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Delamain Vesper XO Grande Champagne Cognac
Distiller Score 92
The nose is ripe with dried fruit, ripe banana, baking spices and forest floor. On the palate it's rich almost to the point of being chewy and is fairly tannic. The flavors consist of maple, candy apple, lemon peel, fresh figs and burnt sugar. An intense but fairly approachable XO cognac with all of the density and depth you would expect.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Paul Beau Hors d'Âge Grande Champagne Cognac
Distiller Score 93
The house style at Paul Beau is deep with a broad, meaty profile. The difference between the big house entries in this age category is stark: you will not find any of the soft, vanilla character common in big houses here, but rather a heady combination of toasted walnut, cherry wood, and savory rancio. This would qualify as an XO - the youngest brandies are 30 years old, but as is standard at Paul Beau it has been declassified as a Hors D'Age. The flavors have a beautiful linear sense started a powerful, lush impact and continuing into a long, savory finish.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Cognac Park XO Traditional Reserve
Distiller Score 92
Park Cognac's XO is deep and complex, leading with notes of dark chocolate, hazelnut, and dark plums. Vanilla, oak, and hazelnut persist on a long-lasting finish. It's a decadent, rich cognac made for savoring slowly.
Reviewed by Jacob Grier
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ABK6 XO Family Reserve Cognac
Distiller Score 92
Aromas of spice road cardamom, cinnamon and clove waft out of the glass containing this rich, amber-colored Cognac. Tart, dry fruits (dates, apricot, fig) enter the palate, which has a toffee richness. The long finish is toasty and warming, with a nice hit of rancio at the end.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac
Distiller Score 91
Find a big, complex nose, with candied fruits, along with oak and a light spiciness, as well as dark chocolate and a deep nuttiness. The palate is smooth and rich, big with raisins and red fruits before moving into oak and faint baking spices which provide a bit of depth. Find almonds and marzipan on a warming finish, along with cinnamon and light pepper.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Cognac Dudognon Vieille Réserve
Distiller Score 97
Cognac Dudognon Vieille Réserve is a big step up from their younger two bottlings. The oak has integrated quite nicely around the brandy's core of violets and honey. The fruit tastes honest: that is not derived from caramel syrup or other additions. Cognac like this excites the whole sensory spectrum. It starts visually with a beautiful straw-gold color with streaks of amber, and then bursts aromatically with spring flowers, orange pith, and lemon custard. These flavors continue in the mouth, but are joined with orange and vanilla candy and a finish of rancio that goes long with a touch of savory spice. One of cognac's most authentic expressions at a very fair price.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Pierre Ferrand Sélection des Anges Cognac
Distiller Score 88
On the nose, you'll get stewed apples, orange peel, brown butter, and gentle wood notes. There's a floral note as well, but it is mild. The taste is clean with a small nutty quality and dark, brandied cherries as you would get in a proper Manhattan cocktail (not the neon red cheap stuff). The texture of the brandy is mostly soft and smooth and only shows gentle tannins on the finish. As you exhale after drinking, the dark cherries come back into the fold and finishes bittersweet. Overall, it seems much younger than their average 30 year claim.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Frapin Château de Fontpinot XO Cognac
Distiller Score 92
Frapin Château de Fontpinot XO Cognac has a beautiful amber hue, and displays notes of spice and rich overripe plum. Its flavor is an amalgam of cinnamon, vanilla, candied fruit, and prominent oak. The longer you sit with the cognac, the more the layers of its spice and fruit flavors develop, so be sure to sip slowly for maximum appreciation.
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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Delamain Pale & Dry XO Cognac
Distiller Score 90
Orange-spiced tea, fresh-cut apples, and juicy cherries are first to appear on the nose though the intensity of the aromas doesn't punch you in the face. The palate is similar, but has an integrated spice factor that matches the level of the fruit. As the name states, the finish is dry but not overtly tannic and tight. There's a finesse to the cognac and for its age, has a solid length to the finish.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Hennessy Master Blender's Selection N° 2
Distiller Score 85
Bracing and spicy nose rather than the usual mellow cognac invitation - lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and other new oak spices. The palate's much the same with the addition of a tasty raisin and date confection . Assertively tannic and at the finish lots of peppery spiciness and bittersweet oakiness.
Reviewed by Jack Robertiello
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Lhéraud Cognac VSOP Petite Champagne
Distiller Score 82
Dried orange peel and mulling spices introduce this pungent, tangy cognac. The progression of flavors is quite interesting, from true cinnamon, to dried pear and fig, with a little vanilla, carob, and coffee bean rounding out the finish. The mouthfeel is a little tight and astringent, though.
Reviewed by Duncan McRoberts
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Cognac Park XO Cigar Blend
Distiller Score 94
Park Cognac's XO Cigar Blend doesn't have to be paired with a cigar, but it's certainly easy to imagine it going well with one. A bit richer and sweeter than their traditional XO, this blend brings out notes of leather, vanilla, and oak, with hints of winter spice. Highly enjoyable on its own, its dark and sweeter tones would also work nicely to soothe the heat of a good cigar.
Reviewed by Jacob Grier