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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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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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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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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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Courvoisier XO Cognac
Distiller Score 90
The influence of the Borderies shines through on the nose, with a honeyed floral bouquet highlighted by violets. The palate is velvety, and somewhat oily, with candied orange peel, vanilla, and blackberries, shifting towards the back with bitter notes of cacao and pistachio shells. The finish offers menthol and spicy, astringent oak, along with dark chocolate-covered raspberries.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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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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Davidoff XO Cognac
Distiller Score 88
This cognac has a vibrant, deep amber hue and aromas of prune, dried apricots and spice cookies. On the palate it's silky, with a balanced flavor that mirrors its aroma—expect dried stone fruits, baking spice, extra-dark chocolate and oak. It has a pleasingly rich finish and an enveloping warmth.
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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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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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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Bache-Gabrielsen Sérénité Extra Grande Champagne Cognac
Distiller Score 97
The nose is surprisingly fresh, with rosy floral essences and aromas of earth and ripe fruit. These aromas are reflected on the palate, which gives off generous flavors of ripe red apple, raspberries, and pear. A yeasty, buttery pastry-nuance comes in after a few sips, with rounded notes of vanilla, cashew, walnut and sandalwood that fan out into a long, satisfying finish. For one so mature, this cognac tastes surprisingly youthful and vibrant, yet very elegant and refined.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Hardy XO Rare Cognac
Distiller Score 94
The nose is toasty and buttery, like smelling a tarte tatin fresh from the oven (buttery pastry, baked apples, spices, a hint of lemon), with a note of toasted almonds and whiff of pipe tobacco. More of those buttery pastry notes echo on the full bodied palate that's loaded with flavors of toasted sesame, vanilla icing, orange blossom, sage, and tart, fresh raspberries. A slight tobacco-like smokiness and elegant walnut rancio drive the flavors into a long, satisfying finish.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster