Cognac anyone?

Delamain Tres Vernerable is my go to cognac.

@whiskyshiba : I hear good things about that house. I'll have to give it a try.

@rwbenjey, Like Glenfarclas, they are one of the last independent cognac producers. Very consistent in quality and have fair pricing. The Vesper is good. The Extra is wonderful. And for special occasions, the Reserve De La Familia can't be beat.

@rwbenjey Same as! Selection des anges I'm drinking right now

2nd place Delamain XO 3rd Hennessy

@Mountrain : Awesome! I ran out of Ambre and Reserve, but I'm trying to save the SDA and Abel for "special" occasions (kind of hard to stop myself, haha). Time to grab more Reserve so I'm not tempted to break out the old stuff. Hoping and waiting for later in the year, because I found a bottle of Ancestrale for $300!

I still need to check out Delamain, I hear it's wonderful : )

I've noticed that big, commercial cognacs are often really bitter. I love the VSOP of Chauvaud-Buzin. If you want an older cognac, i can suggest the XO of Moreau.(the XO isn't too expensive for its age)

@Volcardi agreed apart from the ones they dump caramel in!

I have heard that these cognacs you've metioned are very good along with the Leopold Gourmel Cognac range. You know copains, I think We should have a Cognac Connosr side to this website, all in agreement say oui

I'm thinking of buying a set of Normann Copenhagen Cognac Glasses, any views on what glasses are best to enjoy the cognac?

@Mountrain : I say OUI!

For glasses, I have have set of Luigi Bormioli Michelangelo brandy snifters from Amazon. Really, any kind of snifter would work well : )

amazon.com/Luigi-Bormioli-Michelangelo-Mast…

@Mountrain Pour moi aussi, c'est oui. For glasses, I have a set of 19cl Lehmann mouthblown, witch is to my idea a fusion between a tulip glass and a snifter, it won best Cognac glass in 2009. I also like the Riedel Cognac Hennessy glass, but most of the times I prefer a small 13cl tulip glass ,even for my Whisky, for it does not need much in it to have a good impression of the spirit. The Copenhaggen do have a lot of style, but I wonder for the '' no stem'' practical side.

@Mountrain I mostly drink whisky in wine glasses(even though i've got whisky glasses), so you probably shouldn't ask me :-p In my opinion, you only need a tulip shaped glass.(so a wine glass, a cognac glass or a whisky glass would do)

@Volcardi: One of the most attractive and useful glasses currently available is the new Riedel 'Port Wine'. These are truly beautiful, a perfect size and shape with a dazzling clarity.

Good cognacs are relatively pricey, so I probably won't try many. But since cognac is really brandy (from a specific region in France ... correct me if wrong), I have found that Raynal Premium French Brandy 10-Year is quite delightful, and at a quite reasonable price in the USA. Has anyone else found Brandies that are in the same league as Cognacs ?

@AboutChoice : Yup, all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac :). Only brandy produced in the Cognac region/controlee of France can be labelled cognac. What is your budget? You can get decent cognac starting around $40 (even less if you get a smaller bottles). I would just raid your local liquor stores. You should be able to find samplers of Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier, and Martell.

It has been my experience that a good Armagnac is far superior to a Cognac in the same price range - A very good Armagnac, indeed, is Delord Bas. which comes in all ages (and prices) and unlike Cognac, at least to my Whisky palate, shows none of the slimyness in the mouth, that I find in many Cognacs, especially older expressions.

@A'bunadhman

Really? I have never tried Armagnac Before, what years would you recommend? Or what bottle would you pour to a cognac drinker who has never tried it before.

I have found this site (UK) wine.next.co.uk/results/

Is this a good price and selection? Merci pour vos conseils

@Mountrain: Try one from Delord Bas. at a price you can afford and you wont be disappointed. A Whisky tasting / nosing glass is far better than the traditional balloon.

I'm always surprised that more Whisky drinkers don't know of the charms of Armagnac, considering the parallels with the 'bonny dram'! Small makers, many unblended Brandies, many bottled at higher %abv. than their much hyped neighbour.

As the good folk in Armagnac are not reluctant to point out, they have been making Brandy for 150yrs. longer than their neighbour, their product tastes better, is earthier, has recognizable fruit flavours, is affordable, is by comparison, fresh tasting in the mouth, tastes better with age as their local black oak is far superior: Their casks are not only made from finest black oak the staves are individually selected and air dried for a minimum of 15yrs.

Of course, the good folk of Armagnac have a fierce pride in their product (and you might say a vested interest), I, for one, agree that in most cases Armagnac leaves Cognac for dead!

The Distillers, grape growers, drinkers to a man, shake their heads in dismay when they even hear the word Cognac and exclaim that it is the greatest con-job ever commited against a drinking public. This may not be entirely true but Cognac is blended from many producers and controlled by huge conglomerates.

@A'bunadhman Thankyou this is very insightful, You obviously know your Armagnac , Although I wouldnt want the folks of Cognac to be hearing this fighting talk! You'd have a continental version of a Shillelagh war going on!

@A'bunadhman I have bought a bottle of DeLord 15yr, for starters the price quality ratio is much better in Armagnac than Cognac, I would have paid £75 + for this quality in Cognac.

The high qaulity oak is present and dominant throughout the tasting, this is not at all a bad thing, its has a depth and freshness to it that makes you want to drink more. The Oak has all the complexitiy of a well made Scottish Single Malt. There are also hints of a bitter Dark Chocolate and some spice. I decided to try the armagnac the way I do with my cognacs and gently balanced my round belly tapered chimney wine glass (as opposed to the balloon glass I use for the Cognac) over the steam of some hot water for a few seconds. When I could see the armagnac sweat a little (drops are present on the inward glass), I tried it and found that this time the alcohol burn completley dissappeared (the burn was only slight in the first place) and the taste became slightly sweeter.

I was very impressed and have already turned some friends into fans of the DeLord Armagnac. I will enjoy this as an afternoon drink, with a coffee and cake as it just seems to go. I can imagine sipping this in a French Cafe and relaxing whilst I watch the day go past.

I would say this beats alot of the Cognac I have tried, although Pierre Ferrand Selection Des Anges Cognac for me is a better drink. The Selection Des Anges to note is alot more expensive in comparison. I just love the way Pierre Ferrand gives you Oak and Grape, I couldnt really get that grape taste on the back of my tongue with the Armagnac. For me the Grape in Cognac is what really makes it special, the tastes in Pierre Ferrand are a real journey of superb and smooth flavors I doubt it can be beaten.

To conclude, both brands are excellent and have their own individual merits, DeLord is great to unwind with for an hour on Sunday whilst reading the paper and Pierre Ferrand I would drink on a great occassion like Victors Birthday ;) Thanks for the Recommendation

@Mountrain: Glad you liked it! One notch up is The Armagnac Domaine Boingeres - 4 or 5 notches up are the Vintage Armagnacs of Domaine Boingeres, 1984 Speciale Vintage Bas-Armagnac will be better than anything you have yet tried from either side of the fence.

Some of the Vintage Brandies, especially the older vintages will have higher %abv., some over 50%: Dont add water! Dont stick your nose in! Warm the glass with the hand - Let the aroma come to you by gently holding your Wine / Armagnac glass gently against the top of the chest at the top of the brestbone with the rim about 1 1/2" beloy the Adam's Apple.

The Aroma will come to you, simply lower your head and breathe normally through the nose with your lips very slightly parted when you get the first whiff of Armagnac magic.

If you want a preview of what's to come in your Armagnac experience, do this: Stick your clean finger in your Brandy and smear it on the back of your hand in much the same way that your Wife / Friend does when testing perfume - Don't blow on the hand, the Alcohol in the brandy will evaporate in a minute or so and the wonderful aroma of a first class Armagnac will make its' presence felt! The aromas of Dates and Figs, Apricots, Peaches etc. (depending on the vintage).will truly engulf you.

Cognac is distilled once: Armagnac, like Whisky, is distilled twice!

Enjoy!

@A'bunadhman I agree with you very much about Armagnac and all the recommendations you have given (It is my go to beverage after a single malt). However, I think you swapped the last bit around: Armagnac is distilled once; Cognac is distilled twice.

I personally find that Armagnac is much more accessible to single malt drinkers then cognacs. My experience has been that it is a richer and more full bodied brandy then cognac. In my mind cognacs have more in common for blended scotch and Irish Whiskey drinkers. Not that any of this is bad or inferior. It is just my experience in grouping like with like.

@Nock: Your right, of course; how could I have confused the essential difference. Thank you for pointing that out.

Sante!

@A'bunadhman Sorry! I accidently clicked the thumbs down button as I was scrolling down the webpage on my IPhone and I can't reverse it! I will get round to trying this Armagnac Domaine Boingeres you have recommend next payday...until then cheers copains :-)

@Mountrain :That's OK. Someone fixed it.

I probably should have mentioned that Armagnac should not have prolonged contact with the cork, as it will taint moreso than other spirits', and quickly. Bolt upright, in the dark is the way to go.

I did point you at a rather high end Armagnac in the '84 Speciale. There are less expensive Vintage bottlings in the Delord range; look for those bottles that have the grape variety 'Folle Blanche' printed on the label, these will have 100% Folle or close to. And you can't go wrong!

Good Luck.

What an edifying discussion about brandies. @rwbenjey, thanks for your thoughts about cognacs ... I've tried several small bottles, and I usually like the XO, and sometimes the VSOP types ... but I have not seen any of the names mentioned above in this discussion.

From what I am reading here about armagnac (which I have not tried), it sounds a bit similar to Armenian brandy ... which I like a lot ... the older, the better.

@Mountrain, oui (in principle) to a Connosr Cognac area. But I have to ask: how many cognacs are there ... as many as Scotches ( probably into the thousands ) ?? I think that there are not that many different cognacs ( but more brandies & armagnacs, in general ). I have a feeling that they will all be quickly reviewed and discussed, and then we will be done. Am I right ... or is there much more to it ?

Oh, and BTW, the same issue with rums ... as there are only a finite number of good and interesting rums ... perhaps less than 50 that are worth reviewing and discussing, as it seems to me.

Your thoughts please ... regarding the number of brandies ( which includes armagnac and Cognac ), that might be available for discussions ? BTW, there are about 20 or so Armenian brandies, and perhaps a dozen Mexican brandies also.

@AboutChoice Good Point, however even in this small discussion alone we have mentioned many Cognacs and even gone to the region of Armagnac which in itself covers a massive amount of spirit which is in my opinion less well known than Scotch.
It would take you a while to go through all the Brandies mentioned in just this discussion. I would not limit it to Cognac alone. It would be down to members interests and ulitmatley would be best decided in a vote as if not alot of people were going to contribute it would not be worth it. I can think of around Ten bottles I would review off the top of my head and I am really just a beginner.

We should also not forget that both have just as rich a history as Scotch. With Armagnac going way back to the 14th Century with Cardinal Vital Du Four. But really even before that back to Ancient Greece and Rome with the later influence of the experiments carried out by Arab Alchemists in the 7th and 8th Centuries.

For me Cognac is just 'the famous one' of the Brandy family, we should not forget the Calvados of the Normans. And on that point whose to say Brandy from outside Cognac and Armagnac can't be good? You have good qaulity French Brandy, Undiscovered Sweet Spanish Brandy, Mexican Brandy, Greek Brandy, and although I have never tried any, we also have American Brandy.

The best Cognac and Amagnac comes from small families who are not widely advertised like your Courvoisier. So there is merit in that as with Scotch there are Gems to be found as Connosr's have pointed out to me already. I have also found that other review sites on Cognac and Armagnac to be clearly lacking and most are from those who are trying to sell you a product which I feel takes away the objectivity in the review.

To me all Brandy is worth a mention, as well as Port and any other fine distilled products like erm Whisky ;)

Until next time, I leave you with this quote to ponder " Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy." Samuel Johnson

A bientot

@Mountrain: Beautifully put! At a friend's house I am often treated to a rather delicious Metaxa 12 star & on one 'name day', the one that comes in the decanter (?) He is fond of saying that his life has been one of counting the stars!

Yamas.

Man this thread blew up : )

@A'bunadhman: I still need to explore more armagnacs, as the one I had--Marie Duffau Napoleon--did not agree with my palette. I do agree to a point in regards to the value, but this seems to be more true compared with the mainstream cognacs that have insane markups. The small house cognacs seem to provide rather good values.

@AboutChoice: Same here : ) After being able to acquire the XO and older brandies, it's very hard to go back. Some of the smaller house producers--like Pierre Ferrand, Delamain, and Hine--may not be easy to find at smaller or casual liquor stores. The specialty stores and warehouses should have them though (esp. Delamain and Hine). Certainly worth seeking out.

PF just recently entered the US market compared to most of the others, so it's not everywhere, but is becoming increasingly more available. The thing I love about the company is that they only use grapes from the Grande Champagne region and their youngest brandy--the Ambre ($60)--is 10 years old. The minimum age for XO is 6 years.

More edifying ideas and information about Cognac, armagnac anda brandies ... thanks much to all of you. The State of Michigan here, actually carries Pierre Ferrand: if they have them in stock, they have the Ambre at $45 US, the Ancestrale at $618 US and the Memoire at $962. So I may try the Ambre in the near future. I can also obtain Raynal 15 here for a reasonable price.

I actually have a good number of non-Cognac brandies that could be reviewable ... US, German, Mexican, French, Armenian, Greek and a few others.

@AboutChoice: Yup, Michigan has it : ) I moved from Ann Arbor last March, so I know a few places that stock it. Here's a little secret for you: Super Liquor IV on State St has a old bottle of the PF Cigar (25 years). I saw it all the way on the top shelf with some dust on it. That store has a lot of old and/or discontinued bottles that it doesn't move, so prices are very polite.

I'd be interested if you reviewed some of the non-french brandies : )