by Rich Cook | Feb 12, 2026 | Cognac
You don’t have to be a ladies’ man to enjoy this fine cognac, but you’ll see why Tim Meadow’s famed SNL character was a big fan from the first nosing. The aromatic profile leans more toasty than sweet, as it should at this grade, with notes of apple and cherry. The... 
by Rich Cook | Feb 10, 2026 | Cognac
This bottling keeps crossing my desk as a top competition performer, taking a Platinum Award with a score of 95 at the 2026 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge after a score of 96 at the 2025 Critics Challenge and a 94 at the 2025 San Diego... 
by Rich Cook | Jul 19, 2025 | Cognac, Uncategorized
Though you might infer that a bottle of Cognac marked “XXO” might have more wood character than you’d expect in a “regular” XO, you’ll discover something quite the contrary when you pop the cork on this exquisite offering. To be... 
by Michael Cervin | Jul 6, 2025 | Cognac
Though Cognac is known worldwide, there are fewer than 300 Cognac producers operating in France. This small cadre of distillers create some of the world’s most coveted brandy. This XO offers delicate aroma of dried fruit and lithe butterscotch, which fill the... 
by Michael Cervin | Feb 27, 2025 | Cognac
Begun in the mid-1700s, Hine Cognac combines “around twenty” different eaux-du-vie from various sources in and around Cognac, creating a final blend to age at their Maison. That said, they don’t release an exact aging statement – they state at least four years –... 
by Michael Cervin | Jul 18, 2024 | Cognac
Proper Cognac is a sublime blend of four components: wood, spice, floral, and fruit. What sets exceptional Cognac like this XO apart is the seamless melding of each of the four components without making any one of them the star player. This XO fills all these...
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