Fuissigny Cigar Blend Cognac

[anacostiakat]

As I like variety and it is the cold as it wants to be here I got a deal on some of this cognac to try as I was running low on the XO I had.

I only sampled a little of this stuff but I found it to be way too sweet for me. I used to drink Remy fairly often but really don't drink a lot of cognac. So this was a dissapointment for me.

I think I'll go with something else next.

[sandholm]

Hi

I am a total cognac fanatic and it made me really happy to se another cognac drinker here, now when I talk to people about cognac I always get some statement:

Cognac is distilled champagne.

I would be really angry if anybody took sparkling wine (aka champagne) and distilled it (even bad champagne), cognac and sparkling wine has nothing more in comment exept that both are made from grapes. But it says champagne on the bottle, yes it does, but champagne means that the soil has a lot of limestone minerals, and what makes the sparkling wine, and conqac so special is that the limestone is picked up by the water and then transferred to the grape, and off course later shows up in the wine.

Cognac has to be heated before you drink it.

Well if you would like harsh, unpleasant cognac that both smells and taste like acetone, please heat it, but if you are after those delicate fine taste you should never heat it, keep it above room temperature but below hand warm and it will be perfect.

Now cognac is diffided up in is six crus (areas),

Grand Champagne

Petit Champagne

Borderies

Fins Bois

Bons Bois

Bois ordinaries/communs

Now fist to do is forget the last three, they are really bad and you do not want to drink any cognac from them, the cognac that are produced here is mostly for cocking.

Cognac that are made of grapes from Grand and Petit Champagne and has more than 50% of the Grand Champagne grapes are called Fine Champagne, and all cognac has to be double distillated in copper charentais still and it must age on French oak barrels.

Now there is seven different classification of conqac.

VS/*** : min age = 2.5 typical age = 4

VSOP/Réserve min age = 4,5 typical age = 6-8

VO/Napoleon min age = 6,5 typical age = 8-10

XO min age = 6,5 typical age = 15-25

Extra min age = 6,5 typical age = 20-30

Hors dage/Vieille Reserve min age = 6,5 typical age = 30-65

(Vintage) min age = 6,5 typical age = 20-40

So which cognac should I choose and from which cru? Now this is nothing that are easy and it all boils down to that limestone that makes cognac so special, but there are some guidelines, all cognac from Grand and Petit champagne need at least 15 years on oak barrels to develop that really extra ordinary taste, and personal I like the XO because it comes with all the flavors fist and then it just gets smoother, but when you taste Extra you will first get a really smooth taste and then it will explode in you mouth. Now crus that are outside champagne it might be worth looking at VO and VSOP, because these cru has much less limestone and the cognac react much more to the oak in the barrels. One final think before I list my favorite cognacs, VS is only meant for cooking and never ever for drinking, VSOP stands for Very Superior Old Pale, and where ordered from a British queen (cant remember who it was) and the French send here some quite bad cognac, Napoleon where not a classification in the beginning, but when the British where fighting Napoleon they found some barrels with cognac that had Napoleon printed on them, because it was Napoleons cognac, but the British soldiers picked it up and started calling this class Napoleon cognac.

Now my absolute favorite cognac might be hard for you to find because it is Swedish. It is called Gronstedts and why it is Swedish is because in Sweden the government has monopoly on all alcohol sales and for a long time they have sold this coqnac (that they also owned) and when other cognac houses had to change because of the whiskey trend Gronstedts didnt, because they had the Swedish market. And today Gronstedt still taste like cognac did for a hundred years ago, something the other cognac house dont do.

So if you find it, try Grönstedts XO, other cognac that I really like are

Otard XO Cognac Gold

Delamain Reserve de la Famille

Courvoisier XO Imperial

Hennessy X.O

Bache Gabrielsen XO

Delamain XO Cognac

Davidoff Classic

L de la Montagne XO

Braastad XO

Now this got quite long, and there is lot of fun information about cognac that I could keep writing, but I am really tired so sorry for all spelling errors and bad English.

// anders

By the way, if you are interested in trying Gronstedts XO I could mail you a 500 ml bottle, it cost around 40 euros, drop me an email if you are interested, it wont let you down and you will have one of the top cognac that none of your friends can fiend.

[rafa]

Have you try Brandy of Jerez (Sherry) ? It's alike cognac, but made in Spain, and it's cheaper. I can recommend Cardenal Mendoza ( Solera gran reseva ) 20 euros, 70 cl, Spain price. Usually i smoke stronger cigars with this Brandy. For lighter cigars i prefer a single malt whisky

[sandholm]

Hi

No, I have missed Brandy of Jerez, but I will definitive pick up a bottle and try it out.

When it comes to brandy I have not tried that much as with cognac, but there are some that I really like, Torres Imperial Brandy, Fundador and Jaime I that I find a nice cigar brandy.

I also like the Greek version of brandy, called Metaxa, this one has a little more vanilla/sweeter tone, one of my favorite is the Metaxa three star (***) with a Bolivar Royal Corona.

And a nice malt whisky is never wrong, but I more and less never drink that with a cigar, quite strange, and I am also one of those who like Jack Daniels.

[anacostiakat]

» Have you try Brandy of Jerez (Sherry) ? It's alike cognac, but made in

» Spain, and it's cheaper. I can recommend Cardenal Mendoza ( Solera gran

» reseva ) 20 euros, 70 cl, Spain price. Usually i smoke stronger cigars

» with this Brandy. For lighter cigars i prefer a single malt whisky

I have heard very good things about the Cardenal Mendoza. Have not actually tried any yet. I will look for it. Although I am not sure how easily I will find it in my area.