Glory to Cognac


March 30, 2025

Glory to Cognac

Times seem tough for cognac, which just goes to show that humanity as a whole is in decline, led astray by leaders without morals. To (barely) paraphrase the sociologist E. Durkheim: “the dumber, the less moral.” And one hardly dares to imagine a scenario where US tariffs on cognac or other EU spirits become vastly higher than those on, hum, ‘Cognac of Russia’.

Part of an advert for Cognac Monnet, circa 1945

Right then, let’s support authentic cognac as much as we can — not that it takes much effort when it comes to the small producers who make quality stuff...
That said, we’ll still be kicking things off with a little old-school apéritif…

Hennessy ‘Fine Champagne VSOP’ (40%, OB, Cognac, +/-1988)

We don’t taste these sorts of things very often, but yes, since we're here… Colour: amber. Nose: it’s soft, very rounded, with a caramelised touch, liquorice and a fair bit of honey. There are also some lovely yellow flowers and a very light and rather seductive smoky and metallic side, perhaps the effect of a little OBE. A good surprise for now… Mouth: really not bad, not weak at all, even more marked by the liquorice, but notes of burnt caramel and a slight bitterness soon rise to the surface. Alas, it tends to fall apart rather quickly on the palate. Finish: this is the most difficult part, logically. Over-infused tea and burnt wood, plus a slightly rubbery touch that’s a bit distracting. Comments: well, it’s an old bottle, so let’s say it has extenuating circumstances. A shame, it had started well.
SGP:551 – 70 points.

Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Lot 99’ (50.5%, Swell de Spirits, Wonders of the World, Bons Bois, 350 bottles)

If I may say so, the label is very pretty, but it doesn’t quite evoke the verdant Charentes, does it? Colour: gold. Nose: this is a serious nose, well-defined, a little austere in the best sense of the word, on apples, white peaches and liquorice wood, with a few tangy little sweets in the background. You can feel there are aromas hiding a bit, and for that… With water: absolutely! Out come cedarwood, pink pepper, small cherries, hints of beeswax polish… Mouth (neat): again that serious tone to start, but soon all the sweets from our childhood show up, the winning chewing gums, the ‘roudoudous’, also the sultanas we used to pinch from our mums, and above all those liquorice rolls. You need to be a bit cautious with such evocative profiles—they can quickly throw you off course. With water: citrus fruits arrive en masse this time, though a slightly herbal and ‘serious’ structure remains. Finish: fairly long, lovely, fresh, with oolong tea and fruit skins, especially peach. Liquorice returns in the aftertaste. Comments: we’re already quite high up in altitude.
SGP:561 – 89 points.

Prunier 1995/2024 (53.6%, Art Malts, Vintage Reserve, Fins Bois)

Oh, a Corvette! You’ll say it could have been worse—it could’ve been a T. (you know, that electric brand everyone’s ditching for a slice of toast these days). Joking aside… Colour: gold. Nose: once again, this is a fairly compact Bons Bois at first, slightly herbal, with the usual liquorice and fruit skins, though there’s a sense of smaller aromas bubbling up in the background. With water: yes, mandarins, orange zest, wildflower honey, Earl Grey tea, a touch of garden soil… All in all, this one loves water too. Mouth (neat): powerful, with tobacco and mentholated notes right from the start, then—of course—liquorice wood and a touch of banana skin (when you bite into the banana to open it). With water: perfect. Lemon mint, liquorice, black tea, a touch of rock sugar. Finish: same direction, heading into sweet green tea with honey. Comments: always very good, these Fins Bois are generally wonderfully alt-style.
SGP:651 – 88 points.

Domaine du Chêne ‘XXO Lot 89’ (43.8%, Art Malts, Bons Bois)

The label features a good old fire-red 911, a cabriolet it seems, most likely a 3.2L from around 1986–1987, and it’s not entirely impossible we once owned one just like it back in the day. Not to be driven after a whisky tasting, mind, as the all-rear engine wasn’t exactly compatible even with the mildest, perfectly legal tipsiness. Anyway, Domaine du Chêne is a fine 90-hectare estate. Colour: deep gold. Nose: we plunge straight into a world of lavender, vine peach, and aromatic earth and herbs, all wrapped in perfect delicacy, with even a touch of white truffle before tangerines make an elegant entrance. Perfect. Mouth: danger, as they say—it goes down like milk. Blood oranges, nectarines, acacia honey, a little maple syrup, a few edible flowers, white clover, then green tea adds a touch of... gravitas. Finish: nicely long, more herbaceous as is often the case by this stage, though the oranges and peaches remain firmly in charge. Comments: magnificent, but beware—it goes down far too easily. No, I shall make no comparisons to that famed 911.
SGP:651 – 90 points.

Marie Foucher ‘L’Horizon Perdu Lot 96’ (59.34%, Malternative Belgium, Fins Bois, 131 bottles, 2024)

A bottle to celebrate their 5th Anniversary. Very well done, Malternative Belgium! And I mean it. The alcohol level is surprisingly high for a cognac approaching 30 years old, it’s quite intriguing… Colour: gold. Nose: at this strength you almost land in the world of rum, which is rather amusing. Honestly, you’d almost think of Barbados at FS (85% column still, 15% pot). Granted, apples and peaches come in to adjust those first impressions, though not overwhelmingly so. With water: it’s mad, those impressions linger a little, even if it gradually eases back into the world of dry and elegant brandies. Mouth (neat): again, there’s that rum-like profile, enhanced by lemons and dried raisins. And there’s even a hint of malt whisky, something like a nice Speysider from a refill cask. That said, it’s excellent, even at this strength. With water: ah, now we’re back to proper cognac, with lovely apples, oranges, pears and peaches. Nice aniseed and liquorice touches in the background. Finish: same direction. Touches of pineau, with a woodier aftertaste. Comments: incredible—everyone dreams of pulling off a great cross-category super-blend, and here they’ve done it without even bothering with improbable mix-ups.
SGP:561 – 87 points.

Vallein Tercinier ‘Lot 74’ (50.9%, Valinch & Mallet and Heads & Tails Canada, Spirit of Art, Fins Bois, 150 bottles, 2024)

1974, a chance to pay tribute to Steve Harley of the Cockney Rebels, who left us last year. Come up and see me, make me smiiiiile! Colour: amber. Nose: truly delighted to be tasting so many of these ‘Bois’, thanks to the independents who’ve brought them into the spotlight. Here we’re deep into fruit compotes and jams (apples and so on), sweetened with honey and a touch of… barley syrup. The addition of white nougat makes it rather irresistible. With water: splendid herbal infusions! Mouth (neat): oh that’s good, with a clear woody side but lit up by little resins that are simply irresistible. At least for me. Genepy, wormwood, pine buds, green oak honey… With water: watch out, it goes fractal before you’ve time to say “phew”, as we say over here. You remember, each flavour splits into sub-flavours, which then split into yet more sub-flavours… etc. Finish: the fir wood is just ever so slightly marked, but the whole thing is superb. A kind of all-fruits and all-herbs jam. Comments: well, we should’ve seen that coming.
SGP:661 – 91 points.

Fradon ‘Lot 70’ (46.4%, Through the Grapevine for Navigate World Whisky South Africa, Petite Champagne, 99 bottles)

We’re near Jonzac here, it’s the first time we’re trying a cognac from Domaine Fradon. Hard to believe it took our friends in South Africa to make it happen… BTW, love that the bottlers would tell us this little baby that spent 53 years in wood harbours an ‘ester content of 134.3gr/hlPA’. Knowledge is power (hey D.C.). Colour: gold. Nose: oh, varnishes, vanilla pods, oils of all sorts, a flood of caramel cream, cappuccino, various balms and then fruit wines—apricot wine, for instance. Plain and pure sorcery. Forgot to mention pistachio cream. Mouth: resinous woods and soft varnishes, a touch of sea salt (yes), and frankly a definite old Springbank character. I’m not joking—S.p.r.i.n.g.b.a.n.k. Finish: same story. This thing’s a bit crazy, even if one might say the resinous/oaky side is just ever so slightly over the top. But that’s just nitpicking… Mocha in the aftertaste. Comments: it’s exactly for things like this that Whiskyfun carries on, after years of madness and laughter. All the magic of a single cask…
SGP:562 – 92 points.

Go on then, one last one and we’ll call it a night...

La Symphonie ‘Lot 45’ (58.2%, Malternative Belgium, Fins Bois, 90 bottles, 2025)

A 1945 at 58%? These Belgians are completely mad. We agree that 1945 was 80 years ago, right? In Scotland, they’d hand you the keys of a free convertible Bentley with every bottle, though to be fair, no one would know what to do with it. I mean the Bentley, of course. Anyway, this is a Fins Bois from a bouilleur de cru. Colour: red amber. Nose: astonishing freshness, varnish, cherries, peonies, old sweet wines, Málaga, pineau, Banyuls, then cured ham and Corinth raisins. Impressive. With water: we're fully into old wines now, especially Bordeaux. Peonies, blackcurrant, violet, mint, liquorice, roots… Wow. Mouth (neat): the wood and pepper grab you in a bit of a pincer movement at first, with a huge—really huge, bigly huge—wave of black tea, but that was to be expected. Then comes old chartreuse, very bitter chocolate, old oloroso, strong mint and salted liquorice… What’s impressive is that a certain fruitiness still manages to emerge through this woody onslaught, especially plum and cassis. With water: little change, truth be told. We’d already crossed into another dimension, and we remain there. Finish: banana and varnish—is that possible? Since they had the liquid analysed, could they confirm the isoamyl acetate content? Comments: such fun! Nothing fits, yet everything works. Magical…
SGP:471 – 91 points.

Check the index of all cognac we've tasted so far