The History of Cognac — The Drink That Wouldn't Exist Without a Dutch Mistake

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Every night while you sleep, twenty million bottles of cognac evaporate into the air above a small region in western France. The French call it the angels' share — and they don't try to stop it. Because that evaporation is exactly what makes cognac worth a thousand dollars a bottle.
Hennessy — the best-selling cognac in the world and a symbol of French luxury — was founded by an Irish soldier who had nothing to do with winemaking. Martell was founded by a man from Jersey, a British territory. Courvoisier built its entire identity around Napoleon — a man its founder met once, briefly, in passing. Three of the biggest cognac houses in the world were built by foreigners.
And cognac itself was invented by the Dutch. By accident. To save space on ships.
This is the story of how a cheap logistical trick became one of the most protected luxury brands on the planet — and why its future is being decided not in Paris, but in Shanghai and New York.

00:00 The History of Cognac
02:08 The Dutch, ships and an accidental invention
04:41 Why only Cognac
06:38 The Irishman who built a French icon
09:04 Napoleon and the myth that made millions
11:06 The insect that almost killed cognac
13:33 The angels' share and the math of evaporation
16:24 China, hip-hop and a new future
19:51 The war of giants over barrels
21:59 From brandewijn to five billion euros