Tastes

This VS has a pleasant, fruity scent, along the lines of stewed apple with cinnamon. There is a sharp alcoholic note with that but it is a VS after all. The fruitiness continues in the taste, although more fresh pear and raisin. The touch of spice remains but the ethanol is very sharp and rough. Definitely one for mixing, not sipping.

There are some good cognac flavours here: fruity, mildly sweet, some wood and a hint of spice. It is quite harsh, but that's to be expected of a VS. I'd say this is a good introductory cognac- you can see what cognac tastes like without paying a fortune.

This is a decent cognac, it has fruity and floral notes on the nose and this comes through in the taste. It's moderately dry and somewhat sharp. Perhaps more for cocktails?

Despite claiming 25 years in the barrel, they haven't managed to get the alcoholic sharpness of a young cognac out of this one, and it's almost overwhelming. Having said that, there is a lovely initial taste of dried fruits and smoke, followed by a gorgeous lingering sweet vanilla finish that stays around for a while.

I tried Pasquet's XO after some favourable reviews - anything aged for 25 years would have to be decent, right? Although there are the expected notes of dried fruit and an unidentifiable spiceciness to the palate, the smell and the taste retain a strong alcoholic burn which is disappointing in a 25 year old cognac.

A superb cognac. I only recently tried this and it's already a favourite. The nose is fruity, fresh and floral, not sharp at all. The oak also comes through nicely along with a touch of spice. The mouthfeel is smooth and slightly oily. The taste is again fruity and the oak comes through nicely. There's also a vague hint of port It's a smooth, long cognac. A hint of brightness remains, but not in a bad way. I look forward to exploring the 30 and 40 year old offerings.

Yes, I know. Big commercial brand, highly blended, contains caramel colouring... But this is an excellent cognac. The nose is complex, ripe fruits, citrus peel, spice, leather, oak, a touch of sandalwood... The mouthfeel is smooth and sophisticated. The taste? Fruity, but more along the lines of ripe plums and cooked peaches. There's a hint of spice and then the oak comes through, along with dried fruit and a faint touch of smoke. This remains one of my favourites.

I was really looking forward to trying this folle blanche armagnac. The nose is already dry, with ripe grape and floral tones and a hint of citrus. The mouthfeel is noticably oily. The taste is very dry, tannic - almost astringent - yet fruity and with a hint of mustiness. No big wood flavour here. Overall, I was somewhat disappointed- because this really isn't any better than some of the VS or VSOP offerings around.