The Auswine Forum

Anyone here enjoy a tipple of cognac (or armagnac)? Are XO cognacs so much better than VSOP and what would you recommend that wouldn't break the bank? I've had the odd bottle of cognac in the past, but know next to nothing about it, other than what the different labels mean (because I've looked that up on wikipedia ). One more question: are cognacs all multi-vintage blends, or is vintage cognac ever made?

Used to love a Cognac but spirits just don't agree with me

Apparently under the Cognac appellation rules single vintage Cognacs cannot be bottled in France. There used to be some English bottlings of single vintage but the trend to bottled at source has stopped this. Armagnac allows single vintage. (That's all from a faulty memory from when I looked up such things about 20 years ago).

Which Brandy you will get the most enjoyment from will depend on personal preference. Occasionally the spirit companies put on tastings. Many of them have websites you can sign up for notification of such things or perhaps contact the local importers for NZ.

My favourite of those tasted was the Martell Cordon Blue. Initially this was between Martell VSOP and Xo but seems to be on par with the XO these days.

From time to time after dinner, I prefer Hennessy XO "Grande Champagne" Cognac to the norm XO, my other favourite is Courvoisier Extra Vieille - out of the world stuff !!!
Cheers
Boyeah

I only recently got into spirits seriously. It bothers me that those XO-s are colored with caramel. A very superior old pale should be pale but it isn't, the only exception to my knowledge is my favourite Cognac house Delamain. Coloring is cheating and it's fake even at XO level.
More interesting are the unoaked fruit brandies (Palinka) from Hungary and some serious Italian Grappa's and the Jean Marc XO Vodka ($100) is awesome!

Tried the Seppeltsfield Paramount XO Brandy yesterday (along with the whole Paramount range of sherries, muscat, tokay, tawny and 100 yr old)....it is outstanding....amazing old booze.

I asked a similar question on another forum after finishing off my Hennessy XO and a few people recommended Remy Martin XO. This has a more raisin and date like characters on the nose. I like it but in a different way to the Hennessy (like different styles you get in Single Malts - peaty, sweet, floral - some nights you feel like Lagavulin and other nights Dalwhinnie).

Maybe the best bet is to find some minatures/half bottles/or a bar to try the various ones and pick which you like the best, without having to fork out the $180-$200 a bottle for it.

...and yes you made me go and get a glass...

I've been exploring brandies in some detail of late. There's nothing like sitting on the deck in the cool weather and enjoying a snifter of good spirits and a great cigar. I bought a propane heater to warm me up with a shelf to warm my brandy to the perfect temperature. Brandy in the hot tub, brandy while enjoying a roaring fire...these are among the finest things in life. The first use of the first microwave I bought 30+ years ago was to warm up brandy.

The biggest surprise (and in hindsight, the least surprising) is that the brands we've known all our lives...Remy, Hennessy, Courvoisier, etc...aren't where the interesting action is. Some of the name brands are very good and some are worth the money, but if you concentrate on lesser known brandies you'll have more fun.

My two favorite distilleries are both French, Tesseron and Prince Hubert. Both have a good selection of reasonably priced cognacs.

Tesseron: While they aren't listed by year per French law, Lot #29 is primarily 1929 stock, Lot #53 is primarily 1953, and so on. Lots #76 and #90 are affordable and very good. They have a very reasonably priced sampler pack if you can find it that has all four vintages. My favorite is the #29. It had all of the cognac attributes I adore, oak, caramel, orange rind, and rich butter, yet was light and airy, almost like sipping a fabulous mist instead of a liquid. I've heard that Tesseron is the #1 selling cognac at Harrods in London.

Prince Hubert (Polignac): I first had this nearly 40 years ago and searched for over 30 years to find it again. I found it in Portugal (the store owners are relatives) and it can be found in France, of course. They have a more traditional cognac selection, VS, VSOP, XO, Napoleon, and "the sky's the limit" selections. My two favorite are the VSOP and the XO. The VSOP is very similar to the XO, just not as stunningly clean and without quite as much intensity, but costs half as much. Grey Goose vodka is distilled there, which accounts for its smooth taste.

A few other French cognacs I've been enjoying recently: Frapin XO, Otard XO, and Ferrand (Selection des Anges).

I've also had good luck with Spanish brandies...Cardenal Mendoza and Carlos I ("Carlos Primera") are two favorites. Conde de Osborne is another good one. Spanish brandies are generally sweeter and smoother than their French counterparts. The difference between scotch and bourbon comes to mind when comparing the two.

Brandy goes by a host of names depending on what country you are in, but there are only three main groups of them, grape brandies, fruit brandies and grape skin brandies.

Brandy can last years in the bottle once it is opened which allows you to more easily rationalize purchasing expensive bottles of it. Hope this helps!

Many thanks all for the useful and interesting feedback...

Yep, I can see myself getting in to this; cold night, glass of good cagnac in front of the fire, a good thick Dickens, Bach cello suite in the background... perfick.

Don't forget the smoking jacket and cravat.

dave vino wrote:Don't forget the smoking jacket and cravat.

No worries there.

You don't have to fork out for Cognac or Armagnac to enjoy good Brandy. Being South African, I am obviously pro KWV, but there are a couple of other very good brands around as well.
Vintage in brandy sense is more the age, than the year it was harvested/made. If you get a brandy which says 10 or 15 or 20 years....it would be a better indication than VSOP or XO.....and brandy does not 'age' in the same sense as wine in the bottle.
Caramel is not always added for colour. Vats would give colour as well. And there is also a difference between double distilled and single distilled....as there would be between potstilled and column distilled. Sometimes caramel is also added to sweeten.

Wilma wrote: Sometimes caramel is also added to sweeten.

That's why I only drink stuff without it.

[quote="Attila"][quote="Wilma"] Sometimes caramel is also added to sweeten.[/quote]

That's why I only drink stuff without it.[/quote]

"stuff"