Thomas Hine & Co.

Thomas Hine & Co. is a French cognac house based in Jarnac, on the banks of the Charente River in the Cognac region. The business takes its name from Thomas Hine, an Englishman from Dorset who became involved with a Jarnac cognac house through his marriage into the Delamain family. The house traces its origins to 1763 and adopted the Thomas Hine & Co. name in 1817, after Hine had taken control of the business. The company’s identity is closely tied to the historic Hine House at the quai de l’Orangerie in Jarnac. The premises have served as the company’s base since the eighteenth century and are presented as one of the oldest commercial houses in the town. This location places the brand within the traditional network of producers, merchants, ageing cellars, and vineyard relationships that define the Cognac region. Hine’s central business is the production and sale of cognac, a grape-based spirit governed by the appellation rules of the Cognac region. Its portfolio is associated with blended and vintage expressions, with the house recognized for maintaining stocks of single-harvest cognacs. Hine is identified as one of only three cognac houses, alongside Delamain and Croizet, to have continuously maintained vintage cognac stocks. That continuity gives the brand a particularly strong association with provenance, ageing, and historical cellar reserves. The house also has a notable connection with the British royal household. In 1962, Hine received a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II as a supplier of cognac. According to the reference material, it remains the only cognac house to hold this distinction. The warrant helped reinforce Hine’s premium positioning and its cross-Channel identity: the company combines English origins through Thomas Hine with a French production base and Cognac appellation. Hine’s commercial positioning is therefore built less around mass-market scale than around heritage, craftsmanship, cellar history, and high-end cognac. Products associated with the brand include Hine Rare and Hine Antique, while the broader range is described as a collection of quality cognacs intended for international consumption. The existing record does not provide a complete product catalogue, detailed production volumes, or current distribution figures, so those details are not asserted here. The company is currently owned by the French company EDV SAS. A separate factory associated with the house was purchased in 2008 by Tigran Arzakantsyan, owner of Armenia’s Great Valley Wine and Cognac Company. The available reference does not establish that this transaction changed ownership of the Hine brand itself. Hine remains an active cognac house headquartered in Jarnac, with its historic premises and long-established name continuing to anchor the brand.

Thomas Hine & Co. is a cognac house whose history is rooted in Jarnac, France, and whose name reflects the career of Thomas Hine, an Englishman from Dorset. The business traces its foundation to 1763. Hine’s connection with the French cognac trade developed through the Delamain family: after being arrested during the French Revolution, he married Françoise Elizabeth Delamain, whose father owned a cognac house in Jarnac. Hine subsequently took control of that enterprise. The company was eventually renamed Thomas Hine & Co. in 1817. This naming marked the consolidation of the house around Hine’s identity while retaining its French production base and Jarnac location. The historical relationship with the Delamain family is an important part of the brand’s story, linking Hine to one of the region’s established cognac families without making the two houses the same business. The Hine House has occupied a site on the quai de l’Orangerie beside the Charente River since the eighteenth century. The building serves as the company’s headquarters and is described as one of the oldest houses in Jarnac. Its location is significant to the brand’s heritage because Cognac production depends not only on distillation and blending but also on long-term ageing, cellar management, and relationships with the vineyards and towns of the appellation. A distinctive element of Hine’s historical reputation is its continuing maintenance of vintage, or single-harvest, cognacs. The house is identified as one of three cognac houses—together with Delamain and Croizet—that have continuously maintained stocks of vintage cognacs. This tradition differentiates Hine from a purely blend-led identity and supports its emphasis on harvest provenance and reserves with identifiable ageing histories. In 1962, Hine received a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II as a supplier of cognac. The warrant gave formal recognition to the house’s connection with the British royal household and reinforced the relationship between Thomas Hine’s English origins and the company’s French manufacturing base. The reference material describes Hine as the only cognac house to hold this honour. The company’s later industrial history includes a 2008 transaction involving one of its factories. That facility was bought by Tigran Arzakantsyan, described as the owner of Armenia’s Great Valley Wine and Cognac Company. The available material distinguishes this factory transaction from ownership of the Hine house and does not support treating it as a sale of the Hine brand. Today, Thomas Hine & Co. is owned by the French company EDV SAS. The house remains active in the production and marketing of cognac. Its brand proposition rests on Jarnac heritage, a long-established name, premium positioning, vintage-cognac stocks, and association with the royal warrant. Publicly available material supplied for this entry does not provide a full chronology of master blenders, detailed vineyard sourcing, production volumes, or the launch dates of individual expressions; those details remain outside the documented record here.

• 2008

  Factory acquired by Great Valley-related owner

  [1]Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  One of the house’s factories was purchased by Tigran Arzakantsyan, owner of Armenia’s Great Valley Wine and Cognac Company.

• 1962

  Royal warrant granted

  [1]Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Queen Elizabeth II granted Hine a royal warrant as a supplier of cognac.

• 1817

  House renamed Thomas Hine & Co.

  [1]Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  After taking control of the Jarnac cognac house, Thomas Hine gave the business the Thomas Hine & Co. name.

• 1763

  Business founded in Jarnac

  [1]Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The cognac business that later became Thomas Hine & Co. traces its origins to 1763.

Premium and heritage-focused cognac house emphasizing historical continuity, Jarnac provenance, long ageing, vintage reserves, and traditional French production.

• Cognac

  Hine Rare

  Hine Rare is a core cognac expression associated with the house’s principal portfolio. It represents the brand’s accessible premium tier within a broader identity centered on French cognac production, ageing, and the heritage of the Jarnac house. The supplied reference does not specify its blend composition, age designation, launch date, or current market formulation.

• Premium aged cognac

  Hine Antique

  Hine Antique is a flagship premium offering associated with the historic Hine cognac house. Its role in the portfolio supports the brand’s emphasis on aged spirit, cellar heritage, and high-end presentation. The supplied sources do not provide a verified launch year, precise age statement, blend details, or current packaging information.

• Vintage cognac

  Hine Vintage Cognacs

  Hine is historically associated with vintage, single-harvest cognacs and is identified as one of three houses to have continuously maintained stocks of such spirits. These releases express the house’s focus on harvest provenance and long-term cellar reserves rather than relying solely on non-vintage blended products.

• 1962

  Acceptance of a royal warrantOther

  Background

  The house had an English namesake and an established French production base in Jarnac.

  Action taken

  Hine became a supplier of cognac to Queen Elizabeth II under a royal warrant.

  Aftermath

  The warrant became a defining heritage and prestige credential for the house and is described as unique among cognac houses.

  Source

• 1817

  Adoption of the Thomas Hine & Co. nameStrategy

  Background

  After Thomas Hine became involved in and took control of the Jarnac cognac house connected to the Delamain family, the business was renamed around his identity.

  Action taken

  The house adopted the Thomas Hine & Co. name, establishing the brand identity used in subsequent history.

  Aftermath

  The renamed house retained its Jarnac base and developed a long-term reputation for premium cognac and vintage stocks.

  Source

• 2008

  Factory associated with Hine acquired by Great Valley Wine and Cognac Company owner[1]Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  One of the house’s factories was bought by Tigran Arzakantsyan, identified as the owner of Armenia’s Great Valley Wine and Cognac Company. The available reference does not indicate that the Hine brand itself changed ownership in this transaction.

• 1962

  Thomas Hine & Co. receives a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II[1]Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The cognac house was granted a royal warrant as a supplier of cognac to Queen Elizabeth II. The warrant became a notable marker of Hine’s premium and British-linked identity.

1. 1Thomas Hine & Co.en.wikipedia.org