Reply With QuoteMore of a cognac man myself. Baron Otard, Camus, Augier and Hine are favourites.
Nothing wrong with Courvoisier or Martell, mark you.
I’ve filled my boots with whisky and fancy a change. I know nothing about brandy though so some recommendations would be a big help.
More of a cognac man myself. Baron Otard, Camus, Augier and Hine are favourites.
Nothing wrong with Courvoisier or Martell, mark you.
This. You can often pick it up on special offer rather than at full price. Too good to burn on your Christmas pud (even though I did use it for that today!) This was full just last week but seems to have evaporated!
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I thought brandy was the common name for cognac. I must be a heathen...Originally Posted by Grandiloquence
Cognac is brandy from a specific region.
as above, cognac and brandy are interchangeable just like champagne and sparkling wine .
my favorite is daniel bouju (vsop or vs )
BrandX from Iceland.
What more could you want?
I prefer a nice armagnac myself which I find to be smoother with more flavour than cognac. Currently have a bottle of Janneau Grand on the go which is pretty good value at around £20 for a half litre.
Quite like Remy Martin but would echo the thoughts re: Armagnac- the Jeanneau stuff is nice
Metaxa 7 star from Greece, best sipped on a balcony overlooking the Ionian sea in the late evening!
Once bought a case of Armagnac after a "tasting" session. Whoops! Thoroughly enjoyed tasting the fruits of my "experience"! I seem to remember it costing me a month's wages at the time!
Or Stock XO overlooking the Med.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
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I've always enjoyed a Brandy and Ginger.Courvoiser or Martell is what i'll normally get, get it easy enough from Tesco and the like.
Delamain Pale and Dry...
Hennesy xo is my go to but the wife has generously given me a hine antique xo as a present which I'm looking forward to trying. Apparently it is supposed to be nicer
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Armagnac is the way forward. The supermarkets do some surprisingly good ones, just dont buy the cheapest.
I asked my grandpa what he wanted for his 100th birthday. He said a bottle of Hine, and I’m happy to agree with his century of experience!
Remy and Hennessy also regulars in my house.
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This a favourite to many of us.
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/...-german-brandy
Some great suggestions already.
To me, the nicest brandy I’ve ever had is the Torres 30 YO, the one that comes in a dark metal case. Can be bought on amazon as it is suite popular. Made with the Spanish Solera method and it’s dangerously delicious.
also dont forget to give the flavoured brandys a try, we make some pretty good apple brandy in this country now , silovitz (plum brandy) is also a nice drink.
You mean Slivovitz? I'm from Poland and I didn't realise that this spirit is referred to as ''plum brandy'' in the UK. Interesting stuff.
To me this is too strong to be enjoyed as a brandy. Shots is the only option and in Poland this is known to be used by ''highlanders'' to keep them warm in the winter. It is around 70% after all...
Many years ago Mrs C21 worked for Brittany Ferries and Otard was high on the list, apparently. I haven’t drunk alcohol for 20 years but when I did, Metaxa 5 star warmed by the sun in Greece was an all time favourite.
The Remy 1738 mentioned is a cracker. The Martell Cordon Bleu (if still available) is another great one. That said I don’t like any of the other offerings from either Remy or Martell
If you ask someone in the trade (I did) they often recommend Frapin and it’s my current favourite. The VSOP is very good, the XO sublime.
Frapin don’t have the marketing budget of the big names, but don’t let that put you off.
It’s like Smirnoff - biggest brand, everyone buys it, but tastes like paint stripper when compared to proper vodka
yeah i probably have the spelling wrong , what you are referring to is the local moonshine - theres a quite a few commercial brands out there now that run at 40% and are a lot easier to drink.
*brandy is any spirit that has been distilled from a fruit base , slivovitz is made from plums .
As some have mentioned I’m also a fan of Armagnac over Cognac. Not sure on price point but this is very very drinkable, as is there 10 year old & VSOP too.
https://www.masterofmalt.com/armagna...-old-armagnac/
Just looked at an order from 2014 and the 10 & 20 yo were £31 & £50 back then...
Last edited by Captain Morgan; 26th December 2019 at 10:01.
My favourite is the KWV 12 years, my uncle keeps gifting me a bottle once a year, and I find it smooth and easily drinkable (in small quantities of course).
It is South african , has a very subtle toffee taste - which does not take over its mellow , smooth taste. Definitely my favourite.
Fantastic sprinkled on fruit cakes.
Last edited by Franco; 26th December 2019 at 10:03.
Warm or with ice?
I guess the names vary. There's brandy (which is a spirit made by distilling wine) and there's fruit brandy (as you said - distilled from edible fruits) which is what Slivovitz is, I think.
I have never heard of such a ''weak'' (40%) Slivovitz, it could be interesting.
Personally i pour some in a baloon glass, and hold it in my palm for a few minutes. It gets warmer, but only just. It smells great.
i know its pedantic but grapes are a fruit , any fruit distilled is brandy (thats the term used by distillers ) , it can be confusing though with ppl using regional names like cognac /armagnac etc - its all 'brandy '
Or Łącka Śliwowica? :-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Śliwowica_łącka
In Italy “grappa” is made both from fruit or from Pomace/grape marc, according to the traditions of the place. Slivovitz in Italy is known as a “grappa”. The grades of alcohol is beteen 43 and 70%, according to the distillation protocols. It is usually important to discard the first distilled because of unpleasant tasting alcohols and methanol, and the last because of particulates, plus greasy and acidic liquids. The master distiller knows how to recognise the head, heart and tail of the distilled.
Last edited by Franco; 26th December 2019 at 11:07.
I used to drink a lot of brandy, preferring the Spanish ones. I like mellow toffee hints in my warm (slightly above room temp) brandy. Unfortunately, meds prevent much of this these days.
Has anyone tried the Kirkland XO cognac from Costco.
Well, I got the Hine Rare cognac from Waitrose as it currently has £6 off.
Its a smooth drink and I think it helps the taste when warmed in the hand.
I think I will splash out and get the Remi Martin 1738 as it's also on offer at £38.
Currently just making my second hot toddy using lemon juice honey and a nice splosh of cognac. It’s corvousier brand and I am also a whisky drinker when it comes to spirits, it’s not bad!
I treated myself to a bottle of Kirkland XO cognac from Costco and I have to say, it's a very smooth drink.
The first sip, like the Hine wasn't great but it seems that once it's opened it just seems to take on a better taste.
I'm by no means an expert but I have thoroughly enjoyed these two bottles and I think for the extra money they are worth it compared to the Hennessy and Courvoisier VS that I have tried recently.
I've just treated myself to a bottle of the Remy 1738 Royal Accord as it's on offer at £40 at Waitrose at the moment.
A couple of people on here have recommended it on here so lets see how it goes.
The Sainsbury 'Bardinet' is surprisingly tasty. Quite fruity and best of all, cheap, £19 a ltr
Going to try one (or two) of the Armagnac mentioned, some of the others too, maybe more than I'd normally spend but since I get out to the pub or restaurant we're saving money elsewhere, they might make constant nights in with herself more bearable.
I may be a philistine, but I am partial to Spanish Solera Brandies, such as Soberano, Carlos IV, and Fundador.
Smooth, warm and mellow.
I got a bottle of Cles des Ducs XO Armagnac for my birthday 2 months ago and holy cows it was bloody good! All gone now though. Now I'm on a bottle of Domaine Tariquet VSOP which is a bit of a disappointment - the cheapy Janneau in Morrisons was nicer to be honest.
Need to get hold of another bottle of this
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I like those too but consider them drinking brandies for session whereas some of the other (more expensive)would be sipping brandy after dinner?
I'm going to give this a go
https://www.waitrosecellar.com/brand...au-du-tariquet
Metaxa 12 star - full of spices, warmth & sunshine. Probably not one for the connoisseur, but delicious nonetheless.
Any recommendations for Cherry Brandy?
To make this:
35ml Buffalo Trace Bourbon
15ml Lime juice
15ml Cherry Brandy
3 pitted Black Cherries
Optional: top up with Cola to taste
Last edited by cman; 31st March 2020 at 21:27.
Last time I had it , it was De Kuyper.Any recommendations for Cherry Brandy?
To make this:
35ml Buffalo Trace Bourbon
15ml Lime juice
15ml Cherry Brandy
3 pitted Black Cherries
Optional: top up with Cola to taste
That was probably thirty odd years ago but I remember liking it.
My father kept a bottle of Cherry Heering in the sideboard. It was a favourite (very occasional) tipple of his. After a package holiday to Spain in the 60's it was joined by a bottle of Cuarenta y Tres.
Well, I have been tasting the Camus Borderies VSOP for a week and while it's a smooth drink I think the Remi Martin 1738 has the edge on it.
Thanks to the people and their recommendations as I would probably have gone for one off the shelf at the supermarket.
Not that it's a bad thing but it's all I have been used to.
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