Hennessy VS Cognac

Not a fan of this at all. I don't know what I expected after hearing so much about it all my life, references in hip hop songs and movies etc... I guess I thought it would taste more sweet and creamy, but instead, I get a weird grape juice taste. Really hard to drink. I had to pour the last half of my drink out in the sink. Won't be buying again.

The nose has this interesting fruity and smell that also has notes of buttery pie crust and hints of jungle juice. It smells like it will be a sweet brandy with lots of cherry. The palate is fortunately not terribly sweet, though there is some sweetness and it does have a lot of cherry. There's some very welcome orange peel on the finish. It reminds me of a weaker Remy Martin 1738. There are some nice toasty woody notes here too. It's a bit cloying, but it enters the acceptable range and would work great as a mixer. The tannins are there a little, but they are not overwhelming. The finish is pretty decent with only a bit of cloying sweetness. It's a solid enough brandy and a quintessential Cognac. The hints of milk chocolate really round out the flavors though they also make it taste a bit too sweet. If it had bittersweet chocolate instead, it might be better. Ultimately, the orange peel is the major redeeming factor. There is plenty of vanilla as well and it also adds to the cloying quality. The floral element is strong to the point that it really makes the thing taste boring and its slight bitterness brings in thoughts of Irish whiskey. This has more work a punch than E&J XO and tastes more traditionally like Cognac, though it isn't clear that this is actually better since it is so cloying. This tastes very much like Cognac. It's very cherry. The nose is kind of nice with cherry, vanilla, and floral notes giving it a sweet syrupy essence. It's less sweet than Symbole National, but it also lacks the complexity of flavor and richness. Neither would be my first choice, but I'd prefer the Symbole National. This is pretty bland and has a bit too much alcohol bitterness.

Smoke

Nose: wine funk, figs, dates Taste: wine funk, raisins, and prune juice. Not flavors I think are appealing together.