Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal Cognac

Great carmel flavor. Well-balanced and smooth.

Before the 100th tasting, I'm trying to squeeze in a few more things that I've tasted in the recent years and decided to keep permanently in a home bar, as a sort of base camp before further exploration. The aroma is exquisite, with fig and plum evolving into stewed prune. A pinch of salt whets the palate, before a baked apple pie with cinnamon and clove is served with a side of very dry mead, riding a perfect amount of oak into the sunset. This is a "Summer-becoming-Autumn" drink. For the record, I do enjoy Hennessy VSOP as a "non-whiskey/liqueur", but this edges it out. Plus, it's slightly more pretentious than the already over-the-top Champagne bottle that Remy Martin comes in, with an acceptable quality/cost ratio, and I am here for it. I will probably keep Courvoisier around too, exclusively for mixing with Benedictine, but this one is for sipping. ...HOLY SHIT, IT'S $61 NOW?! *monocle falls into snifter*