Courvoisier VS Cognac

Review #45 - Brandy / Cognac #7 Bought in a 200ml bottle for 12 euros or so, not a great deal, but I did not want to spend more on a VS, just out to explore each house a bit. Tasted neat in a rather small cognac glass, served at room temperature. It has a golden colour with an orangey hue, and short, short-medium legs. Nose - alcohol, wood and oak spice are the most prominent aromas, but there is also a sweetness, milk chocolate, and fruitiness (grapes, plums, oranges, apricots), with honey and vanilla as well. Palate - on the front end it is very oily, fruity, with the same aforementioned aromas, particularly plums I believe, sweet, milk chocolate, which is very pleasant, yet on the back end it is very spicy...oak, sharp wood spice, and unrefined, taking away from the entire experience. After it gets a bit of air, or my palate is accustomed to the spiciness, it seems slightly more mellow and smoother. Finish - short-medium, maybe even medium actually, oak, slight bitterness and dried fruit (perhaps raisins and dates, although a bit difficult to identify), as well as plums. The bitter note accentuates on the after-taste, yet it remains pleasant and adds some dimension to the cognac. I don't think it is a cognac that I would drink with immense pleasure (I only drink liquor neat)...mostly due to the harshness on the mid-back-end palate...it is decent, pleasant, but in this price range I think I would prefer some sort of whisk(e)y, due to a higher refinement. With some oxidation, however, the fruitiness was brought forth even more, and the sharp spiciness reduced, leaving behind a very enjoyable cognac for the price. Rating System: 5.0 - Legendary 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

Nose - chocolate, raisin, nougat nuttiness, caramelized apple, grape juice, butterscotch, honeysuckle, mild oak notes, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - raisin, chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla, syrupy grape, praline, sweet cream, chili pepper, marked barrel spice, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing fairly quickly with butterscotch, raisin, and prickly barrel spice flavors. This is both hotter and (in my opinion) more pleasantly complex than the Hennessy VS offering. By no means is this top shelf, but I find it reasonably serviceable and enjoy it slightly more than the Henny.

Nose: Blueberry syrup Caramel Apricot Canned pear syrup Palate: Light fruitiness, mostly the apricot and pear Offputting bitterness that eventually turns into a tannin-like aftertaste I'm not experienced with brandy, so take with a grain of salt. I'm not terribly impressed with this. It noses young and tastes artificial. Not complex. I wouldn't turn down a free glass, and it's just interesting enough to pique my curiosity to brandy, but for $30 I'll buy a bottle of Bushmills Black Bush and pocket the remaining $3.

It has been fun discovering/finishing fun bottles on my bar (this is proof that I drink more than whisky - I promise!). Courvoisier may seem like a hip hop video special, but cognac is great for deeper spirit lovers/whisky or rum drinkers too. The V.S. is fairly pedestrian, but the dried fruit/raisin taste and honey-caramel finish is pretty enjoyable. It's much better on ice since this one brings some heat. It doesn't have depth or complexity, but sometimes simplicity is all you need. 5.5/10

Nose: Sour green apple, caramel, vanilla, caramel covered apples, butterscotch, barrel spice, paprika, sweet cinnamon coated oak, fresh bread notes, dried fruits (raisins, prunes, dates, apricots), wood spice Palate: Dried fruits (raisins, prunes, dates, apricots), Christmas spices, oakiness, hint of ripe pear, coffee liquor, old white grapes, brown sugar Finish: Dried fruit tartness, barrel tannins, brown sugar, old raisin, slight peach, hint of plum

Honey, apricot, ethanol, spicy Courvoisier VS is drinkable with spicy taste and hints of fruits and honey. It is drinkable and good for mixing. The ethanol burn is considerable but still okay for sipping.l A few splashes of water brings out a honey flavor muted when tasted neat. The added water brings outs flavors and is recommended remembering that water is only a few drops.