Symbole National Brandy XO

For the price its excellent. Brandy flavor but very boozy

Rating: 9/23 OK, it's been quite a while since I last tasted this. I remember really liking it, but gradually caring less and less for it as time went on. N: Surprisingly meaty, but with some swirling I get the fruit and confectioner's sugar to come out. Raisin, some dried cherry, prune. There's also a fair bit of mineral P: Mineral, dried fruit, confectioner's sugar, numbing pepper. It's a bit harsh, but not awful. The dried fruit is a bit hard to pick up over the confectioner's sugar and mineral, but to the extent that it's there, it's nice. This is a really light flavor though and while it's essentially fine, there isn't much to recommend it. F: The mineral, harshness, and confectioner's sugar stay longer than the fruit does, sadly. This is a totally adequate brandy for mixing, I imagine. I'll probably be buying another bottle to pour over my fruitcake come Christmas time as well. It reminds me a bit of Evan Williams in that it's light but its core flavors aren't bad. It's a huge step up from Christian Brothers to be sure. I'd rather not drink it neat, but I could manage it. This seems like a 9 to 10. Maybe an 8. Actually, an 8 to 9. I'm on the borderline here, but I think I will let it have the 9 for now.

Note: the following is a really really old tasting. This was one of the first spirits I acquired. And I liked it quite a lot back then! This is sweet and its prune, raisin, date, and fig flavors narrowly avoiding tasting like cherry cough. The flavor is robust and smooth with some variation. Beyond the prune and raisin flavors that dominate this drink, there are hints of toffee and cream. Not much spice is present, but I get the faintest hint of ginger and cinnamon going into the finish, along with just a tad of clove or maybe even Sichuan peppercornn. Just a hint of wood is present throughout. There are also some occasional hints of vanilla, mint and milk chocolate. I can't say I love this because of its strong red fruit flavor, but I appreciate its depth, robustness, and smoothness. This is without doubt a great Brandy and it's price is amazing. It would be interesting to try an Islay variation of this. There is quite a lot of sweetness in here, but the maple flavor backing the strongest part of it is mixed with delicious fruits and terrific depth, making it completely palatable in essentially all situations. Compared to Delord 30, this reminds me of a scotch like Glengoyne 15 mixed with a bit of Christian Brothers VS or E&J XO (not an insult). There is a ton going on here and it is a magnificent drink. Per dollar, this is probably the best buy around! This is sweet and definitely tastes more like a Cognac than an Armagnac. It doesn't have the punchiness of Remy Martin, sharing instead some attributes with E&J XO. Perhaps too sweet in some circumstances? It has a bit of a rum sweetness, but not nearly to the extent that E&J XO does. This smells and tastes remarkably old for the price. There is plenty of woody richness with some nice toffee and plum notes. Some banana does hang out there, which is a bit non-traditional and could bother brandy fans, but the richness is really good. Very sweet and fruity but the caramel gives way to rich toffee with some dark chocolate and wood. It isn't the absolute best brandy, but it is great and well worth the price. The nose is sweet with a dark fruit sweetness mixed with some wood and milk chocolate. I smell cherries, dates, and raisins in particular. There are also oily hints of nuts. The palate is sweet with those rich dark fruit flavors coming right out. The raisin, date, prune, and milk chocolate flavors are rich and decadent. The overall flavor profile is a bit too sweet though. The palate has some spiciness and some bitter oil, but it could use some more aged woodiness and less sugary syrup. Still, it's very good. It's better than A De Fussigny Selection's cherry brashness, but it would better with more of the A De Fussigny spiciness. The nose has rich, deep fruits, with bing cherry and raisin immediately standing out, along with some woody notes that hint at toffee. The palate is similar. It's on the sweet and rich side for sure. There is a bit more mineral than I'd like, but it's under control.