Brandy, Cognac & Calvados
Brandy, Cognac & Calvados
My brandy new Brandy, Cognac and Calvados Channel. I'll be covering all things Brandy including Pisco & Grappa, Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados and Apple Brandies. Here you'll find education, Tastings and Cocktails.
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A Hine walk through,very underrated,and slightly misunderstood House,I think it would be interesting 😊
We need a Martell tasting video. Cognac has always been my drink of choice but once I tasted Martell the others were left behind. It’s just levels above the rest.
VSOP BLIND LINEUP PLS ❤
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Torres? 🤢🤮 Amigo tienes que probar, terry, Lepanto, Cardenal, Duque... Habiendo tanta variedad escogiste el peor.
As strictly a neat drinker I’m more likely to go with VSOP and XO as long as the price is right. I’m not paying over 150 so I’m probably going with under 50 for sure.
great video mate keep it up. currently sipping 1738 and did my own comparison with the vsop, night and day between the two. shame my local whiskey shop doesn't stock it I'll have to order another bottle from amazon... definitely my go to sipper at the moment.
A video about armagnac would be interesting.
I tested, I think, Remy is far better...
What an amazing channel, I have just recently discovered the wonderful world of brandy and I'm glad there's a channel dedicated to it!. I have just started making my own Grand Marnier liqueur, using brandy as a base with added orange peels and sugar, I can't wait to try it when it's finished. I've been wanting to try the VSOP brandy by Bardinet, it's one of the only afforable brandy's I can get my hands on. Possible taste-testing video on Bardinet brandy? :)
For me cognac is the drink of choice. I definitely advice you to try cognacs from Hardy. I also advice you to try brandies from Ararat and armagnacs from Darroze.
Hardy makes amazing cognac
Picked up a bottle of XO from Costco for $20. Can't wait to try it.
Bottle breathing time is a factor you should pay attention to... otherwise not valid.
Personally if you let these sit for awhile and I’m talking a year they get so much better. Just saying.
Martell VSOP is a excellent balance quality cognac as per value.
Van Ryn 15 year voted best brandy in the world second year running. Any chance you can do some content on South African brandies
Can you drink through the whole brands? VS, VSOP, XO, special? Would really like to see Martel vs the others! Thanks!!
it is on the list 👍️
You should try the "Delicious Sour', a cocktail dating from 1892 in William Schmidts 'Flowing Bowl' and a 'delicious' sour with Calvados and Peach/Apricot Brandy.
I'll look it up 👍️
Glad you mentioned Hine. I got a bottle of Rare VSOP last evening, been sipping it the whole morning (after 10 am), not bad. But I still prefere Spanish brandy over cognac.
I love Spanish Brandy but would never compare it to Armagnac and Cognac (which I also love). Spanish Brandy is different. Of course most are Brandy De Jerez and will taste of the influence of Sherry which is lovely. But the more regular Of course Torres for example aged in Bourbon Barrels and also fermented for longer than Cognac and Armagnac (or even most rum) so they have a lot more fruit flavors and also more charred flavor from the Bourbon barrels. Spanish brandy of any kind has a ton more flavor than Cognac or even Armagnac even with no aging. It's more like rum in that it has a ton of fruity flavors before aging. So it's not comparable to the aging years of Cognac or Armagnac.
I really do agree as I have visited several Brandy de Jerez houses in Spain, me and the wife have a summerhouse in Spain. I tasted Torres before aging and it's very nicely fermented with more flavor than the wine made from these grapes, pear, apple, leather and spices even before any aging was done at the distillery. After aging you get vanilla, wood and other spices added. We tasted young Torres liquor and Torres 15 and compared.
Personally I don't buy any Cognac with this added oak and sugar brew. In Norway it's pointed out if it's Cognac added with the oak/sugar brew. The popular sellers all taste almost the same so I go for the ones with none added or the Brut bottles. I do personally enjoy dry Cognac though, more akin to Armagnac and other none sugared liquors. I just prefer Brandy with no added sugar and wood essences. I guess it's up to taste. Sugar and oak essence in general remove the proper flavors to me, especially the woody flavors which I enjoy.
The typical added stuff is sugar cooked into oak essence and it makes the Cognac taste like typical mainstream Cognac which I personally don't like at all. Boring plain tasting Cognac which most people love. Junk. I want real wood flavors and real fruit. You don't get that from the big labels.
In general the closer a bottle of Cognac is to a bottle of Armagnac the better. Armagnac is a real aged spirit and only lately have some brands understood to release Cognac without diluting it with garbage. Undiluted Cognac is great just like Armagnac.
Great Stuff! What about a VS comparison of the big 4s?
All four are very nice, but I would agree with you the Courvoiser XO is the best out of the four.
Torres 20 is excellent....Torres 15 is really good too
I'd have to say yes. Age and perfect blending is worth the cost. Having said that I'd still go the less expensive route because I have a 150 cap on alcohol regardless of how good it is. I blend cognac with bourbon and rye whiskey as a hobby and so far I'm very happy with the outcome. Just subbed and I enjoy your content. Enjoy!!
Thank you!
I don't know, but I imagine not all distilled fruit is brandy. One big caveat would probably be alcohol content. The first time I ever tried moonshine was here in Georgia. The maker called it "Peach Squeezins" made from the culls of the famous georgia peach orchards. Not sure as to its age, but it had just a slight hint of peach flavor, not a lot, but then it was about 160 proof. Not an expert, but not what I would concider a brandy.... was pretty good though😊
Brandy is the generic term for all things dtilled from Fruit. That is the top end category. Like Rum is all things distilled from Sugar Cane. Where Fruit Brandy comes in is "Eau de Vie"...and Eau de Vie is basically all fruit Brandy that is NOT distilled from Grapes. So if you distilled a Grape, its Brandy. If you distill a Peach, its a Eau de Vie...which is a category of Brandy. Hope that helps.
Hi Steve ! I love the new Courvoisier retro packaging that re-creates the look of old Courvoisier bottles from the 1950's ! However, I did not like the re-formulation of their VS and VSOP. The previous generation (purple label bottles) VS and VSOP was so much better to me ! I am still hoping to try the new Courvoisier XO Royale and their new Extra. Steve, if you can try the Courvoisier VSOP Travel Edition. You can find it at the Duty Frees or maybe its available in the UK ? Travel Edition VSOP has no E-150 and it had a wonderful Calvados apple note to it. Cheers !
I'll keep an eye out, cheers!
Constraints can be Beautiful ! But as someone who respects tradition and new things I had no issue with Martell calling Blue Swift a "Spirit Drink" instead of a Cognac. By the way the hue of that Burnt Faith in that tulip looks marvelous !
The Burnt Faith is incredible. Love that stuff.
Calvados is a fantastic mixer. Calvados adds excellent taste when mixed with Lemon-Lime Soda or the various Colas on the market. Much better than a Whiskey and Coke !
Hi Steve, thoroughly enjoyed this show. I too have been thinking of the Spanish Brandys as a cheaper alternative to French Cognac in cocktails. I love a Vieux Carre. Currently though I am abstaining due to a gout attack. Nick from York
As a kid, Carlos I was simply the best, and I didn't like French brandy at all. These days I'm horrifically allergic to brandy, but I do like apple brandy. From a whisky lover's perspective, it's very interesting what aging does, how long, where the casks are kept, the actual size of the cask, what it's been used for, the level of char, etc. I would love to know what a caramelly smooth brandy would come out like if aged in a lightly charred ex-Talisker or Lagavulin cask would taste like, or at the other end of the scale, a lightly charred ex-Glenfarclas or Auchentoshan Bloodwood cask. I think all would be delicious, but not sure what would be your favourite.
You got me excited to try me Jaime 1 and 20
The 20 is exceptional. Love it. Bottle ordered!
ooh and we can actually get these in serbia!
Why is cognac so expensive?
Cognac isn't that expensive. VS is quite cheap considering its a minimal of a 4yo Spirit. However, an XO can be very expensive, but then its a factor of Age (most XOs are a very minimum blend of 10yo Brandies...some XOs contain 20yo+. Also, Cognac can only be distilled 6 months of the year. So its not like Rum/Gin/Vodka/Whiskey which can be distilled 24/7.
Nice video Steve. I’m big fan of Spanish brandy’s. Main difference between Spanish Brandy and Cognac is a casks use to maturation process. In France it mostly virgin French oak cask or cognac Refill cask , in Spain most commonly used casks are ex Sherry wine casks , and due to a few different Sherry wine type you can get different taste profile od brandy . Cheers
Yup deffo. I admittedly totally forget to mention that. Kinda loosely covered with the whole Solera thing. But you're right. And it really shows on the tasting. VERY different profiles.
I also enjoy Spanish Brandy. Very affordable ! I have been enjoying Fundador Sherry Cask finish lately. Spanish Brandies are great, but to me they seem to lack the "feel" or "high" of Cognacs from Grande Champagne, Borderies, and Petite Champagne. Maybe the minerals in the French soils are adding that extra finesse ?
Yeah, it's a bit of everything. Totally different Grape. Different climate. Different Laws controlling "production"...even coming down to how much and when, watering the vines can be done. Different aging techniques. Different Blending. But that said, you try that Torres 20, and tell me it doesn't match up to a VSOP. You have to ignore the number as its solera. But Price side by side. That Torres 20 is exceptional.
@@brandycognaccalvados That Torres 20 is on my radar for sure ! Thank you Steve ! I love what you do for the Brandy Fans !
Jaime 1 is pronounced Hymay oono
Yeah, I NEVER would've got there with your help! 😂 thanks
Torres 20 is one of my favourites. It costs around €35 here in Spain.
How would you compare it to Cardenal Mendoza?
I bought 1840 and I had my home Camus - La Grande Marque bottle, so I tried one vs another, and I was surprised the Camus nose simply was lost in the brightness of 1840. However, 1840 with 45 ABV a lot harder on the palate than soft and gentle Camus.
Thank you for this content! My friend came over last weekend and saw my wisky and cognac bar at home. She grew up in France and told me that I need to add a Calvados to my collection. I hadn't even heard of it. Can you recommend some Calvados that resembles a cognac that taste like Remmy Mart. 1738? I love the texture, color and overall taste of that cognac. Thanks again!
Still cant find a good Godet XO review. Edit: this was a well done review of various xo cognac.
I've just looked. I haven't heard of Godet...BUT, I can get it. I look at it fro a new video. Thank you.
I'm mostly a novice with cognac, but I would like people to know that Hine VSOP is the bottle that sold me on it. If you find it, buy a bottle, you won't regret it.
have you tried hardy xo
Sorry, I haven't heard of it 🤷♂️
@@brandycognaccalvados Its not as common as the big 4 but its quite known brand, I would say its better than henny or remy. The xo rare is about 100e where I live, would like to see your review of the brand
Holy Shyte… That was good👍🏼😊🙏🏻
Thanks! 😁
I baught my grandad courvoisier vs dor chistmas for a trear as he usauly buy his brandy dor aldi and lidl and places like that think he buy napoleon brandy he was happy with what i baught him what brandys or evan cognac would u say are better for a similar price range under £40 or so is courvoisier vsop better than vs or would u say sommet like martell would be better st remmy xo or sommet aslo would would be one that isnt to sweat
Sorry Andy, thats really hard to read, but hopefully the last 3-4 videos have answered this question. For the price, I'm still loving St Remy XO, but it is a different style to any Cognac. It's much lighter. And i still can't ignore the Pierre Ferrand Cognacs. I really love them.
Hello Steve. I haven't tried many cognacs yet but the one I really liked was Rémy Martin 1738 (65€)) with its chocolatey flavor and the ones I didn't like at all were the Grosperrin cognacs with their really special woody flavor.
I haven't tried any Grosperrin yet. Waaaay out of my price range. But also very very old, hence the Wood.
For me, it's Hennessy, Martell, Remy, Courvoisier
I have tried 10 gen and today I will try Ambre, I have just ordered it ! Pierre Ferrand is a great surprise for me !
They’re some great cognacs. Still think hard to beat at the moment for me early on.
I work at a liquior store in the east coast and apparently the sales reps that supply the store state that Remy sales are slacking, as I been working in the liquor store for almost 4 months and have yet to see anyone buy a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP
Good info. Cheers