Our Favorite VSOP Cognacs

D’USSÉ is a new brand, however, it's produced by Baron Otard, which has a history stretching back centuries, not to mention its own castle, the Château de Cognac along the Chartente river. The Baron Otard label itself has never been for sale in the United States. Enter, D’USSÉ's lineup, which was designed from the start to appeal to the American palate. The VSOP incorporates eaux-de-vie aged between four and eight years, and is meant to either hold up on its own or work well in mixed drinks.

If you've ever had a VSOP Cognac, chances are it was Rémy. Released in 1927, this classic VSOP is a Fine Champagne Cognac with 55% coming from Grande Champagne. The grapes used for the House of Rémy are predominately ugni blanc (97%). This is a blend of over 200 eaux de vie which were aged 4-12 years.

Bisquit & Dubouché is a brand from the 200-year-old Maison Fondée Cognac house which made a long awaited debut in the United States at the end of 2021. The maison focuses on a sensory-based and intuitive approach to cognac distillation and maturation. The VSOP includes grapes from the Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fin Bois, and Bons Bois regions, and is bottled at 40% ABV.

Hennessy uses grapes grown in four of the six sub-regions of Cognac: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, and Fins Bois. Their Privilège VSOP is said to have been created in 1817 after the then Prince Regent of the UK and later King George IV requested a VSOP from Hennessy be created. This is a blend of up to 60 eaux de vie aged up to 15 years.

Camus VSOP Cognac is part of the core range of cognacs from the largest family-owned cognac house. All cognacs from the house include at least some eaux-de-vie from the Borderies region. The VSOP is part of its collection of intensely aromatic cognacs. The wines are distilled on the lees and a technique called "Instensity" is used in the distillation process where the "heads" that present the best aromatic qualities are selected rather than being redistilled and set aside. The eaux-de-vie is matured in small, lightly toasted fine grain French oak. Aged a minimum of 4 years.

Made with ugni blanc grapes, Cognac Park VSOP is a blend of brandies from the Fins Bois, Petite Champagne, and Grande Champagne crus. The eau-de-vie sits in lightly toasted new casks of French Limousin oak for 8 months, before being transferred to older, used casks for a total of 8 to 12 years of maturation. After blending, it is bottled at 40% ABV.

This expression is made from certified 100% organic ugni blanc, folle blanche, and colombard grapes grown across 10 properties in the Fins Bois, Borderies, and Petite Champagne districts of Cognac. The eaux-de-vie is made according to ECOCERT specifications, reduced in 4 stages, and aged for 6 to 7 years in lightly toasted Limousin oak barrels. It is bottled at 80 proof.

This VSOP from HINE is comprised of about 60% Grand Champagne and the remainder using Petite Champagne eaux-de-vie making this a Fine Champagne Cognac. The age for the cognac used in this blend range from 6-12 years with the average age being 8 years.