Cognac is a type of brandy produced in western France. It is divided into VS, VSOP, and XO grades based on barrel aging. Expensive cognac can be aged for decades and comes in artfully designed bottles. Some limited editions are aged for over 100 years and can be encrusted with diamonds.
Cognac, an alcoholic beverage produced in a specific region of western France, is actually a type of brandy. To determine its quality grade, cognac is divided into very special (VS), very special old pale (VSOP), and extra old (XO) grades, depending primarily on the length of time spent in the barrel. The price of cognac depends on the grade. Expensive cognac is aged much longer – sometimes decades or even more than a century.
The drink begins as a double distilled wine. After distillation, the cognac is aged in wooden barrels. For a drink to be properly labeled as cognac, its makers must follow French regulations regarding ingredients, distillation, and ageing.
VS cognac is considered so after two years of barrel aging. After four years, the cognac receives the VSOP grade. For a cognac to be labeled XO, it must have been aged in barrels for at least six years.
Achieving a perfect blend is a hallmark of expensive cognac. The bottle in which the cognac is purchased distinguishes expensive cognac from other high-quality cognacs. For their finest and most expensive cognac, producers often hire a designer with the sole purpose of making the bottle itself an expensive work of art.
Super-premium, artfully packaged cognacs can cost 40 to 250 times as much as a low-end cognac. Within this class differences can still be found, and in the end these bottles are an expression of personal and artistic taste. Expensive cognacs can cost over 100 times as much as an average XO grade cognac. One such example of high-end expensive cognac comes from a French producer who blends three cognacs, each aged for over 40 years, and packaged in a decanter specially designed by a French artist.
More expensive and extravagant examples of cognac can be found. In the case of the more expensive cognac, it may be prudent to examine whether the true value lies in the drink or the container in which it resides. Respected producers often create special or limited editions made of cognac blends between 40 and 100 years old. Stock or heritage editions can be the real cream of the crop. The sometimes relatively small bottles or decanters for the award-winning and supreme cognac blends, aged in casks for over 100 years, are known to have pounds of gold or silver, and are sometimes embellished and encrusted with thousands of diamonds.
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