A FAMOUS ELIXIR OF LIFE

There is hardly another spirit burdened with so many cliches as the famous brandy from the small region of France. Everyone who drinks, it seems, has an opinion on Cognac, even if only that it’s expensive and a little old fashioned.

True connoisseurs, however, like to talk about the centuries old tradition, the growing region, the double distillation, raging and, most important, the assemblage, or blending of different Cognacs to make the final product.

Of course, they will also apologetically note that over the golden Elixir long history, the marketing and distribution of the pride of the grand nation has fallen behind. Producers believed that their product, on the basis of its fame and tradition, would always have enough customers and did not invest much in the way of marketing or sales.

As a result, bars began to place the bottles on the back rows and a substantial part of the younger generation lost sight of Cognac – hence today’s dated image. But over the past few years, producers have renewed their focus on their products’ appearance and on the cultivation of younger customers. For example Courvoisier hosts the Toast of Paris competition, which draws young bartenders from around the world.

In addition to the classic brands like Hennessy, Camus, Martell and Courvoisier, our experts kept mentioning smaller producers like Merlet Brothers, Jean Fillioux and Paul Beau.

The wide diversity of Cognacs make this spirit unique, especially when you consider that the entire growing area is only 80,000 hectares total. The cognac Napoleon Cigare from Chateau de Montifaud is a real insider tip, describing the family producer’s unique blend.

For Wolfgang Bonner it’s the AE d’or Embleme’s variety and sweetness that makes it so approachable: it’s a cognac that’s just plain fun, not too complicated.

Masahiko Ends prefers the Cep d’Or from Jean Fillioux, with its successful balance of fresh fruit and spice. Opening the door a bit wider, Susan Ann Mackenzie emphasises that she is currently enjoying the classic Martell VSOP because of how well it goes in cocktails. For enjoying straight up, she recommends Martell  Cordon Bleu, but that’s pushing the allotted price limit.

Omer Gazit-Sahlev has a luxury problem too: on the one hand, he wants every cognac lover to experience the Le Voyage de Napoleon XO by Courvoisier. It’s absolutely the best buy in the XO category – simply wonderful in taste, very fruity with floral and vanilla notes! Unfortunately it’s availability is limited to duty free shops (But with the younger generation jet setting tendencies, that may not be a problem).

On the other hand is Gazit-Shalev’ second favourite and all around winner of this survey, the Wine Rare VSOP. It’s Cognac with bold character and an outstanding balance of smooth wood notes and straightforward spice.

As we said at the beginning, the choice is overwhelming. We recommend that our readers start by diving in head first and tasting a variety of Cognacs. You won’t regret it!

For more information on this particular cognac, feel free to contact us today at Taylors Tobacconists.