Hi,

I was recently introduced by a friend to the wonderful world of cognac. We had just lit our cigars when he pulled from behind his bar a bottle of Remy Martin EXTRA. Needless to say, I fell in love. Unfortunately, I can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a single bottle so I am looking for something more local as well as less expensive. My local liquor store offers only Hennessey and Courvoisier, both VS. My question is, which do you prefer? What are the differences between them? I know I should try both and make my own decision but I would like to get some input from those who have a little more experience in this area.
Thanks.

If you can only get VS, then find somewhere that carries martel, much better at the VS level.

otherwise there probably isn't a great deal of difference, I'd probably say Hennessey though

the courvoiseir is sweeter and usualy apeals to the noob cognac drinker. Im still a noob when it comes to brandy and the dominent sweet caramel notes are great.

Brandy shmandy, I dont like it with a cigar, much to sweet like Bourbon for me, I want a smokey peaty single malt Scottish whisky or a fine old Irish whisky with my cigar & coffee, but for some reason I do like a little port with my cigar & some of them are sweet as sugar, ??? I dont understand it I just shut up & drink it ! Enjoy, Vince

A few years back, I had a cognac tasting with Maurice Richard Hennessy IV (descendant owner of the company). Was an unforgetable experience. At about 9 in the morning we went from the VS to the Paradis (the top of the line) in about an hour. 6 shots of cognac at 9 in the morning (and a double Paradis -- cause it was realy outstanding) !

I don't think I ever fully recovered but, since then, it's Hennessy for me. Their XO beats all others IMHO.

As for VSOP, I'm a sucker for Rémy Martin which is great with a cigar, though I admit that a Lagavulin 16 years is hard to beat.

VS ? Not much difference in preference. Rémy Martin is always a good choice.

LOL...Nothing like a good brandy buzz early in the morning.

Breakfast of champions!

Tab

I usually drink Hennessy VSOP or XO, the Paradis is a bit too expensive for everyday drinking.

Cognac weather is coming soon. I usually only drink brown liquor in the cool/cold weather and gin in the summer.

An English friend introduced me to Brandy and soda this summer.It is surprisingly good. I don't spend the money on premium brandy to mix with soda but it is nice in the heat

I'd drink 'soda' drinks if there wasn't 40g's of sugar in each glass...

I'm not a p*ssy, it's just that I'll drink at least 4-5 glasses and sugar makes me sick when I'm drinking..

Just a thought...

Sox

quote:

Originally posted by flashman:
A few years back, I had a cognac tasting with Maurice Richard Hennessy IV (descendant owner of the company). Was an unforgetable experience. At about 9 in the morning we went from the VS to the Paradis (the top of the line) in about an hour. 6 shots of cognac at 9 in the morning (and a double Paradis -- cause it was realy outstanding) !

I don't think I ever fully recovered but, since then, it's Hennessy for me. Their XO beats all others IMHO.

As for VSOP, I'm a sucker for Rémy Martin which is great with a cigar, though I admit that a Lagavulin 16 years is hard to beat.

VS ? Not much difference in preference. Rémy Martin is always a good choice.

your not suposed to swallow them all!!!!

don't waste your money on vs or vsop buy th xo hennesey and make the bottle last. cognac hangovers are serious bussiness. the cheaper the cognac, the worse the hangover.

quote:

Originally posted by Docbarry:
I usually drink Hennessy VSOP or XO, the Paradis is a bit too expensive for everyday drinking.

Cognac weather is coming soon. I usually only drink brown liquor in the cool/cold weather and gin in the summer.

H. VSOP and and nice cigar please.

I have tried courvoisier vs & vsop, and hennesy vs & vsop. I prefer courvoisier because to me it has a stronger smokier flavor and more body. i have not tried remi martin but plan to soon.

I find hennesy smoother, but courvoisier to have more taste, But also I love HINE to be a better alternative to both. Hine "rair and delicate" is in the same price range as VS, and Hine "Antique" is similar to VSOP. However, on the XO levels - I think Martell XO is the winner.

I have always wondered what the proper etiquette is for drinking brandy, what kind of glass, do you heat it or room temp? should you let it sit in the glass a little before drinking? just a noob being curious.

Hennessy VSOP is also my new found drink of choice, along with a cigar, OMG what a smooth drink, and what a way to end the day.....mmmmmmmm

Last night i drank ALOT of cognac, lol. I finished up a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP, which is great for the money IMO, then had Courvosier VS and Hennessy VS. If your only going to go for VS, i prefer the Courvosier to the Hennessy. The Hennessy VS was rather boring to me, really light and not alot to it.

I'm rather new to cognac, and have only tried 3 so far. I've tasted the Ashton Crown XO, Remy Martin XO, and Hennessey XO. Going into the tasting I really expected the Remy to prevail from most of the reviews I've read, but I was completely wrong. In fact it was my least favorite of the three. By far I felt the Hennessey XO was the best. A friend sampled the 3 w/ me and completely agreed w/ the ranking. Another friend who is an avid cognac drinker has suggested the Hennessey Paradis, but I haven't tried it yet, pretty hefty price tag.

IloveMEsomeME, definitely try MARTELL XO, it's in the same price as Hennessey XO, but in my opinion has more flavor. Also, I have just discovered for myself Bowen XO, very nice cognac for about $40 less.

Gentlemen,

First of all I’ve lived in the U.S.A. for 6 years only (from Europe). Second, I do not smoke cigars. So, maybe I am not the right person for this discussion. But let me put my 20c.

I’ve accidentally hit your discussion and was very surprised. There is a very wide choice of cognacs in the U.S.A., but it looks like most of you guys live in the duty free shop.

I am not charmed of magic of such abbreviation as VS, VSOP, XO, because they mean that the youngest brandy is stored at least two (VS), four (VSOP) or six (XO) years in cask. And that’s it. For example, some of VSOP cognacs are aged:
Remy Martin – 4-15 years
Courvoisier – 8-12 years
Kelt – 15-20 years

Let’s leave the Duty Free Shop and look around. For “everyday drinking” (less that $30) try “Gabriel & Andreu. Fins Bois” (8 years) or “Pierre Ferrand. Ambre” (10 years) and you will forget all this “duty free junk”. Someone who still wants to see VSOP label, try “Hardy. VSOP” ($25-30).

P.S.
1. p2 is right. All VS cognacs differ from “junk” to “not good for people to drink”.

2. I am not agreeing with YaZ. Bowen XO is not very nice, it is amazing.