Cognac has a number of medieval stone and half-timbered buildings in the narrow streets of the old town, of which rue Saulnier and rue de l'Îsle-d'Or make atmospheric backdrops for a stroll, and picturesque Grande-Rue winds through the heart of the old quarter to the chais. On the right is all that remains of the castle where King François I was born in 1494.To the left are the chais and offices of the Hennessy Cognac Company (Mar–Dec, Mon–Fri 10am–5/6pm; €4.57), a seventh-generation family firm, and widely thought the best of the houses to visit. The first Hennessy, an officer in the Irish brigade serving with the French army, hailed from Ballymacnoy in County Cork and gave up soldiering in 1765 to set up a little business here. The visit begins with a film explaining what's what in the world of Cognac. Only an eau de vie distilled from grapes grown in a strictly defined area can be called Cognac, and this stretches from the coast at La Rochelle and Royan to Angoulême. It's all carefully graded according to soil properties: chalk essentially. The inner circle, from which the finest Cognac comes – Grand Champagne and Petit Champagne (not to be confused with bubbly) – lies mainly south of the River Charente. Hennessy alone keeps 180,000 barrels in stock. All are regularly checked and various coupages (blendings) made, of which only the best are kept – depending on the well-honed taste buds of the maître du chais. Another important cog in the Cognac mechanism is Europe's second biggest bottle-maker, the modern St-Gobain glassworks, which lies 2km south of town; guided tours of the works (€4.57) can be arranged through the tourist office.
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