Cognac and Armagnac - premium selection

Both Cognac and Armagnac are distinct types of brandy from the Cognac and Armagnac regions of southwest France, and in this selection you will find some of the finest exponents of these spirits from Hine, Henessy, Delamain, Martell, Courvoisier and Lacaze.

Cognac is distilled twice (unlike Armagnac) and comes in a range of styles dependent upon the cru (the finest being Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne), producer style (the blending process using different ages of eau-de-vie) and the grade (how long it is aged in oak). Cognac is graded in ascending order of quality: V.S. (very special), V.S.O.P. (very superior old pale), Napoleon and XO (extra old) which spends up to 20 years in oak.

Armagnac's production is smaller than Cognac and is sold by smaller producers under several different classifications, mostly referring to the age of the constituent brandies. A 'VS' Armagnac is a mix of several Armagnacs that have seen at least two years of aging in wood. For the VSOP, the aging is at least five years; and for XO, at least six. Hors d'âge means the youngest component in the blend is at least ten years old. Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages, with the bottles containing Armagnac from a single year, the year being noted on the bottle.