn as it highlights desert dry flavors of black tea / orange pekoe, bean curd, and green vegetable that mingle with the dried apricot and raisiny fruits; there is a massive taste explosion here. Finishes long, bittersweet, caramelized onion-like, toasted marshmallow-like, and utterly luscious. A wonderfully weird, deeply flavorful cognac that takes a couple of bizarre turns that produce delightful results."

Ultimate Spirits Challenge — 93 Points:
"Reminiscent of rich oiled leather, pipe tobacco, campfire, and sultry stewed stone fruits, this is a Cognac meant to be savored. Big and bold flavors of smoke, raisin, burnt orange peel, and savory, earthy brown spice add depth. Very complex."

Cigar & Spirits Magazine (Sommeliers International) — 97 Points:
"Pure, very delicate, elegant, and fine, ample and round. A tasting Cognac, subtle and refined... One of the sommeliers' favourites."

Jean Fillioux (official tasting note):
"Superb Grande Champagne Cognac, with a great personality, powerful. A velvety nose with notes of vanilla and honey. Very complex and unctuous palate with jammy aromas, prune, orange, then notes of cinnamon and black chocolate. Very long finish with notes of liquorice and spices coming through, toasted coffee. A perfect cognac to go with your favourite Havana cigar and some piece of dark chocolate, at 70/80% pure cocoa."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Beautiful mahogany color. Velvety, with vanilla and honey leading, joined by baked banana, roasted meat, and cocoa bean, developing rich oiled leather and pipe tobacco.

Palate
Complex and unctuous, with jammy prune and orange carrying real depth, developing cinnamon, black chocolate, smoke, raisin, and burnt orange peel, alongside savory, earthy brown spice.

Finish
Very long, closing with licorice, toasted coffee, and caramelized, bittersweet warmth — genuinely luscious and complex.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Fine cigars (Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo N°2, Partagas D4)
• Dark chocolate, 70-80% cocoa
• Aged, nutty cheeses
• Dried fruit and nut boards

Serving Note

Best enjoyed neat, in a snifter, paired with a favorite Havana cigar and a piece of dark chocolate.