Cognac
Cognac is grape brandy named after the region in which it is made, in an around the town of Cognac in the southwest of France. Cognac is predominantly made from three types of grapes — ugni blanc, folle blanche, and colombard, with other grape varietals showing up in the mix. They are vinified into a thin wine, then distilled twice in copper pot stills to make brandy. This brandy must by law then be aged in French oak barrels for at least two years. Brandy of this minimum age can be labeled VS in quality. After four years it can be called VSOP, and after ten years (a recent extension of time), it becomes XO. Many highly prized cognacs are much older than this — and they carry some incredibly high price tags.
Top Cognac Posts:
What’s the Difference Between Cognac and Armagnac?
Bache-Gabrielsen American Oak Cognac
Courvoisier VS, VSOP, and XO Cognac
Remy Martin 1738 Accord Royal Cognac
In 2016, Hennessy began releasing one-off special editions called the Master Blender’s Selection. Master Blender’s Selection No. 1 and No. 2 were both well received, and now No. 3 continues the line, “a blend composed ...
Cognac house Camus is out with its newest expansion to its Borderies-produced line of brandies, Camus XO Borderies Family Reserve. As is traditional for this producer, the Cognac is made from estate-grown grapes that are ...
Hine’s Bonneuil 2005 and 2006 — limited edition, single estate Cognac releases named after Hine’s 297 estate-managed acres at Bonneuil Village — are some of the finest middle-aged Cognacs you can find. The Bonneuil line skipped ...
2018 marks our eleventh annual holiday gift guide, and we’re hoping this year really gets you in the spirit of giving at Christmas. Ha! Seriously, you’ll need it. Prices are creeping ever higher, especially on popular ...
Online retailer Flaviar is no stranger to bespoke spirits, having released (among others) its own heavily peated Scotch previously. Next up is Cognac, a blended spirit called Frerot. Launching this Spring, Frérot XO Cognac Assemblage ...
While we’ve previously looked at a couple of special bottlings from Cognac’s Hine — the Domaines Hine single-vintage 2005 and 2006 releases — we haven’t done a deep dive into its more readily available expressions. This ...
Pineau des Charentes is perhaps the most unique “wine” you’ll ever encounter — in part because there’s actually no wine in it. What’s Pineau? Pineau des Charentes hails from the Cognac region of France (and ...
Is it possible we’ve never reviewed one of the most essential liqueurs ever produced (GM Titanium notwithstanding)? Grand Marnier, the orange-meets-brandy spirit, deserves a spot in every liquor cabinet, and I’ll tell you why in ...
Give Hennessy some credit: It isn’t resting on the old school laurels of brandydom. It’s innovating and experimenting and constantly releasing interesting stuff (for better or worse). Its latest gamble is the Master Blender’s Selection ...
It’s our tenth anniversary, and our tenth holiday gift guide! After more than 5500 posts — the bulk of them product reviews — we’ve written millions of words on all things quaffable, and as always, ...
