Martell is a cognac house founded in 1715 by Jean Martell. It is the oldest of the "big four" cognac houses (the others are Hennessy, Rémy Martin and Courvoisier), who together produce most of the world's cognac. Formerly owned by the Seagram spirits empire, it is now part of the Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët (MMPJ) subsidiary of the French wines and spirits conglomerate Pernod Ricard. Martell's flagship Cordon Bleu, introduced in 1912, was for many years the world's highest-selling premium cognac. By 2015 Martell was producing around 14 million bottles of its cognacs a year, making it the world's second-largest cognac producer behind Hennessy. History Jean Martell, a young merchant, was born on the island of Jersey in 1694. It was then a location known for smuggling, which may have led to his involvement in the liquor trade. In 1715 he began his own trading business at Gatebourse in Cognac, on the banks of the Charente, and thus founded one of the first cognac houses. Variations of the logo he chose, a swift in combination with the Martell family coat of arms, have been in use ever since. Martell used grapes from the vineyards in the Borderie subregion for his eaux-de-vie, and Tronçais oak for its casks, a combination that resulted in an exceptionally smooth cognac. After the founder's death in 1753, Jean Martell's widow and then his two sons and grandson continued this tradition. They also developed an export business, and by 1814 Martell was the most consumed brandy in England. In 1831, Martell created its first V.S.O.P. cognac. The use of English-language designations like "very superior old pale" and "extra old" reflected aged cognac's status as primarily an export product. In 1795 a marriage between the Hennessy and Martell families cemented a strategic alliance that created an effective duopoly in the cognac market. Another marriage followed in 1865. While still in competition, the two companies also made joint decisions, for example introducing the star grading system at the same time. This semi-formal relationship was dissolved in 1947 after the death of Maurice Firino-Martell. In 1912 the marque launched Martell Cordon Bleu at the Hôtel de Paris, its first post-phylloxera cognac. While sold without designation (Martell XO is a distinct product), it is regarded as the oldest XO equivalent cognac still in production, and is widely credited as the first mass-market premium cognac. Martell Cordon Bleu was served at the