I guess I think this one is a tad overrated... it's undoubtedly a fine product but it suffers from the inevitable manufactured effect that befalls mass-production cognacs. Someone at Hennessy obviously had a heavy hand when they added caramel to this spirit to give it a darker hue. To the particulars: sweet and floral nose, not unpleasant. The palate tastes of dried fruit, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar... it's toes the line when it comes to cloying sweetness, but never quite crosses that threshold. There's a decent spicy burn on the finish. I've tasted VSOPs from smaller houses that are much better and nuanced than this one... it'll do in a pinch if you're at a restaurant and this is likely all they have, but it's not worth investing in a bottle, IMO. Explore the road less traveled...