Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac reported in mid-August that, for the fourth straight year, exports of Cognac have continued to rise, with an increase of 8.2% in volume and 5.4% in value. The previous record of bottles shipped (200 million) was reported as surpassed, with 205.9 million bottles shipped between August 2017 and July 2018. With 3.2 billion euros (roughly 300 billion dollars) in revenue, Cognac contributes significantly to France’s trade surplus in the wine and spirits sector, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total value of French wine and spirits exports and placing Cognac at the top of the major appellations. In the NAFTA zone, with 89.8 million bottles shipped and an increase of 9.4% in volume markets, it’s the ninth consecutive year of growth. The United States remains the leading market, with 86.5 million bottles shipped during the period.