Bache-Gabrielsen VS 3 Kors

 Bache-Gabrielsen VS 3 Kors

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Bache-Gabrielsen

Style: Blend

ABV: 40%

N: Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, raisins, vanilla, honey, hints of bananas. 

M: Light body, cool, loosens, slightly oily. 

T: Sweet. Cardamom, pears, white grapes, raisins, honey, hints of bananas. 

F: Short. Toast, honey, white grapes, hints of bananas. 

Comments:

A spicy and light cognac, some fruit but quite heavy on the cardamom. It’s not very complex, and is of course quite young. It’s not what I expected, I associate Bache-Gabrielsen with complexity and slightly more robust flavours. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Bache Gabrielsen Serenite

Bache Gabrielsen Serenite 

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Bache Gabrielsen

Style: Blend

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: Peaches, red grapes, raisins, honey, terracotta dust, hints of leather. 

M: Medium body, sticky, cool, slightly syrupy. 

T: Bitter sweet. Pear drops, peaches, raisins, vanilla, orange peel, leather. 

F: Long. Honey, walnut skins, orange peel, leather. 

Comments:

Fruity, leathery and slightly dusty, this tastes quite a bit older than it is. It’s reasonably complex, and has a good level of sweetness (i.e. not too much). I’ve had better cognacs, but this one really hit the spot. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Courvoisier XO

Courvoisier XO

Brandy: Cognac

From: ?

House: Courvoisier

Style: Blend

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: Red grapes, raisins, honey, cloves, chocolate. 

M: Light body, slippery, loosens, slightly, warm. 

T: Sweet. Blackberry cordial, raisins, honey, cherries, chocolate. 

F: Short. Blackberry cordial, chocolate, cherries, honey. 

Comments:

Rather standard and one dimensional. Although it’s older than the VS expression from the same house, I enjoyed this less. 

Verdict:

Not bad. 

Máxime Trijol VS

Máxime Trijol VS

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Máxime Trijol

Style: Single distillery

Colour: Dark gold

ABV: 40%

N: Cloves, sea salt, honey, raisins, hints of leather. 

M: Medium body, slippery, loosens slightly, mouth coating. 

T: Sweet salty. Honey, raisins, cherries, leather, white grapes, vanilla. 

F: Medium. Cloves, honey, white grapes, cherries. 

Comments:

This cognac tastes fairly young, with some saline notes on the nose, but layered over with plenty of fruit. There’s a bit of a cough mixture vibe on the tongue, and there’s plenty of spice on the finish. Simple, but enjoyable. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Hine Homage to Thomas Hine

Hine Homage to Thomas Hine 

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Hine

Style: Blend

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: Grape must, elderflower, raisins, honey, vanilla, hints of cloves. 

M: Light body, loosens, airy, slippery. 

T: Bitter. Walnuts, coffee, quinces, honey, grape must, chocolate. 

F: Medium. Chocolate, quinces, honey, hints of elderflower. 

Comments:

A lovely, simple cognac, lots of strong but complementary flavours. Fruit, chocolate and floral notes layered very nicely over each other, with some bitter nutty flavours to add complexity. I’ve always enjoyed Hine cognacs, they’re well constructed and interesting. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Courvoisier VS

Courvoisier VS

Brandy: Cognac 

From: ?

House: Courvoisier 

Style: Blend 

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: Prunes, honeycomb, black pepper, vanilla, hints of black tea. 

M: Light body, cool, loose, slippery. 

T: Sweet. Blackberries, black pepper, vanilla, sour cherries, honeycomb, hints of prunes. 

F: Long. Sour cherries, black pepper, coffee, hints of chocolate. 

Comments:

Entry level expression from Courvoisier. It’s rather Armagnac-ey, lots of prune notes, especially on the nose, but these then turn to sour cherries and blackberries on the tongue. Nice long bitter finish. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Hine Bonneuil 2008

 Hine Bonneuil 2008

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Hine

Style: Single distillery, single vintage 

Colour: Golden

ABV: 42.7%

N: Red grapes, grape must, raisins, honey, cloves, hints of quince.  

M: Medium body, thickens slightly, slippery, warm. 

T: Sweet sour. Grape must, honey, quinces, cherries, fresh baked bread, hints of cloves. 

F: Short. Cherries, honey, fresh baked bread, coffee. 

Comments: 

A single distillery, single vineyard cognac from Hine. It’s quite distinctive, lots of cough mixture cherry flavour, along with an odd feeling of under-fermented grape. It’s not unpleasant, rather it’s oddly smooth and drinkable. The strength is hardly noticeable, other than the slightly more intense flavour notes. Anyway, I’ve spent years drinking cask strength whisky, and my taste buds are rather insensitive by now. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Frapin 1270

Frapin 1270

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Frapin

Style: Single distillery

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: Raisins, strawberries, candied oranges, black tea, hints of coffee. 

M: Medium body, cool, slippery, expands. 

T: Sweet. Strawberries, vanilla ice cream, coffee, fresh baked bread, cherries, hints of chocolate. 

F: Medium. Coffee, cherries, chocolate, vanilla ice cream. 

Comments:

This tastes like an entry-level expression from Frapin, and is certainly lighter than some of the other cognacs that I’ve tried from that house. It’s not as deep or intense, instead, it’s rather gentle, with lighter fruit notes and some bitter sweet coffee notes. Highly enjoyable nevertheless.  

Verdict:

I like this. 

Camus VSOP Borderies 2017

Camus VSOP Borderies 2017

Brandy: Cognac

From: Borderies

House: Camus

Style: Single distillery, single vintage 

Colour: Teak

ABV: 40%

N: Cinnamon, raisins, orange peel, milk chocolate, allspice. 

M: Medium body, cool, thickens slightly, slippery. 

T: Sweet sour. Orange peel, milk chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, hints of damson jam. 

F: Long. Walnut skins, coffee, cinnamon, hints of milk chocolate. 

Comments:

Couple of firsts today - first cognac from Borderies and first coñac from Camus. It’s single vintage too! Lots of milk chocolate and cinnamon and cloves. Slightly gingery around the edges, quite enjoyable. Not incredible though, perhaps my expectations are too high. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Cognac Leyrat XO Vielle Reserve

 Cognac Leyrat XO Vielle Reserve

Brandy: Cognac

From: Fins Bois

House: Leyrat

Style: Single distillery

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: red grapes, leather, grape must, sea salt, honey, hints of fresh cut grass. 

M: Heavy body, sticky, thickens, mouth coating. 

T: Sweet salty. Blackcurrant cordial, leather, black tea, honey, sea salt, fresh cut grass. 

F: Medium. Black tea, walnuts, fresh cut grass, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments:

Rather savoury this. It’s got classic cognac flavours, it’s a bit Ribena-like, slight overtones of cough mixture, but that is quickly overtaken by savoury herbal flavours, rather like sitting in a meadow. Very enjoyable indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this.  

Hine Antique XO

Hine Antique XO

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Hine

Style: Blend

Colour: Amber gold

ABV: 40%

N: red grapes, honey, raisins, sesame, pears, hints of chocolate. 

M: light body, cool, loose, slippery. 

T: Sweet. Cherries, honey, chocolate, raisins, fresh baked bread, pears, raspberries. 

F: Medium. Mint, fresh baked bread, cherries, chocolate. 

Comments:

Hine is rapidly becoming one of my favourite cognac houses, along with NAUD. I find Hine cognacs sweet and gentle, but with layers of flavours. This one has cherries and chocolate, and is absolutely delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cognac Leyrat VSOP

Cognac Leyrat VSOP

Brandy: Cognac

From: Fins Bois

House: Leyrat

Style: Single distillery

Colour: Dark gold

ABV: 40%

N: Chocolate, prunes, raisins, coffee, sea salt. 

M: Medium body, slippery, warm, slightly tingly. 

T: Sweet salty. Butterscotch, sea salt, raisins, prunes, hints of cinnamon. 

F: Short. Blackcurrant cordial, cinnamon, sea salt, butterscotch. 

Comments:

Quite a savoury brandy, with notes of pruneaux. Almost Armagnac like, it’s reasonably robust, and doesn’t have much of the delicate nature that I associate with cognac. But maybe I’m susceptible to marketing - is Armagnac really less delicate than cognac? I suppose I need to taste a really old cognac to compare. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Jules Gautret VSOP

Jules Gautret VSOP

Brandy: Cognac

From: Petite Champagne

House: Jules Gautret

Style: Blend

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: cloves, raisins, chocolate, coffee, white grapes, hints of cedar. 

M: heavy body, thickens, cool, sticky. 

T: Sweet salty. Coffee, blackcurrant cordial, cloves, cedar, menthol, sea salt. 

F: Short. Chocolate, coffee, sea salt, fresh baked bread. 

Comments:

A very straightforward brandy, this one is a little like savoury cough mixture. There are notes of cloves, an old remedy for chesty coughs, a very strong note of blackcurrant cordial, typical cough mixture flavouring, and something salty, reminiscent of a quack cure for a cough, gargling with salt water. 

Definitely a brandy for the times of Covid. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

NAUD XO

NAUD XO

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

Style: Single distillery

House: NAUD

Colour: Walnut

ABV: 40%

N: Dried figs, raisins, black pepper, chocolate, coffee, sea salt. 

T: Light body, cool, slightly astringent, tingly. 

M: Bitter sweet. Cloves, dried figs, black pepper, olive oil, sea salt, chocolate. 

F: Medium. Black pepper, coffee, sea salt, olive oil, walnut skins. 

Comments:

I really do like NAUD cognac. It’s spicy and sweet, with lots of lovely dried fig notes and a dry tannic bitterness. I gather that the expressions aren’t that old either, to the lower end of the age ranges for each designation. Despite that, they’re complex and subtle, while packing a huge amount of sweetness.

This one also has an oily, slightly salty character to it, which goes very well with chocolate. I nibbled on some dark chocolate with the dregs of my brandy, it offset the complexity of the spirit very well indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations

 Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

Style: Single distillery

House: Pierre Ferrand

Colour: Bright gold

ABV: 46%

N: tobacco leaf, hazelnuts, sultanas, pineapples, hints of pears, hints of fresh baked bread 

M: heavy body, syrupy, thickens, sticky

T: bitter sweet. Pineapples, fresh baked bread, sultanas, vanilla, honey, peaches

F: long. Fresh baked bread, cinnamon, honey, peaches, hints of tobacco leaf

Comments:

A cognac available only once in 10 generations, as the marketing spiel would have it. It’s not half bad, almost luscious in its mouth feel. Not too many raisins in here, there’s some nutty, slightly woody notes, and a herbal hit of tobacco. Lovely stuff. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Frapin VSOP

Frapin VSOP

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

Style: Blend

House: Frapin

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: prunes, raisins, cinnamon, honey, hints of red grapes. 

M: medium body, cool, slippery, loosens

T: Sweet. Menthol, blackcurrant cordial, honey, cinnamon, red grapes, hints of rolled oats. 

F: Medium. Menthol, blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, cinnamon. 

Comments:

A blended Frapin, but one that displays the same grapey, fruity flavours as the XO I had recently. Hopefully this is the house character. I’m very keen to try more expressions from this house. 

Are there house characters in cognac, just as there are distillery characters with whisky? I don’t know for sure but there seems to be a house style for some brandies. There are relatively few independent expressions of course, so the houses can blend distillate to create a certain style without indies coming in and mucking up their branding. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Hermitage 20yo

Hermitage 20yo

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
Style: Single distillery
House: Hermitage
Colour: Amber red
ABV: 42%

N: Raisins, leather, tobacco leaf, tonka bean, black pepper.

M: Heavy body, slippery, syrupy, slightly chewy.

T: Bitter. Cherry, lemon zest, raisins, tonka bean, tobacco leaf, hints of watermelon.

F: Long. Cherry, raisins, tobacco leaf, leather, hints of watermelon.

Comments:

A rather medicinal tasting cognac, with a lush vanilla-like flavour note that I liken to tonka bean. There's also some intense cherry notes on the tongue and the finish, rather like cherry-flavoured court medicine, and some light rancio, presenting as tobacco leaf and leather. It's not quite as delicious as the 45yo Segonzac, but it's very good indeed.

Turns out 20yo cognac is indeed delicious. Well of course it is - time is always a friend of a spirit. As long as you age it properly, in wood, and it has to be good wood.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Hermitage 45yo Segonzac (2nd Release)

Hermitage 45yo Segonzac (2nd Release)

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
Style: Single distillery
House: Hermitage
Colour: Walnut
ABV: 43.5%

N: molasses, raisins, tobacco leaf, prunes, dried apricots, dried pears.

M: Medium body, tingly, cool, slightly astringent

T: Sweet. Menthol, raisins, leather, watermelon, dried pears, black tea, hints of tobacco leaf.

F: Long. Menthol, watermelon, cinnamon, dried pears, hints of leather.

Comments:

Well now, this is a real treat - 45 years in wood, heaps of flavour, just a little rancio, taking the form of a leather tobacco pouch. I think this is the second release, the first release was just a tad stronger in ABV terms. Age has somehow given this brandy an intense booming flavour profile. It goes on and on and on, I was still tasting this the day after, like the best malt whiskies.

I particularly loved the menthol notes on the tongue and on the finish. It was cooling and refreshing, making this a summer dram rather than a winter one.

Verdict:

Magnificent.

NAUD VSOP

NAUD VSOP

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
Style: Single distillery
House: NAUD
Colour: Dark amber
ABV: 40%

N: Dried figs, almonds, vanilla, honey, peaches

M: light body, cools, slippery, thickens slightly

T: Sweet salty. Damson jam, dried figs, sea salt, olives, honey, fresh baked bread.

F: Medium. Fresh baked bread, olives, black tea, peaches.

Comments:

This is the best 'young' cognac that I've tried so far. It's around 4 years old, and I must say that it has reinvigorated my interest in young cognacs. I was not overly enamoured with VS and VSOP spirits, because I felt they were harsh, and one dimensional, without the complexity that I like so much. This one though, is very good indeed - lots of fruit, but with an undertone of savouriness, olive brine perhaps, that fades to a bready, sweet-savoury finish.

The house is family-owned, with its own vineyards, and this is of their own make. The quality of the spirit is evidence in the column of owning your own spirit from fruit to bottle, where the master can control all the variables to his or her liking.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ragnaud Sabourin No 4 VS

Ragnaud Sabourin No 4 VS

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Ragnaud Sabourin
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Copper
ABV: 41%

N: Raisins, white grapes, green apples, cloves, cinnamon.

M: Light body, cool, loosens, slightly astringent.

T: Sweet sour. White grapes, green apples, damson jam, cinnamon, hints of vanilla, hints of guava.

F: Medium. Cacao nibs, vanilla, damson jam, white grapes.

Comments:

A rather young cognac, around 2 years old. The youngest in the range, I believe, which explains its pale colour. The flavour is not as anaemic though, there's green fruit, jam, and some spice, with a chocolatey finish.

I got this sample before I went off younger cognacs, and it would have been a waste not to sample it. I was pleasantly surprised, however - there's a fair bit to this cognac, and certainly more than one layer, so to speak. I had to work reasonably hard to get down to the tropical fruit, it wasn't quite as obvious as, say, the green apples on the tongue. Maybe there's something to younger brandy after all.

Verdict:

I like this.