Some cognac again


May 24, 2026

Some cognac again

We’ll do as usual, starting with our traditional little old-fashioned aperitif, if you don’t mind… We’re going to have VS cognacs, which correspond to ***s, but quite a few producers adopted ‘VS’ because the *** designation, much like in wine, had a rather poor reputation. VS is a bit classier, after all.

Cabanne (Old Masters/Cabanne)

Courvoisier ‘VS’ (40%, OB, blend, +/-1985)

The famous cognac of Napoléon, straight from Jarnac. Imagine this is the first time we’re tasting this well-known version. Colour: deep gold. Nose: plenty of sultanas and wildflower honey, with just a little old bottle effect showing through in the shape of faint metallic and dusty touches, though nothing remotely troublesome. The whole thing is firmly driven by raisins. Mouth: decent, still very much focused on raisins, alongside caramel and corn syrup. Finish: rather short, getting slightly schmalzy by now. Comments: perfectly acceptable, though we shall quietly move on, the interest remains rather limited, and these little cognacs have become far too fragile after forty years in bottle.
SGP:630 - 72 points.

Another VS. We’re rather fond of VS cognac…

Château de Montifaud ‘VS’ (40%, OB, petite champagne, +/-2025)

Montifaud is a very lovely house indeed, we’ve tasted some excellent ones lately, though not yet this humble VS. Colour: gold. Nose: very fruity and floral, honeysuckle, apricot, sultanas, muscat grapes… Mouth: the muscaty side carries on, with a little caramel and liquorice as well, then nougat and the tiniest touch of menthol. Nothing whatsoever to complain about, it does the job perfectly well. Finish: not quite as short as expected, with liquorice still fairly prominent and orange marmalade arriving in the aftertaste. Comments: it is not all that uncommon for VS expressions to outshine VSOPs, thanks to their freshness when they haven’t been overly obscured.
SGP:641 - 82 points.

Let’s carry on while we’re in the swing of things…

Richard Delisle ‘VS’ (40%, OB, blend, +/-2025)

Colour: gold. Nose: this feels more rustic, slightly grassy, with notes of stalks and grape pips, alongside a rather tutti-frutti eau-de-vie. The interest remains a little limited for now, we would say. Mouth: better on the palate, with liquorice, stewed fruits, zest, honey and a light touch of caramel. It has become very respectable indeed by this point. Finish: not terribly long, with unexpected little touches of violets. We find that slightly spirity side again in the aftertaste. Comments: very decent, though the previous one rather stole its thunder.
SGP:541 - 78 points.

Larsen ‘Viking Ship’ (40%, OB, grande and petite champagne, +/-2025)

One has to say the bottle is rather ‘unusual’, though we have already tasted some excellent Larsens. Colour: deep gold. Nose: honey, roasted mangoes, white flowers. Nothing to complain about here, this is charming stuff. Mouth: a lovely combination, slightly caramelised, with notes of butterscotch and soft liquorice. A little hint of orange gianduja as well, though the 40% vol. handicaps the whole slightly. Finish: not especially long, which is a pity, I’m sure this would have been much better at 43%. Maple syrup. Comments: a little more punch would do it a world of good, because this is undeniably a very pretty spirit.
SGP:641 - 79 points.

Right then, let’s talk seriously, even if we do jump from one extreme to another…

Famille Cabanne ‘A.100’ (46.6%, Old Master Spirits, Grande Champagne, 2026)

Careful now, this is serious stuff, here comes a hundred-year-old cognac offered by friends from… Australia. I should add that we have already tasted some extremely old Cabanne that were utterly magnificent. Colour: deep amber. Nose: old honey jars, just very slightly fermentary, gingerbread, dandelion flowers, multi-floral pollen, and a very old pack of English cigarettes. I shall leave you to choose the brand, though I would suggest Craven ‘A’. We are naturally speaking only about the aromas of the tobacco, in no way whatsoever are we suggesting anyone should smoke it (c’mon, S.). Mouth: what beauty! Herbal teas by the thousand, countless honeys, ancient Sauternes and Barsac, then flavours growing drier, spicier and more chocolatey, yet never becoming drying. We could easily write a tasting note running to three pages, though in a rare burst of generosity, we shall spare you such an ordeal. Finish: if there had to be the slightest Achilles’ heel, it would be a finish that turns a little drier and fractionally less transcendent, though it would be rather inelegant to dwell on such details. Black tea. Comments: an extraordinary journey through time, and I promise we are judging only the strictly organoleptic side here. Completely mad, in fact.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Famille Duluc ‘Lot 70’ (46.1%, Authentic Spirits, Grande Champagne, ugni blanc, 2026)

Here we are in Touzac, a former commune of Charente now attached to the charmingly named Bellevigne (Lovelyvine). And from a decidedly rock’n’roll vintage. Colour: dark amber. Nose: it starts with plenty of praline and black nougat, before moving towards Corinth raisins and prunes, alongside a few thin mints and a splendid cordial of fir and eucalyptus. There is even a touch of very old Dutch genever. Mouth: magnificent dryness, recalling a very old amontillado infused with dark chocolate and, this time, French brown tobacco. We shall refrain from naming any brands. Finish: fairly long and very dry, becoming more mentholated, more reminiscent of Russian-style black tea. Pure cocoa in the aftertaste. Comments: more demanding perhaps, though magnificent if you like your cognacs… seco. We certainly do.
SGP:461 - 89 points.

Fins Bois ‘Lot 45’ (58.2%, Malternative Belgium, Asia-Pacific exclusive, 96 bottles, 2025)

How on earth are our friends supposed to cope with fewer than 100 bottles for the whole of Asia and the Pacific? In any case, this V-vintage is legendary, for all manner of reasons. Think Latour or Lafite 1945! This is a bouilleur de cru cognac, therefore anonymous. The strength is pretty astonishing too, either this baby spent a great deal of time in demijohns, or it matured in an ultra-dry warehouse. Or perhaps both. Colour: amber. Nose: the slightly rustic gracefulness of fins bois, with melon and peaches alongside chic perfume, musk, dried apricots, rice powder and carnations… With water: damp earth, old greenhouse, faded flowers, patchouli. Mouth (neat): utterly mad stuff, all on zests, white pepper, angelica and pink peppercorns. It is extraordinary to taste a 1945 cognac at almost 60% vol. Proper backbone here. With water: superb rusticity, very much on the wood (awesome wood that is), we are truly plunged straight into the immediate post-war years. Finish: fairly long, more on leaves, stalks, green pepper and fruit skins. Comments: the youthfulness of this baby is utterly astonishing, there is not the slightest sign of old age, never would you imagine it was harvested eighty years ago. That eau-de-vie side is also precisely what gives it such colossal charm.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

One last one, please, we’re heading back to Australia…

Peyrot ‘V.61 A.64’ (43.8%, Old Master Spirits, Grande Champagne, 2026)

A legendary 1961 vintage, only slightly overshadowed by 1959 in the wine world, fully matured in cask. What more could one ask for? We are in Mainxe-Gondeville here. Colour: deep amber. Nose: white chocolate and green walnuts, what a magnificent combination. Also black truffle, morels, and those tobaccos already mentioned above. Dried mint leaves as well. A splendid nose. Mouth: one of those cognacs that may occasionally bring Ténarèze to mind, with plenty of chocolate and black tea, though here it is both rustic and gentle, with prunes and liqueur, even hints of pineau. Or pousse-rapière. So, there is a faintly syrupy side, surprising and rather unusual indeed, yet very charming, rather in the style of old El Dorados (eh?). One imagines these spirits may have been slightly ‘adjusted’ at some point, though all this remains eminently traditional. Finish: long, powerful, very slightly sweet and liqueur-like. A tiny touch of old plum spirit. Comments: there is a faintly ‘kitcheny’ side to it, though one ought to respect the work of our grandfathers and grandmothers, whatever their customs and methods may have been. Such as, indeed ‘kitchen’ works on Sunday mornings, when everyone, including the authorities, were at Mass or down the bistrot. Or still in bed recovering from the previous Saturday night. It is almost moving to come across this slightly old-style profile once again.
SGP:641 - 89 points.

Well, we won’t have kept to any vintage chronology this time, but we’ll always do as we please, if you don’t mind (S., pleeease…). Tomorrow, back to whisky.

Check the index of all Cognacs we've tasted