Maxime Trijol’s Grande Champagne Cognacs are consistently excellent (check out the XO and a superb array of vintages). The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment or for professional financial advice. With more than 250 years of history and seven generations of cognac makers, there’s a reason Hennessy is one of the most well-known cognac makers in the world. On the heels of its acclaimed Elegance Range, the distillery recently debuted new VS, VSOP (mentioned above), and XO statements.

A lively mixture of fresh muscat wine and raisins delivers vibrancy and youthfulness in a very pleasant and charming way. Below we have rounded up the 10 best brandy brands in the world that you should try and sample - at least once in your lifetime. Palate: Beautifully expressing the fruity flavours characteristic of the white wines produced from Charente vines.The Hine Rare VSOP was awarded gold medals in 2003 and 2007, and given 93 out of a possible 100 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Our British founder, Thomas Hine, chose the emblematic stag to represent Hine, most likely because of the analogy between the words Hine and hind. Boasting a rather thick and oily viscosity, the legs of this Fine Champagne Cognac run down the side of the glass in a rather slow fashion. Enjoy with frozen grapes and a cheese platter, or with dark chocolate to really enhance and bring out the best of its flavours, aromas and aftertaste.

This gentle, floral cognac is fresh with orange and spiced by cinnamon notes – the Hine house is the sole supplier of cognac to the British Royal Family, so it must be good. Moving out of Europe, Klipdrift brandy is distilled in the Western Cape of South Africa in the Robertson region. On top of these terms, there are also other offshoots like Hors d’âge which is used to describe a cognac that has matured past the official age range.Its VSOP is beloved for its notes of candied orange peels, honey, tropical fruits, dried cherries, and sweet caramel. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report.

Founded by Jay-z and master cellar master Michel Casavecchia, it’s produced at Château du Cognac, one of the oldest cognac houses in the country. The history of Hine Cognac starts in the 18th Century, when a young man by the name of Thomas Hine from Dorset arrived in Jarnac to undertake administerial work for a Cognac producer.Again, made from a blend of exclusive Eaux-De-Vies (brandy distilled from any raw ingredients such as fruit, except for grapes) in the sought after vineyards of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. While it comes in a wide range of expressions, its Cordon Rouge with its flavours of caramel, candied orange peels, and nutty sweetness is the most well-known by far. I mean I shouldn’t complain; it quite clearly says hints of violet and jasmine, but it really detracts and distracts me from the palate. Aside from Cognac brandy made in the south west of France, there's also Armagnac brandy, which comes from just a little further south than the Cognac region. Since Hine is a more mellow, wine-focused type of Cognac, I like to pair it with certain cigars, despite my usual cautiousness of spirit and cigar combinations, given the high ABV.

Not so with Hine Rare, which I would enjoy alongside a characterful Connecticut shade wrapped cigar with depth and body in the filler tobaccos. However legend has it that in Dorset, Thomas Hine’s home county, lived a white hart, a harbinger of good fortune and that this is why he elected the stag. Hine Cognacs are some of the most highly regarded around the world for their quality, elegance and complexity. Nearly a century after its creation, this classic VSOP continues to bridge the gap between elegance and power, combining roasted apricot and stewed apple with a vanilla-accented backbone from maturation in Limousin oak.It’s all too easy to rhapsodise about the quality and complexity of the classic XO (Extra Old) and Hors d’Age Cognac expressions. Virtually everything this top cognac house produces strikes a distinctive accord, and no two releases in the Vintage Collection are exactly the same. Such was his reputation in the business, when his father-in-law died, Thomas was chosen as his successor, as opposed to one of the Delamain sons. But brandy is much more than this - why not enjoy it with triple sec and lemon juice as part of a sidecar cocktail, or with vermouth as a metropolitan?