The cognac thread
 

Apparently there isn't a cognac thread yet, which surprises me.

I've only had cognac once, and it was sublime. But it was a dusty old bottle of 50 year old Napoleon cognac that my grandpa gave my dad 20 years ago. I don't think I can walk over to the store and pick that up. :)

What are people's favorites? What is a good "everyday" brand?

As I understand, cognac (and armagnac) are types of brandy made in Cognac and Armagnac. What other brandies are similar/good?

Just to chip in on this...... IMHO an everyday cognac that won't break the bank is the Remy Martin VSOP available from a major national chain that does warehouse-style supermarketing. Only runs about $30 / bottle. But, it won't be anything like that 50 year-old gem!! Guard that one with your life.....

putongo

Agree with Remy, which Dom Capossela Senior sold me on
37 years ago when I was a Hennessy man. But as Courvoisier
is what both US and UA serve, that's what I buy now - it's
what I expect Cognac to taste like. Look also for Martell
VSOP Medallion, somewhat more than the Remy but I think
more complex and smoother.

Cognac (along with most liquor) does not age in bottle, so all the aging is only when it is in cask and stops once it is bottled. In fact it will be slightly worse after 20 years in bottle than when bottled, so you didn't get any aging or improvement during those 20 years (unlike wine). Presumably that means your 50 yo cognac was 30 yo -- which would not be labeled Napoleon typically. There is no legal definition of "Napoleon" except by convention it is usually the grade better than VSOP and worse than XO. This generally means it is about 10 yo (with maybe 1% 30 yo content at most), though the legal requirement is a mere 4 years .... and some are that young and coarse! It is very much a "buyer beware" though the name brands try for consistency.

Some of the US and Australian brandies are as good or better than French cognac and often much cheaper. Try Christian Bros. XO for example (not comparable to a French XO, but also a fraction of the price).

There is one cognac thread over in OMNI/PR, but I don't think it necessarily relates to this thread ;)

In terms of Cognac, I'm a huge believer in spending the money to get the good stuff. IF you are willing to spend $50 for a bottle of wine at a meal, then I think you can afford to spend $150 to get a really decent bottle of Cognac. The Cognac will last a lot longer, since you can get a good 15 1.5 oz pours from a single bottle. And unlike wine, it won't go bad when you put it away after opening.

My favorite right now is the Delamain. Although I also must admit to having an affinity for Cointreau Noir, which is a blending of Cointreau and Remy Martin Cognac. MMMMMM.

I could be wrong in referring to it as "Napoleon" - I think that's what my dad said it was. But I am pretty sure it was aged 50 years before being bottled. It says so on the bottle. I'll double check when I'm at my parents' for Thanksgiving. So it's probably 70ish years old. Yikes!

For everyday stuff, either Martell or Hine XO. Personally, love the Hine because of the very oaky taste to it.

I stay away from Remy and Henessy XO as they taste a bit "inferior" to me. Also, there were a lot of rumours years ago that their product was deteriorating because of the demand and their inability to keep up.

i regret not trying louis xiii for $37.50/oz on seabourn...

but im not sure i would like cognac?

i only drink shiraz (grange ^), cabernet sauvignon, malbec. no white wine, and i have only enjoyed champagne once, and found it drinkable one other time. and thats not including 1996 dom, which seems to be one of the best vintages. i could recognize the quality, but to me it was not really dry at all. i just cant stand any hint of fruit. or as it seems to me i guess.

if it may not be "fruity" im not sure whether to try "regular" cognac or only things like louis xiii in order to see if i would like it?

like with single malts, so far (went to a tasting) i only like macallan. (25 sherry oak ^)

My two cents:

I would agree that Remy VSOP is a good "everyday" cognac, as it isn't extremely pricey, is consistent and readily available.

There are "fruity" cognac's and some less so. I like both. :)

I very much like the Hine brand, but it is not available from the state liquor board here unless I special order a case.

I find that VS cognacs are good for just a "brandy-like" taste. A good VSOP will give you just a hint of ageing flavor, but will definitely be smoother. The XO's are where cognac really differentiates itself, and the cask ageing flavors become noticeable. Above that, it only gets better, if you can afford it, and the question is, is it really worth it...

I would recommend trying a few good VSOP's and XO's at a restaurant or bar (maybe not all in the same evening), and see what you like before dropping $40 to $100+ on a bottle.

That is a great bar price for Louis XIII; the last bottle I bought was over USD 1000 and that took considerable searching.

As cognacs get older and more expensive they become lighter, "fruitier", more fragrant but with less body, more like perfume. This is why most very old cognac is used for blending with much younger ones. The bottom line is that old cognacs are so verrrrrry expensive not because they are better tasting, but because of their rarity and high demand for prestige value.

You might prefer something like Martell Cordon Bleu, or if wanting to try older and lighter but still with excellent body, Hennessy Paradis. Most likely the ultra-premiums like Louis XIII would disappoint you. It is an acquired taste.

Personally I prefer old (and expensive) Calvados; but hard to find outside of France. Better than most cognacs. Also the grape eaux-de-vie made in Germany (mostly Rhine valley but some Moselle) are superb; they are like cognac but clear (due to different aging) and of course made with better grapes than cognac has :)

wild stuff. so if anything, id prefer younger for more body/dry and less fruit.

IIRC ive seen expensive calvados by bottle on menus, but not really expensive by shot.

speaking of rarity, gotta love stuff like this >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...esborough.html
and
http://www.elitetraveler.com/resourc...rits_mar09.pdf
...

re worth it, all i can say is >
2001 grange was well worth $220/bottle
25yo sherry oak macallan is well worth $50/shot, over 18yo sherry oak from $15/shot

four seasons washington has tasting/flight including a $2000 single malt, but not sure i want to try it and find out i dont like it..

there need to be more places that serve small portions, like wine by the ounce (only from machines??) or liquor by quarter ounce (like scotch bar at willard hotel) :(

http://www.martell.com/#/home ;)

dh

Hold the thread for a moment.:eek:

We may need at how to drink guide here.:)

I've always heard that the glass type makes a difference when drinking Cognac.
Furthermore some folks heat / warm the glass prior to drinking?:confused:

Thoughts?

I've always been taught that one drinks any beverage from its appropriate glassware - at least, this goes for the higher end of any kind of beverage. A generic table wine will be fine from a tumbler (Italian style).

I've always seen cognac drunk from a snifter, which you cup in your hands to warm it slightly.

I love Cognac. That lovely scent from the snifter is divine. I discovered several years ago that I could not drink Cognac. We drank the good stuff. Had nothing to do with the quality or age. Something about that drink gave me a horrible headache for 24 hours. It only took one snifter to make me miserable. So not worth it.