The Top Community Rated Brandies From Last Week

The Laird family has been distilling apple brandy since at least 1698. Officially, records for the sale of their applejack date back to 1780. Their applejack consists of 35% apple brandy and 65% neutral spirits.

This VSOP offering from Courvoisier is a Fine Champagne Cognac meaning it is comprised of the top two sub-regions in Cognac: Grande Champagne (at least 50% of the blend) and Petite Champagne. Cognacs are prized from these areas due to the high chalk content in the soil which makes the vines work harder to get water which results in better wine.

This XO from Courvoisier is comprised of eaux de vie from the Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, and Borderies sub regions of Cognac. The final product incorporates parcels matured for between 11 and 25 years.

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.

Cardenal Mendoza is distilled from mostly Airen grapes. The solera this is aged in is made up of barrels that previously held Pedro Ximenez sherry, a dessert-style fortified wine. The average age of the solera is 15 years.

Dating back to 1724, Rémy Martin has a long and storied history in Cognac. This marque, 1738 Royal Accord, pays tribute to one of Rémy Martin's earliest accolades when the French King Louis XV bestowed a reward of excellence on the distillery. A blend of various eaux-de-vie, this Fine Champagne Cognac is a step up from Rémy's flagship VSOP.

The cellar master for Rémy Martin blends up to 400 different eaux de vie to create this XO cognac. It features eaux de vie aged 10-37 years with an average of 25 years of maturation. This XO is a Fine Champagne with 85% of the product sourced from the Grande Champagne region, the highest cru in Cognac and the remainder hailing from Petite Champagne.

Hennessy's XO first debuted in 1870, crafted by Maurice Hennessy for friends and family. The blend incorporates over 100 eaux-de-vie with ages up to 30 years. It's said to be the first XO ever released, with Hennessy dubbing that name himself. According to the brand, that's why the full name is technically Hennessy The Original X.O.

This expression is the youngest released from Courvoisier and uses eaux de vie that range in age from 4-7 years. The grapes are primarily sourced from the Fins Bois region with some Petite Champagne used as well.

Yann Fillioux is the current Master Blender for Hennessy and in fact, the Fillioux family has been blending for Maison Hennessy for over 200 years. Hennessy VS was first introduced in 1865 by Maurice Hennessy, although the bottling was known as "Three Star" rather than VS at the time.