| Camus 33/60 |
Difficult
to know if there is a tour. Non, French speaking tourists would be put off by the
entrance, which, although there is in fact a small sign on the wall, it looks like you
have come to the wrong place. You must enter an office reception and ask about the tour.
Even though you arrive at the specified time you are told to sit down and wait, like a
sales representative trying to sell them something they don’t want. After what seams like a long time, but in fact is only 10 minutes or so, out
comes a friendly tour guide and her welcoming smile dispels and doubts you may have about
being there at all. She is interested and asks where you are from and what you do, in
perfect English.
I was shown down stairs to what looks like a meeting room
with a bar at one end. This is in fact their shop and the start of the tour. She starts
with the background of the family illustrated by small light boxes on the wall. The rest
of the tour is a walk around the warehouses and the usual. It is however personal and the
guide is probably the most professional, knowledgeable and friendly I have experienced of
all the cognac houses.
The tour itself is limited and uneventful. Good or bad, there
are no videos, light shows or train rides.
"Why do you have these tours" I ask? Like all the
others, they are actually not really sure – some PR and hopefully a few sales of
cognac to make it worth their while. There is no shop and although it seams that you may
taste – it is not taken for granted. At the bar I discovered small luggage, umbrellas
and other gift items lurking at the back, but like the cognac, it is not shown with any
conviction or desire to entice you to browse or buy.
In what has become the usual ending, I ask for a half bottle
of OX, on the basis that I want to try a quality produce, but I don’t wish to spend
400F or so on something I may get home and not like. They do produce one, but of course,
they don’t sell them at the so-called in house shop. I opt for a 100F set of
miniatures.
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