French spirits group Remy Cointreau said Friday its sales grew by five percent in the first half of its 2018-19 financial year driven by its popular Remy Martin cognac.

The group, which has distilled the Cointreau orange liqueur since 1849, generated sales of 571.4 million euros ($655 million) over the period, it said in a statement.

Sales by the House of Remy Martin surged by 11.7 percent thanks to “strong trends” in the Asia-Pacific region — particularly in China — the statement added.

Remy Cointreau’s liqueur and spirits division grew just 0.8 percent, “but should pick up nicely in the second half, boosted by a number of communication campaigns”.

The group’s partner brands dropped by 4.5 percent over the first half after the termination of several distribution contracts with third-party brands.