Martell House is one of the oldest among the great cognac houses with a 300-year history of passionate dedication and meticulous work of the Martell family. In 1715, Jean Martell, a young entrepreneur from the island of Jersey, started his own business by founding one of the very first cognac houses in the Cognac region. For almost 40 years, Jean Martell dedicated himself to studying and perfecting the art of cognac making. He traveled the province in search of the finest spirits, building relationships with local winemakers who inherited their craft from their ancestors. After Jean's death in 1753, his widow Rachel took over the management of the production with the same attentive and meticulous approach as her late husband. Thanks to the active development of export, Martell became the number one cognac in England in 1814. In 1831, the company produced its first VSOP cognac and continued its promotion on the international market. Jean and Frederic's sons inherited the thriving business from Rachel. Cordon Bleu, created in 1912, is considered the most famous product of the company. Martell cognac was served on board the "Queen Mary" ocean liner in 1936 and even on board the "Concorde" airplane in 1977. In 1987, Seagram acquired the French company for $1.2 billion. Since the acquisition by the Seagram group of companies in 2001, Martell belongs to the Pernod Ricard group of companies. In the 2000s, Martell launched new cognacs on the market: Martell XO in 2005, Martell Création Grand Extra in a bottle designed by glass artist Serge Manso in 2007. In 2009, Martell released its signature cognac L'Or de Jean Martell. In 2011, Martell expanded its range of "super-prestigious" products by adding the exceptional Martell Chanteloup Perspective cognac as a tribute to the master craftsmen of Martell cognac production. Martell embodies the French art of living passed down from generation to generation, savoring the beauty of each moment and deriving maximum pleasure from it. A rich history where craftsmanship serves taste: Martell cognac has been enjoyed and admired for three centuries - at solemn coronations, in Hollywood movies, in polar expeditions, at aristocratic weddings... and beyond.