Category: Brandy Bottle Reviews

We are very proud of our new addition to the Hermitage range as single estate Grande Champagne cognacs have become a rarity and to find a naturally aged 25 year old is very special indeed.  Cognacs that have aged for this period of time in oak casks build a level of complexity which exhibits the distiller’s style and passion for his work.  This cognac is indeed very special since it comes from the very heart of the top cru and is made by one of the finest distillers in the industry.  The complex aromas and flavours include citrus peel and… Read more

It is always difficult to try and understand how the big cognac houses perceive their customers loyalty to their products. Clearly brand loyalty is a powerful tool, but one has to ask how many XO products it is possible to launch on the market before questions get asked about what they are really buying. The new Christian de Portzamparc exclusive XO will only be available in the Far East. It is said to be a blend of some of their older cognacs and almost certainly contains some from the Merinvil cellars they aquired a few years ago, where there were… Read more

We probably wouldn’t be shouting about this cognac just yet but it is worth mentioning since it has just won a Masters medal at the Cognac Masters Competition. The Cognac was distilled close to Ambleville in Grande Champagne and has been kept in damp cellars. The cognac has been aged in Limousin oak barrels for more than 20 years and it has developed a lovely light citric and floral aroma with dry apricot and some honey flavours. It is a light coloured cognac with colours of light straw and gold providing a most unusual combination of finesse and delicacy. There… Read more

As a bit of interesting deviation from the cognacs and armagnacs we normally feature here, we thought it might be worthwhile tasting the macerated fruit eau de vie often used with wine, champagne or in cooking when a strong blackcurrant flavour is desired. The Nusbaumer Supreme de Cassis is without doubt one of the very finest cassis we have tasted. The blackcurrant flavour is intense and has been describes as even stronger than blackcurrants themselves. It is truly delicious and poured over desserts such as ice crème is enchanting. Nusbaumer also have a number of other macerated fruit eaux de… Read more

Finding a good 1900 these days is becoming a real trial and we have tasted many that are way off the mark in both style and balance. So we were over the moon when we found one we liked from a cellar in Bouteville between Segonzac and Chateauneuf in Grande Champagne. Moreover we have discovered that there is more than two hundred litres available to us. The cognac has been kept in cellars and in Limousin cask for more than 50 years and has matured slowly providing a relatively complex cognac and stylish cognac. It was made on 25 hltr… Read more

During our travels in Cognac we often come across and taste new products, this time it’s with a difference. Monteru ‘Eau de Vie No 1 Original’ is double distilled in the traditional manner, but from specific grape varietal wines. Intended to be complementary to cognac rather than to compete, there are a number of grape varieties to choose from. We’ve sampled the Merlot and Chardonnay. Light in colour and with a pleasant aroma that reflected the individual grape of the base wine, we were intrigued to see what flavours would be within. However, as sometimes happens, the anticipation was better… Read more

It is perhaps something of a rare treat to find a Borderies cognac, let alone a decent Borderies cognac. Most of the nutty and rich toffee eaux de vie are snapped up by Martell and Hennessy, who have always tried to get all there is from this tiny cru. Some of the cognacs produced here are legendary with their dark toffee and nutty flavours. The soil here has a more clay type structure with a shale layer, but the climate is probably more temperate than the Champagnes. The Hermitage 1914 Borderies Cognac has aged in oak for more than 70 years and… Read more

It is always difficult to highlight one of our own cognacs, but we believe rightly that all cognacs are reviewed under an equal status, no matter whose label is on the bottle. The 1999 was introduced initially as a first young vintage, but in 2009 it was decided that we needed to sell a 2000 as a more attractive vintage for 2010. We currently have about 600 bottles remaining, but at present the current saleable stock of the 2000 vintage is now less than 200 bottles after a Russian order has absorbed 150 of them! A new 2000 will be available… Read more

Sometimes in summer we think of more fruity drinks and with the lower distillation range of 52 – 72 degrees there is ample scope to develop the plummy flavours of good armagnac. Delord have a superb range of vintage armagnacs, but like so many armagnac houses they have recognised that these vintages will one day run out. The firm is determined to state ages on their bottles, and we have chosen the 20 year old Bas Armagnac to test. One can never be entirely happy with the concept of blending brandies together, as variations can occur that create differences in… Read more

The 43 year old Grande Champagne Cognac by Hermitage is probably going to be of the finest in our history. It is produced from vineyards around Segonzac in the very centre of Grande Champagne. The distillers have four large stills with 123 hectares of vineyards around Segonzac and based in key areas where the very finest conditions exist. The grape variety is all Ugni Blanc. Their main cellars are quite large and are on two levels each containing probably several thousand 350 litre barrels. The walls of the cellars are thick and the lower floor is below ground level allowing good… Read more