TOP 10 best cognacs

Alcoholic beverages are widely represented on the shelves of many stores, ranging from ordinary round-the-clock stalls to large chain hypermarkets; there are also specialized establishments where rather expensive products are presented. An assortment of cognacs can put an unprepared buyer in serious difficulty, especially since there are a lot of counterfeit products on sale. Of course, no one will allow you to try a drink when buying, so we tried to collect in our article the most tested recommendations related to the purchase of cognac so that it would be pleasant to drink and not be ashamed to present. We start with the rules for choosing this alcohol, and continue with an overview of the best quality brands. Let's get started!

What do you pay attention to when buying cognac?

First of all, keep in mind that the production of 1 liter of cognac requires about 10 liters of young wine and several years of time, so a priori the cost of high-quality cognac cannot be too low. If you see a drink on sale whose price is about 40% lower than the average, then you should immediately refuse to buy such brandy.

Another important factor is the aging of cognac. Its age is taken into account as a result of aging the drink in oak barrels. If cognac is produced by blending (i.e. mixing) several types of alcohols that have been aged for different times, this factor is not given on the bottle. Accordingly, cognac made on the basis of a blend is considered not too high quality among connoisseurs of such alcohol. In ordinary stores you can find cognac, the aging period of which is in the range from 3 to 7 years. In specialized institutions you can find more seasoned products - up to 10 years and even more. However, such drinks are more suitable for connoisseurs and collectors. Ordinary consumers will quite like cognac with an aging of about 5 years.

When choosing, you should carefully inspect the bottle, evaluate the quality of the blockage. The cork should be made of wood or pressed sawdust. The container is necessarily transparent, the sticker is glued evenly, without traces of glue. It should enlighten cognac to the light - it should be uniformly transparent, without turbidity, various extraneous inclusions, sediment. You can try turning the bottle upside down to assess the consistency of the drink: if characteristic oily streaks appear on the walls, this indicates an acceptable quality of the drink.

After opening the bottle, you can smell the cognac, pour a little into the glass and heat slightly: the original drink will change its smell a little, alcohol, acetone or kerosene will not appear. In our review there are only original cognacs not only according to user reviews, but also according to the opinion of professional tasters. When compiling the rating, we did not ignore the price-quality ratio - you will not find too expensive varieties here.

The best cognacs of the year

10. White stork (Moldova)

One of the most famous varieties of cognac, which began to be produced back in the days of the Soviet Union, is produced until today. This is a fairly popular brand among inexpensive cognacs. The drink has a beautiful golden amber color.Standard fortress - 40 degrees. The taste is felt floral notes, vanilla. The production technology is classic - wine distillates are aged in oak barrels for three to seven years, after which sugar and caramel are added to them. This allows you to greatly soften the taste. After that, the drink is again placed in oak barrels and aged for a year, which gives the taste additional brightness.

The shelf life of cognac is unlimited, if stored correctly - in a room with a temperature of 5 to 25 degrees, humidity should not exceed 40%. No harmful substances were found in the composition of the drink during analysis; the value of nutritional value is 239 kilocalories.

Benefits:

• Acceptable price;
• Due to the low price, the number of fakes on the market is minimal;
• Pleasant taste;
• Alcohol during consumption is weak;
• He has many awards at prestigious competitions in alcoholic beverages.

Disadvantages:

• Very mediocre packaging.

9. Klinkov VSOP

Despite the low price, this drink belongs to the premium class, is made in the Crimea, its minimum exposure is 3 years. It is produced on the basis of grape cognac varieties with the addition of special French-made alcohols. Aging in oak barrels gives this grade a subtle nutty bitterness. The general impression of the drink is as follows: a little sweetness, almost no alcohol is felt, depending on the grape year, nutmeg mixed with orange zest or honey can be felt, sometimes even small tobacco aromas are felt.

The taste is quite soft, balanced - there is nothing superfluous. It is sold in a rather interesting package: the bottle is placed in a gift tube, on the inside of which there is accurate information about the history of this variety. The cork is made of peel, pressed into a plastic cover. On the label must be indicated the exposure time, information about the manufacturer, category of drink. If the bottle is original, then it has a company logo - a capital letter K.

Benefits:

• Original taste, which directly depends on the vintage;
• Belongs to the premium class, despite the acceptable cost;
• Forged rarely;
• Interesting packaging.

Disadvantages:

• Not found.

8. Jatone X.O. Extra

In the Russian market, this brand can be found in two varieties - 5 and 8-year exposure. A drink is made in Kherson, has a large number of various awards, is characterized by low cost, which makes it affordable for almost everyone. The color is dark golden, in taste you can catch barely noticeable notes of milk chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut. You can find more seasoned products that acquire pear and flower aromas followed by a chocolate flavor. This grade is preferred by the beautiful half of humanity. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to find it in popular chain stores, it is sold only through a network of specialized retail alcohol stores.

This cognac with an increase in aging time is only getting better, continuing to prove its worth. It is made exclusively from light grape varieties, and distillation is carried out only the next year after making the wort.

Benefits:

• Very interesting taste;
• Has many rewards;
• The production technology includes various subtleties, due to which the taste acquires a number of original inclusions;
• The original bottle, which has many degrees of protection, so it is almost impossible to fake such products.

Disadvantages:

• A small sediment of oak dust may form at the bottom.

7. Tetroni 5

One of the best cognacs of Georgian production, despite the fact that it is not too expensive. The production of this type of drink began only in 1994, but almost immediately it gained wide popularity.In the manufacture of grapes from many regions of Georgia are used, which positively affects the taste, making them richer. The bottle is also decorated in a very original way - in black or green. The label shows a thoroughbred white horse. One of the key advantages of cognac is a very mild taste, due to which the drink is drunk quite easily, there is practically no smack of alcohol. Cognac is good not only for men but also for women.

The drink has a light golden color. Gourmets recommend drinking it slowly, savoring every sip. To feel the complete harmony of aftertaste, you need to hold cognac in your mouth for a while, roll your tongue across the sky. It is recommended to use it in its pure form, without adding it to coffee or cocktails. It will be best combined with ice cream, desserts, cream, you should not drink it with grapes. Reveals its quality with seafood.

Benefits:

• An interesting bottle, difficult to fake;
• Mild flavor, easy to drink.

Disadvantages:

• Not suitable for all dishes.

6. Old Kakheti 5

Another very popular brand of Georgian cognac, which is actively exported and shipped to 14 countries, with about 40% of all production being sent to Russia. The company "Kakheti traditional winemaking", engaged in the production of this variety, was opened recently - in 2001, but today it is one of the largest wineries in the country, which annually produces about 12 million bottles of cognac. This variety has repeatedly received the highest awards at prestigious international competitions.

Cognac spirits are aged in wooden barrels made of a special kind of oak - Iberian, the aging period is at least 5 years, due to which the drink acquires a rich and very balanced taste. Among the aromas, the predominant ones are dried fruit tones, old port wine, and genuine leather. The taste is delicate, buttery, cognac pleasantly envelops the throat, does not burn, leaves a vanilla-chocolate aftertaste.

Benefits:

• The taste is soft and pleasant;
• Saturated color;
• Over the years, it is gaining an ever-growing range of flavors.

Disadvantages:

• It is difficult to distinguish the original bottle from the fake one.

5. Lezginka

This is one of the first brands of Russian cognacs presented in our review of these noble drinks. Cognac is produced at the Kizlyar Cognac Factory, and the enterprise has the status of an official supplier of the Moscow Kremlin and the presidential administration. Repeatedly cognac "Lezginka" received high awards at domestic Russian and international competitions. Not too long ago, the drink began to be exported - to Asian countries, in particular, to Japan. It is worth noting that this brand is faked quite often, however, it is not too difficult to distinguish a fake: on the top of the bottle there is an engraving in the form of an oval medallion with numbers 1885 - the year the cognac production was launched in Kizlyar.

The brand name and portrait of Bagration are made due to the latest technology of relief stamping. The label is lacquered. Information on the neck of the bottle is applied using a laser, and at the bottom there should be a clear brand of the manufacturer. The cognac tastes very good - it is a balanced balance of freshness and fruit tones of peach, grape, apricot jam. The aftertaste creates a feeling of warmth, has a taste of chocolate. This drink is very popular among consumers, although it is quite expensive.

Benefits:

• Good taste;
• The minimum content of harmful substances.

Disadvantages:

• High price;
• A significant number of fakes in the market.

4. Ararat 5

Armenia has long been famous for cognac, and this variety has incorporated all the best traditions of Armenian winemakers. This variety is produced at the Yerevan Brandy Factory and is supplied to more than 40 countries.About 7-8 million bottles are produced annually, of which about 5 are delivered to Russia. Cognac has a specific, but very pleasant taste due to the use in the production of only grape varieties that grow directly on the territory of Armenia, and the alcohol is aged in oak barrels from various types of wood. The manufacturing company positions its products as high-quality and meets the preferences of all lovers of Armenian cognac.

The variety has many international awards, in particular, even very prestigious ones - The World-Spirits Award, World Spirits Competition and others. Cognac has a pleasant smell of pear, cooked from dried fruit compote, plum. The taste is slightly burning, tart, gives apple juice and green grapes, has a sweetish tones. The finish is silky with a small bitterness, like an apricot kernel. Perfect with a bar of dark chocolate or black coffee.

Benefits:

• One of the best Armenian cognacs;
• An original taste that cannot be confused with any other variety.

Disadvantages:

• High price.

3. Noah Araspel

Even just picking up a bottle of cognac of this variety, you understand that this product is of excellent quality. The shape of the bottle is quite interesting, it is massive both in appearance and in weight. This brandy stands out against the background of other varieties due to its rich color, which over the years becomes more saturated, thereby emphasizing its nobility. In the production of this drink only white grapes of vintage varieties are used. It is made in Armenia, delivered to all CIS countries, to Europe and the United States, and in large enough quantities. He is recognized by connoisseurs of these drinks due to high quality, as evidenced by a significant number of awards at international competitions.

The price of this brandy is quite acceptable for an ordinary consumer. The whole bouquet of aromas and tastes of the variety is not revealed immediately. Poured into a glass, this cognac immediately begins to give off with light notes of vanilla, the first small sip gives some burning, but then it turns into velvety with an interesting combination of chocolate and vanilla. The finish is long, which characterizes only high-quality drinks.

Benefits:

• The original shape of the bottle;
• Several degrees of protection to quickly distinguish a fake;
• Beautiful color, pleasant aroma and rich taste.

Disadvantages:

• Not found.

2. King Tigran

It is found only in specialized alcohol stores. Its average exposure is one of the longest among all the best cognacs - it is at least 10 years old. Fermentation of the drink is carried out exclusively on wild yeast, which gives it a dark amber color. The aroma contains classic tones of vanilla and chocolate, you can catch the floral and ginger tones. The taste is quite soft, elegant, has a long aftertaste that does not have sorrow.

If you open the bottle and immediately smell the drink, you can feel the tones of marinade, bay leaf, lemon peel. When rubbing a few drops in the palms, it changes a little, some creamy notes are introduced into it, and the tones of the marinade slightly weaken, but do not disappear at all. During use, there is no alcohol taste, but there is some astringency. The duration of the aftertaste, especially if you drink cognac with lemon and chocolate, can reach 15 minutes.

Benefits:

• Long exposure;
• Long aftertaste;
• Interesting color.

Disadvantages:

• High price.

1. Ararat Nairi

This is the most expensive, but also the best brandy among all that are included in our review. The products are Armenian, have a deep dark amber color, interesting luster and absolute transparency without the slightest hint of any kind of sediment. The texture is harmonious, characterized by excellent sophistication.The taste is rich, has a long finish, which combines toasted bread, cloves, in addition, they are balanced by the presence of honey and tones of cinnamon. In the aroma, you can catch a certain proportion of alcohol, but it is well masked by fruity-woody odors, has some sweetness. You can catch a dried pear, an apple. After the cognac has stood in the glass for some time, caramel notes and the smell of freshly sawn oak boards begin to appear.

Such brandy is drunk very easily, there are some fruit overflows in the taste, which can later be caught in the aftertaste. You won’t be able to catch classic vanilla, tones of chocolate and prune, which gives the cognac even more originality, so this drink is simply impossible to confuse with another variety.

Benefits:

• Interesting taste;
• A long finish and an original aroma that can not be confused with anything.

Disadvantages:

• High price.

In conclusion, a useful video

As you can see, even among the budget varieties of cognac, you can find very decent and interesting specimens that will be enjoyed by true connoisseurs of this noble drink. Surely, there are still many little-known, but at the same time high-quality and tasty varieties, if you share such information with us and our other readers in the comments or just share your impressions and thoughts regarding our review, we will be very grateful to you.

(2 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

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