Cognac anyone?

All the Cognacs to try before you die listed on link below: www.cognac-expert.com/cognac-brands

Anyone tried Baron Otard Cognac?

@A'bunadhman I would love to take advantage of your knowledge of Armagnac, only thing is that our selection is limited. Here is the link so you or any other kind soul may do a couple suggestions if you want to. Thanks in advance. saq.com/webapp/wcs/…=

@CognacFan: francetoday.com/articles/2010/…

I think this may be of interest to you. For the most part, you get what you pay for, as the article explains. As for all the fabuluos Armagnacs listed, I can't tell you much, having had just one or two and those some time ago.

A good place to start is with a bottle from one of the better makers with 15yo. actually printed on the front label and, my preference, Folle Blanche grapes. A much better idea than going after Vintage years. The Vintage Expressions can be extraordinary especially when made from a single vinyard but as the article points out, all that the vintage year tells you is when it was made and not how old it is - Try Domaine Boingneres at 15yo. as a starting point.

This is a bit like recommending a Malt! What do you say? Glenmorangie 10yo.? Benromach? Both of these I like, you may not!

Good Luck!

@rwbenjey ... it's really too bad we didn't get together while you were here. Thanks for the tips re: SuperLiquor4 ... yes, I've been there numerous times, and have gotten some good finds.
A brandy cheer to you !

My Tour of Cognac,

I've just got back from a 4 day tour of Cognac where I tried a good barrel full of the stuff. As we have enthusiasts on here I decided I would share my journey:

Firstly we stayed in Le Relais Saint De Preuil in a renovated 17th century hamlet which is directly in the Grand Champagne region surrounded on all sides by vineyards that travel as far as the eye can see. The hostess Christine helped us greatly in all of our journeys and cooked authentic gourmet french 3 course meals every night. This came with a range of local apertifs like pineaux and as much red wine as you can drink. The meal ended with a special coffee which was the favourite of Jacques Chirac and a 50 year old Cognac from a neighbour. This was the best hotel I have ever stayed in.

On the tour which we did through the hotel, the Remy Martin sticks out as one of the best. Their new VSOP aimed at the European market is on Par with the XO. They give you 3 tastings of VSOP and XO along with chocolate, Foie Gras, and Salmon. Well worth it, it was interesting to see that the Chinese are now their biggest customers. About 400 Eau de vie's go into their XO and 1,200 in the top of the range Louis XIII. All the while this lovely little American babe takes you around and makes you feel as if your one of their top VIPs well worth doing.

The town of Cognac itself is worth spending a day in, there is plenty to see and do. It is safe and the people are friendly. The Hennessy tour is the most educational and they let you watch the workers filling up the barrells and moving the stocks along. Some of the barrells are hundreds of years old. Unfortunatley the tour guide was passionless and miserable, but it was still well worth doing. I would do the cheapest tour they have on offer. The Remy Martin VSOP tasted better than the Hennessy XO to note.

But the best of all was the small family producer we visited, Michel Forgeron in Chez Richon, Segonzac the Grande Champagne 1er Grand Cru. The family which feature in their advertisements were all working on the land. We were taken around the distillery by the son and most importantly taken to the precious barrells. They were the most generous with their Cognac which was pure nectar. Unlike the bigger houses the alcohol is not always at 40% as you can kill some of the taste when you knock down the Eau de vie from its original 70%. The Napoleon is at 43%, XO 45%, and Hors d age at 50%. Also this Cognac is unique as its best served at the temperature of the barrell its in. Meaning you drink it chilled (15 mins in the fridge) for the best taste. There is no need to warm it as the water is added to the Eau de vie extremely slowly allowing the Cognac to flourish. Also unlike the big brands, Foregeron has many vintage years where the taste is so good there just isnt a need to add hundreds of other Eau de vie's. We had out of the barrell the oustanding 1975 vintage which was simply the best I have ever tasted. Despite being about 53% its smooth sweet and has none of the harshness that I found in the Hennessy. We walked away with 4 bottles from the distillery, happy and intoxicated from our tasting session.

For anyone interested check out these websites: www.cognacforgeron.com and www.relais-de-saint-preuil.com

Contact the hostess Christine for a personal iteniniary for Cognac, she will arrange all bookings and travel for you.

Bon Voyage mon ami's! (my attempt at French)

:)

Interesting discussion - I have a big loveaffair with spirits of all kind but especially Whisky, Rums, Cognac/Armanacs, Brandys, Schnaps and Tequila/Mezcals. The diversity in different Whiskys can also be found in all the other spirits - @aboutChoice as I own quite a significant number of Rums I would definitely disagree with your 50 Rums Theory; Rum is produced in more than 40 Countrys and there are hundreds of great Rums - I could count 50 superb Rums from one independant bottler alone ( Samaroli, Italy)...

Anyone tried the Camus Ile de Re cognacs? Cognac aged on an island off the west of France, giving it a "maritime" character that some have likened to Islay whiskies. I had the XO a while ago and loved it. Recently picked up the "Double Matured", aged both on the island and then transported to age in the Camus cellars in Cognac to mellow out a bit. Yet to open it, but looking forward to it! :)

@AboutChoice: I know! Well, cheers!

I enjoy a cognac from time to time, the last one I had was a Conjure.