Rating: 15/23 E: Side by side with Delamain Pale & Dry, I can see that this is a bit darker. It isn't a terribly dark, but the difference between the two is noticeable. N: It's a nice balance of rich, dry, oily, sweetly fruity (orange, mild cherry, and apple), and spicy (ginger and cinnamon). The complexity is solid, the profile is nice, and the balance is good. It doesn't smell super old or mature and robust, but I like it. P: Fruit - orange, cherry, strawberry. Apple and some apple peel gradually come in. The spice hits - cinnamon and ginger. With it comes the barrel with some dry wood flavor that doesn't taste overly fresh - or as assertive as one might guess based on the name "Double Cask". There's a tad of oiliness too. It's enjoyable, but that's about where the palate ends. A De Fussigny XO is much richer and fuller though with just as much complexity. Side by side, this is thinner with more of an alcohol presence and meeker flavors. F: I get the more bitter end of the fruit here - though there's still some sweetness. The wood hangs out a bit too, but not a ton. The spices prickle a bit an there might be a touch of black pepper now, The finish is perhaps a tad on the short side of medium. - Conclusion - This is a very good brandy and a really solid example of multiple aspects of what Cognac can be. It isn't excellent though. I would put it in the 14 to 17 range. I'm leaning toward 16. Delamain Pale & Dry gets a 17 and it's clearly better than this. The more I compare them, the more obviously large the gap is. This is in the 15 to 16 range, but I'm leaning toward a 15 considering that there's a pretty substantial gap between this and the Delamain and the Delamain barely made a 17. As sort of a last point of comparison, I cracked open a bottle of Rémy Martin 1738 and that strikes me as a bit better than this (though not a tremendous improvement). As an actual last point of comparison, I also opened a bottle of ABK6 VSOP. While more like the Delamain (though sweeter and less complex - so maybe a hybrid with this, actually), I felt like I was able to compare these two reasonably well. I feel like if I have to give the win to one of them, it goes to the Pierre Ferrand, but it isn't a win by a large margin. At the end of the day, there are some nice flavors in here, but it's just a bit immature and syrupy for my taste. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for sharing a sample!

Continuing on my brandy kick I wanted to officially sample cognac. Hennessy XO sounds like a ubiquitous crowd pleaser but $200 seems a bit outrageous. Maybe some day. For now this caught my eye. I love their dry curaçao and their Amber has positive reviews. That said, I love wood and earthy notes and hopes this would take things up a notch. And that it did. The color is relatively light, in between an unadulterated scotch and a bourbon. The nose is absolutely full of orange, lemon blossom, milk chocolate, pecans, vanilla, and just a slight bit of oak. This. The mouthfeel is viscous, rich, warm and coating. This is what I was hoping for. The flavor is big and a bit abrasive at first (drinks slightly above its proof). There is creamy nougat, oak, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, and only faint grape jam. No off flavors to speak of - no ethanol, no metallic sulfur, nothing. Just all-around goodness. The finish is lasting with more nougat, milk chocolate, orange and slight tobacco finish. What am experience. This is a liquid confection. I’m officially sold on Cognac not being something to fear for sale of a mouthful of flint, copper pennies and alcohol as I remember it from years ago. At the price I feel like I’m getting what I would ask from a comparably priced top shelf-bourbon. Now time to come up with a silk robe, snifter and mustache - none of which I have but oddly want right now.

Very Sharp. Very boozy, so could do with being a bit more round. Still awesome though! Side note: helped with a drop of water.

This cognac is exceptional. The two-barrel aging process creates a deliciously complex product. On the nose, young fruits, vanilla, cinnamon, with a touch of chocolate and orange peel. The notes continue on the palette developing into Christmas cake. Long and smooth finish. I would not drink this any other way than neat. For the price point, I think it's a real value if you're looking for a smooth and complex tasting cognac as compared to older, more expensive options.