In 1858, Amédée Edouard DOR, scion of an old Cognac family, embarked upon the unusual and painstaking task that was to occupy the whole of his life.
His passion was for Cognacs of noble distinction. With dogged determination, he hunted, selected and collected the finest Cognacs. After decades (70 years and more) of aging in Limousin oak casks, free from mixture or admixture, some of these venerable Cognacs from the Grande Champagne area-whence the best Cognacs come- where carefully decanted, once their aroma had reached its fullest ripeness, into wax-sealed demijohns, where they could be preserved and conserved intact.
Today, these glass vessels hold the precious nectar hostage there where they slumber in a secret cellar known as « Paradise », where nothing has changed since its creation, and where they proudly display their prestigious vintages.
The pride of the House, an incomparable heritage of vintage cognacs dating generally from before the time when the dreaded phylloxera struck in 1874, they have kept their precious contents intact for more than a century and a half, and justified the standard of the worldwide renown of A.E.DOR.
The great privileges of Cognac A.E.DOR : Sale at natural strenght and the vintage.
Natural evaporation - known as the «Angels' Share» - has occurred throughout this long ageing in oak casks, bringing the alcoholic strength of some of the Cognacs down - to as little as 30% for the oldest - while as the same time refining the aroma to leave only the quintessence of the finest scents.
These unique qualities have entitled A.E.DOR to a very special authorization from the French government.
In 1951, at the insistence of Monsieur DENIEUL, the founder's son-in law, A.E. DOR became the first firm authorized to sell Cognac at a strength of less than 40% alcohol.
This exceptional exemption from the requirement of the 1946 Decree, which laid down the minimum alcoholic strength for any Cognac at 40%, is striking acclaim for the authenticity of the « Très Vieilles Grandes Champagnes ».
It rewards over a hundred years of dedicated service tradition.
A second privilege is that these batches of « Grande Champagne » Cognac, exceptional in the quality of their aroma, in their great age and in the fact their aging has been monitored with meticulous care, to bear their vintage year.
Alongside this policy of prestige, A.E. DOR is determined to keep abreast of the times- which is why the House have created a line of high quality products available to a wider clientèle.
Today, Jacques RIVIERE, follow in the steps of their forebears, marrying the age-old tradition for which the firm is justly famed with a knowledge of this rapidly developing market.
And so, with the same painstaking care, he selects and blends the finest eaux-de-vie that make up each one of his Cognacs.