Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac

A medium orange-y yellow… marigold? Bright and fresh on the nose – quite floral. Honeysuckle. Melon. Rosewater. Clementine. Pear. A tickle of proof-spice, and pleasant weight in the glass with modest legs. Opens the palate with sweetness. Simple syrup transitions quickly to marshmallow, then finds its footing with marzipan, golden raisin, poached pears, light orange blossom honey, and finally just a hint of that classic cognac drying oak. Barrel influence is minor at most. The somewhat thick mouthfeel disperses quickly, and I’d assume is largely from the dosage. The aspartame and allspice finish is enjoyable and lingers nicely despite the negligible oak influence. Overall, a simple but approachable pour that seems to punch above it’s weight. Not going to win any awards for complexity, it opens the door to an enjoyable “flagship” cognac experience at a much lower price point than the major producers.

Simply delicious! This their entry level cognac, but is aged for 10 years, not four or six. It pours a golden amber and swirls good legs. It noses of fruit, honey and a little vanilla. In the mouth the fruitiness is forward and there is a full, almost oily, mouthfeel. The finish is medium long and exceptionally smooth. I am super impressed. I find this to be MUCH more enjoyable than the entry level cognacs from the big houses of Hennessy, Martell, or Courvoisier. This is distilled on the lees and I think that explains the greater fruitiness and wonderful mouthfeel. I admit my experience with cognac is somewhat limited, having sampled only about two dozen expressions--and none of those were in the super high-end costing hundreds of dollars. But of the ones I have had in the below $100 range this is the best for drinking neat. (I never mix cognac.)

Pierre Ferrand Ambre is one of the entry level cognacs in their lineup and for the price it's highly recommended, especially in cocktails. Although to be fair for about the same cost the 1840 is probably even better for cocktails. The nose has a nice musk followed by orange peel. The palate is highlighted by honey, more citrus notes and oak. The finish is pretty smooth with only a light burn but along with the nose and palate it's pretty unremarkable. I wouldnt say this is a must try cognac by any means. Its relatively young at around 10 years but it's a solid everyday sipper, just not incredibly unique. If I was rating this just on its own it would be average, maybe slightly above but combined with the value it definitely deserves a bit of a bump to a 3.5. This, the 1840 and Hine H are my go to cocktail cognacs.

This is something a bit different from any of the big cognac houses. It's fruit-forward, much more than I'd expect from something aged ~10 years. But it's not harsh or unrefined like some other cognacs. First sip impression is very much wine, wine, wine. Typical oak and spice flavors are there too, in balance. Toward the end of the glass, once the ice has melted a bit, a sweet-tea flavor becomes prominent. Mouthfeel is fairly heavy, waxy. Overall, it's not the most nuanced or perfected cognac you can find. But it is great for this price point. I actually prefer this to their more expensive Reserve double cask. I'm not sure how well it would do in cocktails, but if your drink needs a peach tea vibe, it might be a hit there. I drank it on the rocks, it works well like that.

Hearty french oak spice and raw tannins, deep vanilla creme, rich & ripe apricots, orange blossom honey, red plums, grassy honeysuckle, flakey pastry, buttery, fresh flower bouquet, juicy anjou pear, white wine. Fair mix of mature oak tannins as well showing this blend has a bit of a range. Meyer lemon and bergamot cuts through the long lingering sweetness. A good digestif.

First foray into cognac. Big bourbon, scotch, mezcal, and aged rum guy. This stuff is fricking delicious. Notes of pear, apple and grape are in the nose. Jammy pears and grape dominate the palette. Surprisingly enough I do get the astringent black tea bite that the review mentions. Oily lingering finish with light oaky undertones. Great first cognac!