Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal Cognac

Very smooth, and delicious. Tastes like cherry pie, vanilla and oak

I'll admit, from the outset here, that I don't have much experience with cognac. In fact, I can think of two other times I've had it prior to purchasing this bottle to educate myself: once on a KLM flight from Schiphol to Kotoka Intl in Accra, and a separate time at a charity gala. I wasn't impressed either time before, but also recognized that I wasn't exactly drinking the good stuff, either...and since I'd hate for someone to dismiss all whiskey because they have the misfortune of drinking J&B or Scoresby's, I figured I would give this a whirl. I'm glad I did, as this is an excellent spirit which I would recommend to any whiskey drinker looking to expand their horizons. The nose has many elements that are familiar - baked apple, raisin, baking cocoa, leather. The palate, too, isn't so extremely different from a whiskey insofar as the basic elements are concerned - apple baked with cinnamon and clove, dry leather, white pepper, baking chocolate, woodiness. In there, too, there's a floral quality, as well as a note that I can only liken to Circus Peanuts candy...a lightly orange flavored marshmallow. Tellingly, the only other time I've found that note in a spirit was in Brenne, a French whiskey aged in ex-cognac barrels. What's different here, though, is how all of these notes hang together. For all the comparable flavors and aromas, the way they interact with each other is distinct from a whiskey, creating a different experience altogether. I look forward to further exploration...after all, variety's the spice of life, isn't it?

Created as a middle point between their VSOP and XO, but this is vastly better than their VSOP, and possibly my favorite cognac under $100. Rich and luxurious, coats your palate with candied orange, toffee, vanilla. Intense, medium length finish. Incredibly smooth and balanced.