whiskey, cognac, brandy

[TheRiddick]

Johnny,

For the most part, I avoid any Cognac that has a "designation". If you look at all the small house, family owned Cognacs on the market, they don't have any designation to begin with, simply some proprietary name that means something for that particular house.

For example, most any small house Cognac STARTS with a blend that is about 10 average, meaning some of the components may be 5 years old and others that are 15 years old. This easily surpasses even the XO designation, which is used by most "commercial" houses such as Martell, Remy, Hennessy and others.

I don't even remember the last time I drank any Cognac with a "designation", I was gifted a bottle of Hennessy XO recently and I am not looking towards drinking it: too much oak, artificial coloring (any red tint means that) and little nuance. TO MY PALATE, YMMMV of course. Many houses do marketing tricks by having their products in expensive crystal bottles, but the product inside is same old oak driven, color tinted and little nuanced brandy.

Look for small houses, such as Delamaine, Ferrand, Deret, Gourmel (my favorite), Hine and a few others. A bit more money, but then you're buying and enjoying, say, something on the order of a high end smoke (Opus, DPG, Tats, Illusione, etc) versus Swisher Sweets.

Per your post above, ALL the houses I listed are ABOVE the mentioned grades, in many cases way above (20-30+ years blends). Guaranteed. I've been drinking them since mid '80s and can highly recommend them. Even their "bottom end" is way above the best of the big houses.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Look for small houses, such as Delamaine, Ferrand, Deret, Gourmel (my favorite), Hine and a few others. A bit more money, but then you're buying and enjoying, say, something on the order of a high end smoke (Opus, DPG, Tats, Illusione, etc) versus Swisher Sweets.

I can't say enough about chosing the small houses when it comes to Cognac. There's no comparasion between dollar to dollar spent. I really love Ferrand and it's pretty well distributed. $50 or so should get you something to show off.

[JohnnyFlake]

Originally Posted by TheRiddick

Johnny,

For the most part, I avoid any Cognac that has a "designation". If you look at all the small house, family owned Cognacs on the market, they don't have any designation to begin with, simply some proprietary name that means something for that particular house.

For example, most any small house Cognac STARTS with a blend that is about 10 average, meaning some of the components may be 5 years old and others that are 15 years old. This easily surpasses even the XO designation, which is used by most "commercial" houses such as Martell, Remy, Hennessy and others.

I don't even remember the last time I drank any Cognac with a "designation", I was gifted a bottle of Hennessy XO recently and I am not looking towards drinking it: too much oak, artificial coloring (any red tint means that) and little nuance. TO MY PALATE, YMMMV of course. Many houses do marketing tricks by having their products in expensive crystal bottles, but the product inside is same old oak driven, color tinted and little nuanced brandy.

Look for small houses, such as Delamaine, Ferrand, Deret, Gourmel (my favorite), Hine and a few others. A bit more money, but then you're buying and enjoying, say, something on the order of a high end smoke (Opus, DPG, Tats, Illusione, etc) versus Swisher Sweets.

Per your post above, ALL the houses I listed are ABOVE the mentioned grades, in many cases way above (20-30+ years blends). Guaranteed. I've been drinking them since mid '80s and can highly recommend them. Even their "bottom end" is way above the best of the big houses.

That's interesting. I am not much a Cognac person, however, I do indulge on occasion. I don't have a bottle at this time, but there is a Cognac from Spain that I really enjoy, however, I do not recall the name of it exactly. It's something like El Presidente, etc. My son usually picks it up for me in the Chicago area and brings a bottle in when he comes to visit.

Are the designations only used on the French Cognacs?

[quote=JohnnyFlake;284057]That's interesting. I am not much a Cognac person, however, I do indulge on occasion. I don't have a bottle at this time, but there is a Cognac from Spain that I really enjoy, however, I do not recall the name of it exactly. It's something like El Presidente, etc. My son usually picks it up for me in the Chicago area and brings a bottle in when he comes to visit.

Are the designations only used on the French Cognacs?[/QUOTE

brandy made in Spanish town of Jerez can be called cognac but only brandy from there outside jerez its called brandy

[yourchoice]

Okay, this thread is taking a cognac turn, so I will ask a question... I'm a very big fan of scotch. Scotch and gin are generally my two favorite libations. I am interested in trying a cognac (or brandy). Is there a reasonably priced, reasonably available cognac someone could recommend? I would hate to buy something that is subpar leading me to swear off cognac in the future. TYIA!

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Okay, this thread is taking a cognac turn, so I will ask a question... I'm a very big fan of scotch. Scotch and gin are generally my two favorite libations. I am interested in trying a cognac (or brandy). Is there a reasonably priced, reasonably available cognac someone could recommend? I would hate to buy something that is subpar leading me to swear off cognac in the future. TYIA!

Any Pierre Ferrand that matches your wallet is a welcome choice. At $40 or $500, each bottle is a relatvie bragain and a sound decision.