Cognac anyone?

[Stevieboy]

Puff.

Ah right...I thought he was called Scotty

[Puff Scotty]

Enlighten us o wise one....

Nearly all cognac is sold at the same ABV & as Arf pointed out, that does diminish in the cask...
But..
The gradings used Vs, VSOP, XO only signify the age of the Cognac not typically the strength of flavour..
This is determined by the master blender and the area (crus) that the grapes were grown..

[tippexx]

are older ones generally stronger in flavour?

I don't think 'stronger' is the right word. 'Complex' I think is closer (although I'm not really a Cognac drinker either) and the degree of complexity will vary depending on the grapes used and where they are sourced with in the Region. (Think in terms cigars, a robust flavour isn't necessarily a great flavour).

- VS (Very Special – aged for at least 2 years, example includes Courvoisier VS Cognac);
- to VSOP (Very Special Old Pale – aged for at least 4 years, but generally much longer, example includes Remy Martin VSOP Cognac);
- to XO (Extra Old – with the youngest contribution aged at least 6 years, but more commonly upwards of 20 years, example includes Courvoisier XO Cognac).

Generally, the longer the cognac is aged, the higher its grade and the more rounded and complex the flavour. The flavour improves it doesn't become stronger.

[Puff Scotty]

Ah right...I thought he was called Scotty

Call me anything but don't call me 'late for dinner'....

[senor_robusto]

i totally agree with dave's (puff scotty) point of view!! i do drink cognac, and the system is, ahem, IMO, nonsense!! in a way, it's no different than saying that only cohiba behikes should be smoked with XO cognacs!! incidentally, one of my favourite pairings is a SLR series A with my beloved hine rare champagne cognac!! i can recall a successful pairing last year with the remy martin centaur and HdM epicure no.1!! cohibas seem to go well with remy martin vsop....... i guess it all comes down to the individual's taste!!

but getting back on point, the older the cognac, the more there's flavour, not strength!!

alex

[daniel2001]

Just out of curiosity, when a cognac is bottled are they generally watered down (like gin) to reduce the ABV to the 40% that most seem to be?

I like a cognac every now and then, but haven't really tried paring any with cigars - usually wine, whisky, beer or coffee for me, will have to do some experimenting.

[cigarsam]

Haha when did this old chestnut crawl out of the moth ridden computer room in Aberdeenshire whence it came?

I didn't mean that they were stronger, more that I find if you pair a light bodied cigar with an XO cognac, it is overpowered with complexity and flavour and you find that you could have just had the XO on its own!
I do however not have the vast years of Dave and therefore am most probably wrong :P Feel free to send me an XO and a Medium Bodied LE to prove your point

As for watering down... I hope not!

[cj121]

That's what I thought you meant

[Puff Scotty]

[cj121]

Not quite as smart ass as this though...

"Thanks for sharing your opinion Sam...
but in all honesty I find your system totally flawed..
the age of a Cognac has nothing to do with the strength IMHO."

[Puff Scotty]

What! No constructive criticism allowed anymore...perfectly reasonable post..as always...

[butternutsquashpie]

Just out of curiosity, when a cognac is bottled are they generally watered down (like gin) to reduce the ABV to the 40% that most seem to be?

I like a cognac every now and then, but haven't really tried paring any with cigars - usually wine, whisky, beer or coffee for me, will have to do some experimenting.

it's EXACTLY like whiskey. The have casket strength (56-70%) which they age in the wooden barrels. Primarily to save space. Then they can dilute and flavour it with the water of scotland.
The same is with Cognacs, they barrel them at 60-75% and then add french spring water to age it. the water then adds to the flavour as it is of "Cognac Earth" which is what actually makes the cognac, cognac.

[Puff Scotty]

A casket is what you bury someone in...

[butternutsquashpie]

A casket is what you bury someone in...

ack, verdammt. Cask strength** is what i meant, haha
There's a joke dealing with dying of alcohol poisoning, but i can't think of it........

[RobustoClubHavana]

Having a little drop of the Audry Memorial cognac tonight fine champagne cognac or aged as long as XO
think master of malt sell this for approx ?100