Review: Landy VSOP Cognac

Despite the Snoop Dogg endorsement (or, perhaps, because of it), the VSOP expression of Landy's cognac is pretty pedestrian stuff. Harshly earthly and woody on the nose, it tastes strongly of apple with a finish that veers toward bitter. The finish is on the hard side, a reminder that this cognac is awfully young. (The company makes 7 expressions; this is its second youngest bottling.)

B- / $35 / cognaclandy.com

Review: New Germain-Robin Brandies

These Germain-Robin brandies -- crafted in California -- showed up unannounced, in minimally-marked sample vials, with no additional information about their manufacture or sale.

They are reviewed here without further knowledge -- I'm unclear whether the first brandy is the same as Germain-Robin's long-running XO, and have no additional information on when these brandies may be available, or at what prices (though neither tastes particularly expensive).

Alcohol levels are likely both 80 proof.

Germain-Robin Craft-Method Brandy - Rocky, with an Armagnac character to it. Earth and olive characters are strong, with muted fruit below. Seems to lack life, with little more than a big, boozy alcohol character. Opens up with time in the glass, at least a bit. C / $NA

Germain-Robin Coast Road Reserve Brandy - Has more character to it at least, with better sweetness and more bracing fruit -- candied oranges and a touch of chocolate character. Still roughly made, but considerably more enticing with some rather intriguing raw sugar character in the finish. B / $NA

germain-robin.com

Review: Camus Cognac Lineup

You have certainly never heard of Camus cognac. But what if I were to tell you it was a major worldwide brand, the fifth largest cognac house on the globe -- with its major markets Asia and Eastern Europe.

Now Camus is coming to America at last, with retail in 15 states and more to come. Fifth-generation distiller Cyril Camus came to town this week to show off his wares, of which he is justly proud. I sampled them over lunch and again on my own at a later date.

The house style is evident in these spirits -- light, fruity, and with minimal oak influence. In fact, Camus never uses new oak barrels to age its brandies, only well-aged ones that have lost a lot of their tannin. The result is more easy-drinking, less harsh cognac than you might be used to, even in the youngest bottlings.

If you're a brandy lover, seek out a bottle of Camus as soon as you catch it on the shelf.

All spirits are 80 proof.

Camus VS is a very light cognac -- Cyril says it is traditional to serve it on the rocks, and I've tried it both chilled and straight. Very simple, it expresses notes of butterscotch and fresh citrus fruit, with a light body. Smooth, with virtually no bite. An amazing bargain. A- / $25

Camus VSOP spends longer in cask, but sticks to the house style almost exactly. This is Camus's best-selling cognac, equally light in flavor but a touch darker in color. Very similar to the VS, it's difficult to tell apart, but a touch of wood in the finish gives it a somewhat different character. I think I prefer the VS's fruitiness at the low end. B+ / $45

Camus XO Elegance moves up the ladder but continues to hang on to the Camus style, with fruit and sweetness up front. A touch more wood here adds balance vs. the VSOP, with the overall refinement of the spirit reaching a solid and sophisticated level. More dried fruit character in the body, but it's still light enough (and affordable enough) to merit everday sampling. A- / $120

Camus XO Borderies is the world's only nonvintage single estate cognac, using grapes exclusively from Camus's vineyards located in the Borderies growing region in Cognac. The body here is wholly different from the other three cognacs in the portfolio, with a far more intense sweetness, a silky texture, and another step darker in color. Here the fruit takes on an orange peel character, and the finish exudes flowers. The quality here is remarkable for the price. A special cognac indeed. A / $140

camus.fr

Review: Hennessy Black Cognac

First let's cover the color: Hennessy Black, a spinoff of standard Hennessy cognac designed as a cocktail ingredient, is not black. It's a dark gold color, much like any cognac you're likely to encounter.

A blend of up to 45 eaux-de-vie, Hennessy Black is aged five years and dropped into a wholly opaque bottle designed to evoke the night.

The palate of this cognac is, to put it bluntly, rough. It has that back-of-the-throat bite that reminds me of young armagnac, though there is more fruit on the front of the palate. Fortunately, the sweeter notes that are there has good flavor, with citrus and perfumed cedar moderate in the mix.

But Hennessy Black suffers from its youth. The wood notes are rustic and have a turpentine character that really mars the finish. Not overly sweet like many young cognacs, it suffers from being too far on the other side of the fence. Stick with standard Hennessy.

UPDATE: At the behest of fellow drinks writer Camper English, I tried Hennessy Black with Coke, and it does indeed make for a better mixer than a straight spirit. The Coke is particularly effective at masking Black's rougher flavors, and its sweetness is more prominent in the mix. That said, I shudder for the hangover young club-goers will have after a night of drinking these...

80 proof.

C- / $40 / hennessyblack.com

Review: Marzadro Le Diciotto Lune Stravecchia Grappa

Ah, grappa. Brandy's skunky cousin.

I'm still a bit lost on the appeal of grappa -- which is made from grape pomace -- skins, seeds, and stems leftover from the winemaking process, rather than the grape juice itself, as brandy is made.

But even I will recognize there are some fine grappas out there, especially those which have been aged in wood casks to mellow out the skunky funkiness that's ubiquitous with this spirit.

Producer Marzadro's Le Diciotto Lune Stravecchia Grappa is a rarity in the grappa world, made from the pomace of eight types of grapes, aged in barrels made from four different kinds of wood, and with each cask aged for a variable time ranging from 18 months to five years. The result is a complex blend of spirits that is unmistakeably grappa but which is at least a more interesting expression of this Italian national beverage.

Le Diciotto Lune is intriguing. The nose has that nutty, earthy character common among grappa, and your first few sips continue the experience. But as you continue to explore the spirit the grappa opens up, offering sweet vanilla notes alongside flavors of golden raisins, light sherry character, and dried apples, oranges, and peaches. There's a lot of heat in this grappa (it comes in at 82 proof), so sipping is advised, preferably as you consume it slowly and in moderation after a fine meal.

A- / $90 / marzadro.it

Have You Seen This Armenian Brandy?

Like the Scooby-Doo gang, I love a good mystery.

And so, when I was presented with this bottle (see photo below) of purported "Armenian whiskey," I had to sample it and give it a little ink.

The owner knows nothing of the bottle and asked if I did. The clues are limited: Only his statement that it was a gift, and the bearer said it was whiskey from Armenia, the Cyrillic word "HANPN" (it's with backwards Ns -- my web software can't render that -- check out the photos below) and the number "20" on the label. And of course, there's that bottle, an elaborate hookah-like design that you don't see much of in the States.

Trying the spirit, it didn't taste like any whiskey I'd ever had. A blend of something if I had to guess, with a lot of citrus but with a bit of bitterness on the finish and a grain-like character that I was guessing indicated corn. Many partygoers thought it was very alcoholic, but I figured it was just 80 proof.

It's amazing how expectations can influence your thinking, and it wasn't until I started researching the spirits of Armenia that I realized this was not whiskey, but brandy. The latter of which they make quite a bit in Armenia, and lots of it goes into decorative, elaborate bottles like this.

But what is it? I'd figured 20 meant 20 years old, appropriate for a mid-range brandy but really old for third-world whiskey.

Days passed, and finally, of course, Google helped me out once I dug in, but only once I searched for the original Cyrillic term. HANPN means "Nairi" in Russian, and it's an ancient name for a region in Armenia. Lots of brandy (they call it cognac) comes from this area, and much of it is just called Nairi. There's no telling who produced this Nairi, but everything I've seen indicates it is indeed 20 years old and probably 82 proof. It's possible one company (maybe these guys) makes all the brandy in the area and just packages it under different names and brands... who knows? I can't find this exact bottle anywhere, but have found Armenian brandy in horse and machine gun decanters. A typical bottle will run you about $60 and yes, you can find it in the U.S.

And that's really the fun, isn't it? Unless I hear otherwise from the peanut gallery out there, I'm considering this mystery wrapped up.

More Scooby Snacks, please.

Review: Bache-Gabrielsen XO Natur & Eleganse Cognac

From the maker of one of my most treasured spirits of the year comes Natur & Eleganse, a cognac aged at least 10 years in oak casks.

What's immediately surprising is how this spirit, deep amber in the bottle, is a pale gold when poured into a glass. The oddities don't stop there, though.

The palate of Natur & Eleganse ("pure and rustic") is neither what I'd describe as natur nor eleganse... with a big, woody character that belies its pale complexion. Honey and raisins play on the palate, but it's undercut -- in a massive way -- by the nose and body of freshly sawed lumber. The result is not something that's elegant but rather on the brutish side, a burly by-the-fireside/after-a-day-skiing brandy that's warming but decidedly rough.

80 proof. Prices vary widely.

B- / $40 / bache-gabrielsen.com

Review: Pierre Ferrand Reserve Cognac

On the heels of Pierre Ferrand's 10-year-old Ambre, I gave the distillery's 20-year-old Reserve cognac a try.

I was less of a fan of this edition of Ferrand's brandy, which is considerably darker in color but comes off as a bit brutish and somewhat unbalanced. The flavors are relatively typical of the space, veering more toward the citrus. There's lemon, orange, honey, and a big oak finish. But something is off in the finale... I can only describe it as having a little bit of a whiff of a fishmonger's stall, though -- and again I can't really put this properly into words -- it's not entirely unpleasant, just off.

On the whole it's a fair cognac, but the younger Ambre is considerably easier on the palate. Note that prices vary widely.

80 proof.

B / $65 / le-cognac.com

Review: Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac

Unassuming at just $45 (at most -- I've seen if for $35 sometimes), Pierre Ferrand's Ambre is hardly an ultra-luxe cognac.

And yet for the price you pay you're getting an exceptionally high-quality brandy that I find hard not to recommend to any cognac fan. In fact, I like it quite a bit better than some of Ferrand's older cognacs (which I've sampled as long in the tooth as 70 years old).

Aged just 10 years, Ambre takes on a nice amber tone, and the aromas are mellow and fruity. The flavor is moderate -- not too intense, making this an easy-drinking day-to-day cognac. Delicious honey, nougat, apricot, fig, and a touch of orange citrus can all be found in the body. The finish is light and refreshing, very smooth and inviting.

It's hard to believe this cognac is so young and so cheap, but I'm not complaining, Pierre. Promise.

80 proof.

A / $45 / le-cognac.com