Nice review. "A little different than your standard cognac" - that is a win apriori, IMHO. And putting the info like "distilled on the lees" is what we geeks want! Sounds like a better expression than the typical "BSOP" he-he-he :) But that price, OUCH! I am so with you on this topic - there are small Cognac houses to explore. I have XO and single barrel cognacs in my cupboard that were cheaper than this bottle. I'm talking single cru, single grape, single vineyard, above 40%, unfiltered craft stuff. That's all I buy. And Armagnac. I've tried the big 4's XO expressions and even their VS/VSOP expressions and I'll acknowledge readily that they are solid craftsmen, even VS stuff is well made. But too much hype and marketing for me to keep buying. I don't want to price-compete with rappers and pimps. I can find incredible Scotch values for less money. But here's my "economist's take" on this: just like Scotch distilleries have to "pay the bills" by producing huge volumes of spirit that goes into bottom shelf blends, which outsell the single malt globally by orders of magnitude (most people mix, let's face it). But that allows them to produce the single malt expressions with care and attention to detail, it is somewhat the same with Cognac. The big 4 buy up small farms' harvest, or their distillate, or even their ready casks to blend the mass market stuff, which keeps the small producers in business. But gradually the smaller craft producers are starting to get out into the global market. Some countries have very limited single malt selections (or none at all). So it is for us here with Cognac, but things are changing. Similar situation with American whiskey: we can wring our hands about the global multi-national corps buying up the beloved bourbon distilleries, but let's face it: they kept them from disappearing! And they are doing a good job producing sipping bourbons.
Hello Max, I absolutely love your cognac reviews As a cognac drinker/connoisseur like myself, you are right on point with all your reviews and I enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the good work and keep us informed on great cognac.
Dominique Collier Thank you so much! It truly means the world to me. I am happy to hear that my reviews are appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season! Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview Any cognac suggestions in the Northern Virginia/Southern Maryland area for between $100 to $150 range ? I like cognacs with along finish ! I like Remy Martin's XO when I can find a good bottle.. sometimes they're inconsistent ... wanted to try something equally as good or better from one of the smaller houses !
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Hi Max. Thanks for the review and also i agree 100% with your comments regarding Remy and some other Cognac houses. 10-20 years ago Remy vsop was one of the best vsop's to buy but not now, it is aged for the minimum time as the volume they sell is so high. ( vsop has to be aged at least 4 years ) and they hit the market as soon as they have passed that time. My favourite vsop is Courvoisier ( which wins many awards ) it tastes far better than most vsop's. I love Cognac and have learned about it over the years and am fortunate to have a decent collection. Three of my favourite Cognac houses that age their Cognac far longer than the requirement are. 1. Delamain their entry level Cognac is called Pale and Dry and is an XO it is aged for 25+ years ( the legal requirement is 10 years ) it is a lovely Cognac with no alcohol burn when you drink it. The next one up is called Vesper and is aged for 35+ years, very very nice. They do quite a few more but they are more expensive. 2. Frapin a great Cognac house with many nice aged Cognac's. 3. Hardy again same as Frapin lots of old aged Cognac's. It is so annoying when you pay good money for Cognac and it is not very nice. I have found with experience that it is when you taste XO and above you really begin to understand how great Cognac can taste. I have some top top bottles in my collection but I think I have written enough. Once again thanks for your comments which are bang on the money, keep up the great work.
360 Smart thank you so much for all of your kind words, input, and support. You hit the nail on the head with your top 3. Delamain is truly a treasure and the amount of aging the do vs their price points is ridiculous. Hardy is one of my favorites as well. I have been fortunate to be able to have their 140 year old “Perfection” on a few occasions. Haha. I am over due for a Frapin review. I have a few Frapin Vintages in my collection but I’ve been hesitant to open them. I will pick up a Fontipino and crack it open for the channel. Happy Holidays! Cheers 🥂
You are 100% correct. Cognac is being treated as status symbol, and as such people are gravitating to the brand names. I would highly recommend to our community the following houses: Normandin Mercier, Frapin, Tesseron and Jean Fillioux.
Hernan Diaz I appreciate the kind words! You made some great recommendations. I’ve been meaning to try Jean Fillioux. Looking forward to reviewing it soon! Happy holidays! Cheers
@@ddeleary1888 nothing wrong with trying out what’s available and popular. The issue is choosing certain brand due to their status and brand recognition. I’ve been in many situations where people have exclaimed in anticipation “can’t wait till they bring out the Hennessy” with zero irony.
Truly happy to hear that Champ! The grass is greener on this side. You make me proud! Ha. I have yet to try Meukow yet, what did you think? I keep hearing great things about Hine. It seems I have no choice but to pick up a bottle now. Hehe. Thank you for checking out the review! Happy holidays! Cheers
Love the rant and so so true. Weirdly i think i have only reviewed a couple of the big 4. All the rest are lesser known. Hine, Camus, ABK6, Brisson to name a few. Of course i am lucky to be in the UK where it is a lot more accessible. (think i read somewhere that around 80% of cognac is exported, which is quite astounding) I would definitely recommend (like you) go out and buy a lesser know brand. They are hidden gems!!! MORE COGNAC! Cheers Max
The Last Drop Hey thanks for dropping in! I loved your tasting event video you just dropped. You are fortunate in the sense that I feel like you have more exposure to smaller houses in EU or should I say UK... Haha. The monopoly issue is more pervasive here in the states and the importation/distribution hurdles probably don’t help. In general I feel like you guys are more knowledgeable out there. We will have to do a collaboration sometime! Happy holidays! Cheers
Thank you for the great review, after trying it I have to agree with you, it was not badBut it was not a $100 bottle of cognac, A toast to you in the new year, this time with a Camus Borderies XO, Cheers
He Vehemence, thanks for checking out the review! It would be a pleasure to review Hine Rare VSOP. I have had a few recommendations for it. It is overdue for a review. Cheers
I’m surprised by the comments. I recently purchased a bottle and actually like it a lot after my first try. I typically get the 1738, but stepped up to this one and thought the price increase was worth it. After reading the comments, I see I have some others to try out.
Very good review, I was thinking about buying this bottle but not anymore 100$ for a young cognac no way. Your right we should try the other cognac brands, i'm a Martell person, with the money I was going to spend on Remy Tercet I bought kelt, Hine and D'usse wow amazing cognac. Thanks, your reviews are the best
Gustavo Ortega thank you for checking out the review, and rant. Haha. I agree with you, Martell is far and away the best out of the big 4. Happy to hear that you are branching out as well. Kelt is a great Cognac with a really cool concept. Happy holidays! Cheers
I just purchased Hine Rare and Kelt from the lesser known houses… But, I just couldn’t resist the Beautiful Bottle of Martell XO staring at me.. So I gave it a new home! 🥃
Thanks for your review. Great and important words at the end. Lack of ageing is even praised by Remy Martin with their "VSOP Mature Cask Finish". That mature cask, which actually is a used/dead barrel, is actively advertized altough connaisseurs should immediately recognise the catch. If you can get "Frapin Chateaux Fontpinot" its the best cognac I have, an extremely fruity (fresh and dried) XO for $70-100. Highest value per price Ive seen. A bit hard to find.
Hey Uriel, thanks for checking out the review. The shameless marketing to compensate for the lack of maturity is maddening to say the least. I couldn’t agree with you more on Frapin! I am well overdue for a review. They are a perfect example of a small high quality Cognac house. I have a few vintages in my collection. They produce a great representation of Lee distilled expressions as well. I appreciate the recommendation! Cheers
As a man who doesn’t mind spending $100 plus on cognac I must say I agree with you 100%. I was very disappointed with this particular bottle. It really had nothing going for it. As to what you said about the smaller houses in the cognac game, absolutely correct. Delamain cognac for the price is the best you can get in my opinion.
Appreciate the comment James. It certainly fell short of reasonable expectations. Delamain has to be one of my favorite Cognac houses. I am looking forward to reviewing Vesper soon. Cheers
Cognac Dreams Delamain is hard to come by in Washington D.C., I look forward to the Vesper. I enjoy watching someone appreciate great cognac, brings a tear to my eye.
Completely agree with the rant. Any Cognac without an age statement should be avoided like the plague. I avoid the big 4 houses like the plague as well.
Tran Bronstein I tried to stay politically correct but you said it best! The selfish side of me wants the status quo to stay as is so we can keep enjoying the good stuff at rock bottom prices. Haha . Hope your doing well! Happy holidays! 🥂
I tried Hardy House VS and Maison Rouge VSOP., which is also a bottle from Hardy. pretty great cognacs and the Maison Rouge is wonderful and for the price, maybe even awesome.
JON JOHNSON hey Jon thanks for checking out the review! I agree, in general Hardy has some of the best Cognacs with the best values on the market. I haven’t tried the Maison Rouge but I will certainly look out for a bottle. Cheers 🥂
Thanks for sharing @Cognac Dreams . If at all possible, please share your top two/three brandy and top two/three whiskey... specific names to try for top quality, longer aged would be appreciated. I usually drink Remy 1738 and recently purchased the Tercet(haven't tried it yet). I would like to expand my horizons and welcome your reply! Hope to hear from you soon!
I now notice you already provided Cognac options... If possible, to please share top whiskey options, it would be appreciated! THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
Thank you Lua! I appreciate your support. It would be a pleasure. There is a huge variety of whiskeys so I will do my best. As far as American whiskey/bourbon.. my top three are EagleRare 10 year ($35), Henry Mckenna 10 year ($39), and a great Tennessee style whiskey George Dickle #12 ($23). As for scotch, there are 3 important regions to cover. For Speyside I would say Highland Park 12, Macallan 12, and Dalmore 12 are all decent values and great easy drinking introductions to Scotch. As far as Islay and the Peated scotch goes, I have to strongly recommend Ardbeg 10 ($60 a pure unchill-filtered bottle that really captures the essence of Islay), Lagavulin 16 ($70 a softer peated scotch that is aged in sherry casks. A steal for its age and price point), as well Laphroaig Triple Wood ($50 a decent Islay malt with a touch of sherry influence). The last region worth exploring is definetly more in line with Islay but unique in its own way. That region in Cambletown. There are only 3 distilleries there but it used to be a hotbed for illicit stills back in the day. The quintessential distillery in Cambletown is SpringBank. This is not a begginers scotch but it is something you will fully appreciate if you've "been around the block" so to speak. The spring bank 10 year and sherried 12 year a phenomenal! Whiskeys worth mentioning from Asia are the Hibiki Harmony ($60 a blended whiskey that is incredibly smooth and rewarding). Yamazaki 12 ($100-$150 Truly overpriced but a phenomanally smooth whiskey that really captures the heart of Japanese style malts imo), and last but not least the incredibly tasty and overpriced Kavalan! Haha. Their range absolutely overpriced but they are masters and aging whiskey in different styles of wine barrels. The Vino Barrique and Sherry Cask Soloist bottlings ($250) are truly amazing. They are both single barrel expressions bottled at 57 + Abv. The King CAr bottling is also nice at $100. I hope this helps! Cheers
If money is no object than open it. Personally I take my Cognac/Whiskey budget very seriously. I can't lie to you... a part of me (and my wallet) died when I opened it and gave it a try. There are many bottles on my list and this one didn't make the cut. Cheers
labigq I’ve only tried one of their younger expressions but it was good! I need to review and revisit Ferrand. Which expression / bottling to you recommend? Cheers
Hey, I am somewhat new to the world of cognac. I started on Courvoisier when I was freshly 21 (thanks Lady's Man), then a few years later I was shown Hennessy and liked a it a great deal. Throughout this time I was and still am a huge fan of bourbons and exploring the wide range of bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys, but enjoyed just Henny at the sam time. Then recently in the last year I discovered Pierre Ferrand and the 1840 became my main go to cognac especially for cocktails like the Japanese Cocktail and Suffering Bastard, probably will not buy Henny in that price point ever again with the knowledge of Ferrand at hand. This week I decided to treat myself and I went and bought a bottle of Martell XO and was blown away, I even said "wow if I had to drink one spirit for the rest of my life it would be this," thus I want to dive deeper into the world of cognacs. What smaller houses would you point me the in the direction of for great sippers?
DJBizio your reaction to the Martel XO brings a smile to my face. It is a truly sublime cognac. I know it’s the most expensive readily available cognac out there I actually think it’s incredibly underpriced for what it is. Like wine and When you have the right bottle you have that ahah moment. Coming from a whiskey bourbon background at imagine that you enjoy the more full-bodied Cognac’s like Pierre Ferrand has to offer. One of the unique characteristics of Ferrand is the fact that they distill the cognac with the Lees or dead yeast cells that most producers remove after distilling wine. The dead yeast cells give the cognac a little bit more of a malty musty quality and taste. One of the absolute best cognac houses out there is Frapin. It is one of the only if not the only single estate Cognac house. Meaning they own their own estate it’s privately owned and they produce their Cognac‘s from grape to barrel to bottle. Most if not all big cognac houses buy grapes from various different regions and from various different producers and blend them to create their expressions and bottlings. In addition Frapin distills on the Lees just like Ferrand so it has a very similar flavor profile. Another great recommendation although they are incredibly hard to find is Daniel Bouju. They create unfiltered cask strength Cognac expressions that will stand up to a good whiskey any day. I hope this helps. Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview so true about the Martell XO. I had a bottle of their cordon bleu, which is also one of their XO's. Best I've had so far. I have had Louis XIII by Remy Martin and feel it over priced. Ive had Hennessy Vs, vsop, xo, and master blender. Frapin vsop is a good one I've had before. 50 cent's Branson vsop is another nice one, I have an autographed bottle of that. I also purchased 2 bottles of cognac park year of the ox 2021(borderies single vineyard) excellent stuff there. A. De Fussigny is another great sleeper. I just bought the Remy Tercet and looked for reviews, that's how I stumbled across this video. I plan to enjoy. Thanks for the info gentlemen.... 🥃🍷cheers
Today, People drink it like tequila 😅. The big 4 brand names. Thanks to you, I’ve been buying different brands. I collect them but hopefully I’ll try it one of these days😂
Hey, nice video! I'm just getting into cognac and your channel has been really helpful. I bought my first XO and I was a bit let down, but that's mostly my fault because I didn't really know the house or its style. It's A de Fussigny XO which is enjoyable, but lacks fruit and caramel and many of the flavors I really love in cognac. Since you are encouraging us to buy more smaller houses, and I am all for it since they are often more affordable, what would you suggest for someone who really likes the dark, seductive aromas and flavors in cognac. The Fussigny is super long and relatively complex, but not in a fruity or floral way, and that's what I really like. For reference, I recently had Marquis de La Fayette VSOP and loved it! Thought about grabbing the XO, but I'm really curious what you would recommend. Thanks for making videos about cognac, there are so few! Keep it up!
Daren Maranya thanks for checking out the review. It’s a pleasure to hear that you appreciate them. So there’s definitely a range from fruity to floral and darker cocoa Carmel notes. The absolute best value and representation of a light fruity Cognac is Delamain Pale and Dry XO ($100). Their XO is aged 25 years, and is comprised of strictly Grand Champagne grapes which are known to be very fruit flavor forward. I find Floral notes in general to come from long extended periods of barrel aging so they are typically the higher end Cognacs that are more expensive. That being said the Borderies region in Cognac is the region known for more floral flavors and notes. I would seek out this region specifically if you truly enjoy more floral notes. The Martell XO is not cheap, but it is an incredible XO that is aged up to 35 years using both Borderies and Grand Champagne grapes. It has a ton of beautiful dried floral notes as well as candies fruit flavors. Out of the big four Cognac houses Martell XO is hands down the best! Moving on to the darker flavored Cognacs, these are at their peak after spending a ton of time in the barrel. For this reason I’d have to implore you to try an Armagnac! You can find a Marie Duffau or Delord Hors D’age (step above XO) for $50! They have a ton of age and barrel influence giving them a lot of darker notes for a great value. One of my favorite Cognac houses is Daniel Bouju. They do not filter their Cognacs and typically bottle them straight out of the barrel. Their Cognacs like the Brut de Fut ($60) is non filtered and barrel strength 60%. It is a little rough around the edges but it’s packed full of flavor and has a ton of bitter cherries, cocoa, and aged wood notes. I would certainly recommend giving them a try! I hope this helps! Lmk how your search goes. Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview thanks for the tips. I just watched your Delamain review and it does look very good. I completely agree about Martell being the best of the big 4! Personally, Hennessy flavor is nice, but rather simplistic compared to smaller houses. Remy VSOP mixes well, but is too harsh to drink neat and Courvoisier just isn't as refined as Henny or Martell. The new VSOP Aged in Red Barrels is really an interesting cognac, what is your impression? This time, I ended up getting a bottle of Camus VS "Intensely Aromatic" partially due to the use of some Borderies eau de vie. Very happy I did, this VS is smoother than most other cognacs I have tried of any age! I'm looking forward to trying more of Camus' expressions. It seems like Borderies produces flavors and aromas I enjoy very much. I haven't seen Daniel Bouju in my area but your review was interesting, as usual! Thanks again!
My pleasure. I agree. You know I haven’t tried the red barrel yet. I was disappointed in the bourbon barrel so I haven’t been in a rush to try it, but I’ve heard good things. I will look out for a bottle! Cheers
A bigwig thanks for checking out the review. It is definitely confusing but petite champagne and grand champagne are simply regions within cognac. The soil is very similar to that of the region in France known for champagne and it is located close by. So although it’s not champagne per se it does have some in direct relation. Hope this helps. Cheers
Akwida Thanks for checking out the review! It would be a pleasure! I am going to give you 3 options in the order I would choose first. Number one would be Delamain Vesper XO. A 35 year old strictly Grand Champagne Cognac (best subregion). For my second I would have to go with Hardy’s Noces Argent. An incredibly fruity sublime cognac aged thirty, forty, fifty, sixty years consisting of “Fine Champagne” grapes made from petite and grand champagne. Lastly if you can find a bottle, I would give Prunier XO a shot! I hope this helps! Cheers 🥂
kwame0630 Hey Kwame thank you for the providing the link. It is a challenge to find some of these hidden unknown gems/producers. I appreciate it! Cheers
Nice review. "A little different than your standard cognac" - that is a win apriori, IMHO. And putting the info like "distilled on the lees" is what we geeks want! Sounds like a better expression than the typical "BSOP" he-he-he :) But that price, OUCH! I am so with you on this topic - there are small Cognac houses to explore. I have XO and single barrel cognacs in my cupboard that were cheaper than this bottle. I'm talking single cru, single grape, single vineyard, above 40%, unfiltered craft stuff. That's all I buy. And Armagnac. I've tried the big 4's XO expressions and even their VS/VSOP expressions and I'll acknowledge readily that they are solid craftsmen, even VS stuff is well made. But too much hype and marketing for me to keep buying. I don't want to price-compete with rappers and pimps. I can find incredible Scotch values for less money.
But here's my "economist's take" on this: just like Scotch distilleries have to "pay the bills" by producing huge volumes of spirit that goes into bottom shelf blends, which outsell the single malt globally by orders of magnitude (most people mix, let's face it). But that allows them to produce the single malt expressions with care and attention to detail, it is somewhat the same with Cognac. The big 4 buy up small farms' harvest, or their distillate, or even their ready casks to blend the mass market stuff, which keeps the small producers in business. But gradually the smaller craft producers are starting to get out into the global market. Some countries have very limited single malt selections (or none at all). So it is for us here with Cognac, but things are changing.
Similar situation with American whiskey: we can wring our hands about the global multi-national corps buying up the beloved bourbon distilleries, but let's face it: they kept them from disappearing! And they are doing a good job producing sipping bourbons.
Well said Alex, well said! 🥂
Very smooth Cognac!
Hello Max, I absolutely love your cognac reviews As a cognac drinker/connoisseur like myself, you are right on point with all your reviews and I enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the good work and keep us informed on great cognac.
Dominique Collier Thank you so much! It truly means the world to me. I am happy to hear that my reviews are appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful Holiday season! Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview Any cognac suggestions in the Northern Virginia/Southern Maryland area for between $100 to $150 range ? I like cognacs with along finish ! I like Remy Martin's XO when I can find a good bottle.. sometimes they're inconsistent ... wanted to try something equally as good or better from one of the smaller houses !
Hi Max.
Thanks for the review and also i agree 100% with your comments regarding Remy and some other Cognac houses. 10-20 years ago Remy vsop was one of the best vsop's to buy but not now, it is aged for the minimum time as the volume they sell is so high. ( vsop has to be aged at least 4 years ) and they hit the market as soon as they have passed that time. My favourite vsop is Courvoisier ( which wins many awards ) it tastes far better than most vsop's. I love Cognac and have learned about it over the years and am fortunate to have a decent collection. Three of my favourite Cognac houses that age their Cognac far longer than the requirement are. 1. Delamain their entry level Cognac is called Pale and Dry and is an XO it is aged for 25+ years ( the legal requirement is 10 years ) it is a lovely Cognac with no alcohol burn when you drink it. The next one up is called Vesper and is aged for 35+ years, very very nice. They do quite a few more but they are more expensive. 2. Frapin a great Cognac house with many nice aged Cognac's. 3. Hardy again same as Frapin lots of old aged Cognac's. It is so annoying when you pay good money for Cognac and it is not very nice. I have found with experience that it is when you taste XO and above you really begin to understand how great Cognac can taste. I have some top top bottles in my collection but I think I have written enough. Once again thanks for your comments which are bang on the money, keep up the great work.
360 Smart thank you so much for all of your kind words, input, and support. You hit the nail on the head with your top 3. Delamain is truly a treasure and the amount of aging the do vs their price points is ridiculous. Hardy is one of my favorites as well. I have been fortunate to be able to have their 140 year old “Perfection” on a few occasions. Haha. I am over due for a Frapin review. I have a few Frapin Vintages in my collection but I’ve been hesitant to open them. I will pick up a Fontipino and crack it open for the channel. Happy Holidays! Cheers 🥂
Really good advice! Thanks to Max, I'm now out here buying cognac bottles every week. Lol
Thanks BigHomey, I appreciate the kind words. You're setting a great example! hehe. Cheers
You are 100% correct. Cognac is being treated as status symbol, and as such people are gravitating to the brand names. I would highly recommend to our community the following houses: Normandin Mercier, Frapin, Tesseron and Jean Fillioux.
Hernan Diaz I appreciate the kind words! You made some great recommendations. I’ve been meaning to try Jean Fillioux. Looking forward to reviewing it soon! Happy holidays! Cheers
hard to not judge a bottle by the name .. if you havent drank it prior.
@@ddeleary1888 nothing wrong with trying out what’s available and popular. The issue is choosing certain brand due to their status and brand recognition. I’ve been in many situations where people have exclaimed in anticipation “can’t wait till they bring out the Hennessy” with zero irony.
awful... i think personally ypu half to keep an open mind. cheaper non name brand for us 🤣🤣
im gunna try em out ... one bottle at a time boys 🤣🤣
I totally agree, for the past year I have stopped purchasing from the big 4 and now I'm buying Camus, Hardy, Hine and Meukow
Truly happy to hear that Champ! The grass is greener on this side. You make me proud! Ha. I have yet to try Meukow yet, what did you think? I keep hearing great things about Hine. It seems I have no choice but to pick up a bottle now. Hehe. Thank you for checking out the review! Happy holidays! Cheers
Love the rant and so so true.
Weirdly i think i have only reviewed a couple of the big 4. All the rest are lesser known. Hine, Camus, ABK6, Brisson to name a few.
Of course i am lucky to be in the UK where it is a lot more accessible. (think i read somewhere that around 80% of cognac is exported, which is quite astounding)
I would definitely recommend (like you) go out and buy a lesser know brand. They are hidden gems!!!
MORE COGNAC!
Cheers Max
The Last Drop Hey thanks for dropping in! I loved your tasting event video you just dropped. You are fortunate in the sense that I feel like you have more exposure to smaller houses in EU or should I say UK... Haha. The monopoly issue is more pervasive here in the states and the importation/distribution hurdles probably don’t help. In general I feel like you guys are more knowledgeable out there. We will have to do a collaboration sometime! Happy holidays! Cheers
Thank you for the great review, after trying it I have to agree with you, it was not badBut it was not a $100 bottle of cognac, A toast to you in the new year, this time with a Camus Borderies XO, Cheers
Love your reviews! Btw could you please review "Hine Rare VSOP"? Really curious to hear what you think about it.
He Vehemence, thanks for checking out the review! It would be a pleasure to review Hine Rare VSOP. I have had a few recommendations for it. It is overdue for a review. Cheers
It’s good, I recommend it.
I’m surprised by the comments. I recently purchased a bottle and actually like it a lot after my first try. I typically get the 1738, but stepped up to this one and thought the price increase was worth it. After reading the comments, I see I have some others to try out.
Very good review, I was thinking about buying this bottle but not anymore 100$ for a young cognac no way. Your right we should try the other cognac brands, i'm a Martell person, with the money I was going to spend on Remy Tercet I bought kelt, Hine and D'usse wow amazing cognac. Thanks, your reviews are the best
Gustavo Ortega thank you for checking out the review, and rant. Haha. I agree with you, Martell is far and away the best out of the big 4. Happy to hear that you are branching out as well. Kelt is a great Cognac with a really cool concept. Happy holidays! Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview Happy Holidays to you as well and Cheers
I just purchased Hine Rare and Kelt from the lesser known houses… But, I just couldn’t resist the Beautiful Bottle of Martell XO staring at me.. So I gave it a new home! 🥃
Thanks for your review. Great and important words at the end. Lack of ageing is even praised by Remy Martin with their "VSOP Mature Cask Finish". That mature cask, which actually is a used/dead barrel, is actively advertized altough connaisseurs should immediately recognise the catch.
If you can get "Frapin Chateaux Fontpinot" its the best cognac I have, an extremely fruity (fresh and dried) XO for $70-100. Highest value per price Ive seen. A bit hard to find.
Hey Uriel, thanks for checking out the review. The shameless marketing to compensate for the lack of maturity is maddening to say the least. I couldn’t agree with you more on Frapin! I am well overdue for a review. They are a perfect example of a small high quality Cognac house. I have a few vintages in my collection. They produce a great representation of Lee distilled expressions as well. I appreciate the recommendation! Cheers
As a man who doesn’t mind spending $100 plus on cognac I must say I agree with you 100%. I was very disappointed with this particular bottle. It really had nothing going for it. As to what you said about the smaller houses in the cognac game, absolutely correct. Delamain cognac for the price is the best you can get in my opinion.
Appreciate the comment James. It certainly fell short of reasonable expectations. Delamain has to be one of my favorite Cognac houses. I am looking forward to reviewing Vesper soon. Cheers
Cognac Dreams Delamain is hard to come by in Washington D.C., I look forward to the Vesper. I enjoy watching someone appreciate great cognac, brings a tear to my eye.
People could try Ferrand, Tesseron, Hardy, Hine, Navarre, Camus, etc. There are also good Armagnacs like Delord.
Completely agree with the rant. Any Cognac without an age statement should be avoided like the plague. I avoid the big 4 houses like the plague as well.
Tran Bronstein I tried to stay politically correct but you said it best! The selfish side of me wants the status quo to stay as is so we can keep enjoying the good stuff at rock bottom prices. Haha . Hope your doing well! Happy holidays! 🥂
Great review as always..
Thank you Ibrah! I appreciate the kind words and support! Cheers
I agree with you brother! It is not aging long enough due to sells, and you can find really good congac for good prices
Thanks keyvin! Cheers
Great review Max
Hey AJ, thanks for checking out the review! I appreciate the support! Cheers
What about frapin? Or kelt ?
Hope you have more cognac introduction,well said,
Thesky Lau Thanks Lua! Cheers
I tried Hardy House VS and Maison Rouge VSOP., which is also a bottle from Hardy. pretty great cognacs and the Maison Rouge is wonderful and for the price, maybe even awesome.
JON JOHNSON hey Jon thanks for checking out the review! I agree, in general Hardy has some of the best Cognacs with the best values on the market. I haven’t tried the Maison Rouge but I will certainly look out for a bottle. Cheers 🥂
Thanks for sharing @Cognac Dreams . If at all possible, please share your top two/three brandy and top two/three whiskey... specific names to try for top quality, longer aged would be appreciated. I usually drink Remy 1738 and recently purchased the Tercet(haven't tried it yet). I would like to expand my horizons and welcome your reply! Hope to hear from you soon!
I now notice you already provided Cognac options... If possible, to please share top whiskey options, it would be appreciated! THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
Last but not least, I am now wondering if I should take the Percet back... or is it worth the try... your thoughts??
Thank you Lua! I appreciate your support. It would be a pleasure. There is a huge variety of whiskeys so I will do my best. As far as American whiskey/bourbon.. my top three are EagleRare 10 year ($35), Henry Mckenna 10 year ($39), and a great Tennessee style whiskey George Dickle #12 ($23). As for scotch, there are 3 important regions to cover. For Speyside I would say Highland Park 12, Macallan 12, and Dalmore 12 are all decent values and great easy drinking introductions to Scotch. As far as Islay and the Peated scotch goes, I have to strongly recommend Ardbeg 10 ($60 a pure unchill-filtered bottle that really captures the essence of Islay), Lagavulin 16 ($70 a softer peated scotch that is aged in sherry casks. A steal for its age and price point), as well Laphroaig Triple Wood ($50 a decent Islay malt with a touch of sherry influence). The last region worth exploring is definetly more in line with Islay but unique in its own way. That region in Cambletown. There are only 3 distilleries there but it used to be a hotbed for illicit stills back in the day. The quintessential distillery in Cambletown is SpringBank. This is not a begginers scotch but it is something you will fully appreciate if you've "been around the block" so to speak. The spring bank 10 year and sherried 12 year a phenomenal! Whiskeys worth mentioning from Asia are the Hibiki Harmony ($60 a blended whiskey that is incredibly smooth and rewarding). Yamazaki 12 ($100-$150 Truly overpriced but a phenomanally smooth whiskey that really captures the heart of Japanese style malts imo), and last but not least the incredibly tasty and overpriced Kavalan! Haha. Their range absolutely overpriced but they are masters and aging whiskey in different styles of wine barrels. The Vino Barrique and Sherry Cask Soloist bottlings ($250) are truly amazing. They are both single barrel expressions bottled at 57 + Abv. The King CAr bottling is also nice at $100. I hope this helps! Cheers
If money is no object than open it. Personally I take my Cognac/Whiskey budget very seriously. I can't lie to you... a part of me (and my wallet) died when I opened it and gave it a try. There are many bottles on my list and this one didn't make the cut. Cheers
Lu A 🥂
Pierre Farrand is one of my favorite brands
labigq I’ve only tried one of their younger expressions but it was good! I need to review and revisit Ferrand. Which expression / bottling to you recommend? Cheers
I’m a cognac newb but Hine rare is good IMO. Just to give an option outside those big 2 he’s talking about.
Hey, I am somewhat new to the world of cognac. I started on Courvoisier when I was freshly 21 (thanks Lady's Man), then a few years later I was shown Hennessy and liked a it a great deal. Throughout this time I was and still am a huge fan of bourbons and exploring the wide range of bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys, but enjoyed just Henny at the sam time. Then recently in the last year I discovered Pierre Ferrand and the 1840 became my main go to cognac especially for cocktails like the Japanese Cocktail and Suffering Bastard, probably will not buy Henny in that price point ever again with the knowledge of Ferrand at hand. This week I decided to treat myself and I went and bought a bottle of Martell XO and was blown away, I even said "wow if I had to drink one spirit for the rest of my life it would be this," thus I want to dive deeper into the world of cognacs. What smaller houses would you point me the in the direction of for great sippers?
DJBizio your reaction to the Martel XO brings a smile to my face. It is a truly sublime cognac. I know it’s the most expensive readily available cognac out there I actually think it’s incredibly underpriced for what it is. Like wine and When you have the right bottle you have that ahah moment. Coming from a whiskey bourbon background at imagine that you enjoy the more full-bodied Cognac’s like Pierre Ferrand has to offer. One of the unique characteristics of Ferrand is the fact that they distill the cognac with the Lees or dead yeast cells that most producers remove after distilling wine. The dead yeast cells give the cognac a little bit more of a malty musty quality and taste. One of the absolute best cognac houses out there is Frapin. It is one of the only if not the only single estate Cognac house. Meaning they own their own estate it’s privately owned and they produce their Cognac‘s from grape to barrel to bottle. Most if not all big cognac houses buy grapes from various different regions and from various different producers and blend them to create their expressions and bottlings. In addition Frapin distills on the Lees just like Ferrand so it has a very similar flavor profile. Another great recommendation although they are incredibly hard to find is Daniel Bouju. They create unfiltered cask strength Cognac expressions that will stand up to a good whiskey any day. I hope this helps. Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview Thank you so much for such an eloquent response!
My pleasure! 🥂
@@MaxsCognacReview so true about the Martell XO. I had a bottle of their cordon bleu, which is also one of their XO's. Best I've had so far. I have had Louis XIII by Remy Martin and feel it over priced. Ive had Hennessy Vs, vsop, xo, and master blender. Frapin vsop is a good one I've had before. 50 cent's Branson vsop is another nice one, I have an autographed bottle of that. I also purchased 2 bottles of cognac park year of the ox 2021(borderies single vineyard) excellent stuff there. A. De Fussigny is another great sleeper. I just bought the Remy Tercet and looked for reviews, that's how I stumbled across this video. I plan to enjoy. Thanks for the info gentlemen.... 🥃🍷cheers
Today, People drink it like tequila 😅. The big 4 brand names. Thanks to you, I’ve been buying different brands. I collect them but hopefully I’ll try it one of these days😂
That's real talk Max
You know damn right! Haha! Happy holidays! 🥂
Hey, nice video! I'm just getting into cognac and your channel has been really helpful. I bought my first XO and I was a bit let down, but that's mostly my fault because I didn't really know the house or its style. It's A de Fussigny XO which is enjoyable, but lacks fruit and caramel and many of the flavors I really love in cognac. Since you are encouraging us to buy more smaller houses, and I am all for it since they are often more affordable, what would you suggest for someone who really likes the dark, seductive aromas and flavors in cognac. The Fussigny is super long and relatively complex, but not in a fruity or floral way, and that's what I really like. For reference, I recently had Marquis de La Fayette VSOP and loved it! Thought about grabbing the XO, but I'm really curious what you would recommend.
Thanks for making videos about cognac, there are so few! Keep it up!
Daren Maranya thanks for checking out the review. It’s a pleasure to hear that you appreciate them. So there’s definitely a range from fruity to floral and darker cocoa Carmel notes. The absolute best value and representation of a light fruity Cognac is Delamain Pale and Dry XO ($100). Their XO is aged 25 years, and is comprised of strictly Grand Champagne grapes which are known to be very fruit flavor forward. I find Floral notes in general to come from long extended periods of barrel aging so they are typically the higher end Cognacs that are more expensive. That being said the Borderies region in Cognac is the region known for more floral flavors and notes. I would seek out this region specifically if you truly enjoy more floral notes. The Martell XO is not cheap, but it is an incredible XO that is aged up to 35 years using both Borderies and Grand Champagne grapes. It has a ton of beautiful dried floral notes as well as candies fruit flavors. Out of the big four Cognac houses Martell XO is hands down the best! Moving on to the darker flavored Cognacs, these are at their peak after spending a ton of time in the barrel. For this reason I’d have to implore you to try an Armagnac! You can find a Marie Duffau or Delord Hors D’age (step above XO) for $50! They have a ton of age and barrel influence giving them a lot of darker notes for a great value. One of my favorite Cognac houses is Daniel Bouju. They do not filter their Cognacs and typically bottle them straight out of the barrel. Their Cognacs like the Brut de Fut ($60) is non filtered and barrel strength 60%. It is a little rough around the edges but it’s packed full of flavor and has a ton of bitter cherries, cocoa, and aged wood notes. I would certainly recommend giving them a try! I hope this helps! Lmk how your search goes. Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview thanks for the tips. I just watched your Delamain review and it does look very good. I completely agree about Martell being the best of the big 4! Personally, Hennessy flavor is nice, but rather simplistic compared to smaller houses. Remy VSOP mixes well, but is too harsh to drink neat and Courvoisier just isn't as refined as Henny or Martell. The new VSOP Aged in Red Barrels is really an interesting cognac, what is your impression?
This time, I ended up getting a bottle of Camus VS "Intensely Aromatic" partially due to the use of some Borderies eau de vie. Very happy I did, this VS is smoother than most other cognacs I have tried of any age! I'm looking forward to trying more of Camus' expressions. It seems like Borderies produces flavors and aromas I enjoy very much. I haven't seen Daniel Bouju in my area but your review was interesting, as usual! Thanks again!
My pleasure. I agree. You know I haven’t tried the red barrel yet. I was disappointed in the bourbon barrel so I haven’t been in a rush to try it, but I’ve heard good things. I will look out for a bottle! Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview I would definitely watch a review of the new Martell VSOP if you made the video!
I second that! thank you for venting the truth💯 but Martell is King 👑
a de fussigny cognac and larressingle armagnac the martel blue swift is great for the price
J. Warren 🥂
I just brought a bottle of Tercet, honestly I like Martell VSOP, Blue Swift and Cordon Bleu way better.
Does it actually have champagne in it? Forgive my ignorance
A bigwig thanks for checking out the review. It is definitely confusing but petite champagne and grand champagne are simply regions within cognac. The soil is very similar to that of the region in France known for champagne and it is located close by. So although it’s not champagne per se it does have some in direct relation. Hope this helps. Cheers
@@MaxsCognacReview thanks for the quick lesson. I wish Remy Martin would bring back their Grand Cru
Correction I meant VintageLiquors.com
Max,
I have $150-200 for a bottle of XO.
What would you recommend?
Thanks in advance.
Akwida Thanks for checking out the review! It would be a pleasure! I am going to give you 3 options in the order I would choose first. Number one would be Delamain Vesper XO. A 35 year old strictly Grand Champagne Cognac (best subregion). For my second I would have to go with Hardy’s Noces Argent. An incredibly fruity sublime cognac aged thirty, forty, fifty, sixty years consisting of “Fine Champagne” grapes made from petite and grand champagne. Lastly if you can find a bottle, I would give Prunier XO a shot! I hope this helps! Cheers 🥂
I agree with you Max
Marko Pađan thank you Marko! Sometimes the truth hurts but it’s necessary for growth. Haha. Cheers 🥂
Just throw that lid off.... I get it mane.
I told my friends if they stop by and drink kelt. they will never drink Hennessy again
Cheers bro’
Solar cheers 🥂
I could not agree with you anymore Max.. I had hunt and search for Drouet XO in SC and ask the manager to keep it stock....
I am going to have to keep my eye out for the Drouet. I can’t wait to try it!
I've been shopping vintagewines.com and finding some gems from smaller houses with so much flavor and character at a fraction of the price.
kwame0630 Hey Kwame thank you for the providing the link. It is a challenge to find some of these hidden unknown gems/producers. I appreciate it! Cheers
If u like this checkout Anythangoes podcast on UA-cam good content
This is garbage