STOP BUYING BIG NAME COGNAC 

Thank you for this very informative video, Rob! We need to continue to call out those who take short-cuts and reward those who actually do things the right way.

I must say that I've learned so many things about cognac with your video. Also, congratulations about your Dark Matter "advertising", which is an amazing book. Keep doing the good work.

I’ve been wanting to get into higher end Cognacs beyond what big brands are out there, and this video definitely inspired me to keep looking. Armagnacs as well, I’ve heard Jolllite is really good but I’ll have to do the research first!

Another great video Rob! I just tasted my first cognac recently - A de Fussigny XO. I really enjoy it and at $99 it’s a fair price too. I’m going to try Courvoisier next.

Rob, thank you for uploading this video! I just got into Brandy and was looking for a video like this.

Hectic video man. You've made me really branch out and find real vintage cognac brands like FRAPIN, Raymond ragnaud that are aged 25+ years around similar cost of the big brands man. Thanks for being so informative man!!

Hi, Rob! I'm 100% with you in not wasting one's hard earned money on low quality spirits (whisky, cognac, etc.). As for the Armagnac side, I'm currently enjoying a 12yo single cask double matured (Lustau-Oloroso) Bas-Armagnac from Maison Gelas. Bottled at 54,3 %abv, it'll sure give every older whisky a good run for the money. By the way, I paid a tad less than 60 euros for it and it's worth every penny! Cheers from Romania!🥃

stumbled upon your channel and right out the gate this was mad informative. I’ve had a similar experience with Hennessy, one day I had a bottle and it just tasted funny. I chalked it up to maybe it wasn’t made properly but then it happened a few more times. Point is I subscribed.

Love this! Definitely an eye opener! Ive definitely moved on from Cognac!

Appreciate the “malternatve” review! I plan to explore more Rum and Brandy/Cognac this year as an alternative to over-priced malts.

Well that was quite a good lesson. Thanks for helping to set us straight Rob.

Great rant. I'm French and was born not too far from the Cognac region and I wish this video could get to the owners of these big distilleries you mentioned. I'm glad new consumers aren't ready to accept piss as long as it is poured from a fancy bottle.

Good and informative video! I wasn't aware at all that sugar and boise (pronounced 'bwaZAY' I think) were permitted additives. Delighted that you featured a VT cognac as my latest is their 1989 grande champagne cask strength which is tremendously good and, I hope, lacking all these added nasties.

Its mind blowing how good cognac you can get for a tiny fraction of the cost of standard big name XO bottles for instance. I got a Cadenheads cask strength once, and I was actually surprised by how good it was. I really think cognacs should be above 40% and certainly no chill filtration after that experience.

One the very best names in cognac. Happy to see you trying this.

Rob, WTF are you doing telling the plebs not to buy regular stuff? It's our little secret to know what great Cognac and Armagnac is. The best stuff can be great from 10 years. Stick to the Springbank 21 stuff which is already stellar priced and going up with every review. Cheers. WT

I bought a VT Vieille Reserve because of this video! Can't wait to taste! Hope you guys can make more videos about less known brandies, given that the Big 4 have given cognac a bad rep

I totally agree with you on this Rob. Great video! Armagnac is so much better in terms of value for money. A retailer here in Denmark told me that every time he sells an Armagnac, he sells 11 Cognacs, which gives an idea of the supply and demand relationship. People just frown when you mention Armagnac and its a shame because you often get so much further with the same amount of money spent.

Another artisanal Cognac house to look for is Daniel Bouju. Their Royal at 120 proof is mind blowing. More like a rum than a traditional Cognac. They also have a Tres Vieux Brut de Fut which is reputed to be 40+ years old and bottled at 100 proof cask strength. They aren't widely available in the US but can be ordered from a number of online retailers in Europe.

Damn I’m glad I watched this.. thanks for sharing your knowledge

Hi Rob, I can only second you on this, as, in my own experience (& as a French, for those here who don't know me), I have to agree with you on the value question, for those I have tried (still a lot to try, mind you, especially those expensive big names high end stuff...not easy to try as they're expensive & not poured in the shows where I go), those "big names" ask too much money for what is alas (& by French regulations too, unfortunately) too often not only chill filtered, but also sugar added & E150a & wood essence (oil of wood, if you prefer) added &...most of the reduced to a rather castrating 40 % abv...A slight reservation, though, some "big names" expressions still achieve to be interesting, mind you, in my point of view, for instance Martell with their "Cordon Bleu" (I'm speaking about it in one of my videos about "15 exceptional whiskies & alternatives"). I'm preparing a series of videos & live shows later on about Cognac, having recently decided to explore more of it & of Armagnac (great tip value wise you gave your audience, I agree too & got stunning examples home)...but...as I had the chance to visit the Vallein Tercinier family owned domain in 2013, I can tell how stunning some of their expressions are...I still have some rare samples to try from them, 2 bottles and I recently bought their "VT 46" /"Small Batch'", which I recommend to you....I will also recommend some other brands, and some independent bottlers as well, some of them maturing or re-maturing/re-casking spirit in their own warehouses...(I visit one too) with most natural process as possible such as Grosperrin (except for some export & entry level range, everything is small batch unchilfiltered, no additives, and cask strength or batch strength...I had the chance to even blend with the owner's son, Guilhem, some 30 to 40 yo stuff & have the result home !). I haven't tasted your bottle though, but a 1969 one called" The Erotic" (yes it is, buddy !) and one called "Combination 49" (still have a sample of it) mixing casks from 1922 & 1949....The oldest Cognac I tried so far you can see it on my website, it is a 1820 vintage (but of course not bottled 200 years after, cant be...I'll explain that soon...). Cheers & keep on buying & preaching for good stuff ! 👍

I'm a whiskey guy with a wine friend and we've been discussing meeting in the middle with Brandy. Trouble is neither of us know where to start other than the big names. Love the video and would definitely appreciate some brandy videos in the future. Cheers!

Hi Rob, thank you very much for pointing out these inside info and sharing this bottle with us! Btw, what happens at 6:37? It sounds something broke!!!!!!! Initially I thought sth in my room broke.

That Delamain joint a couple years ago at the LCBO was nice. Reasonably priced (by LCBO standards) as well.

Your video is really helpful for brandy beginners! Any tips for beginners before buying a cognac or armagnac? Is there any professional website you recommend to look for some reviews before buying? I feel like there's relatively less information when I searched for some cognac reviews compared to wines

Excellent video, Rob. The more experience I get with spirits the more tired I get of all the bull shit and fakery.

For the 1st time ever haveI I just acknowledged these information Thanks a lot

I learned a lot man... gotta track down some good Armagnacs!

Thanks for the info, Rob, I had no idea they were allowed to add so much junk to Cognac. I don't drink it but it's something I'd like to have from time to time in the future. Nice shout out to Armagnac too. I hear it's a much, much better value.

Awesome review Rob! Cognacs and Armagnacs do indeed tend to lose more ABV in the cask because of the climate, but also because they are distilled to a less strength than whisky before being put in cask. For a really artisanal product, give Armagnac a go - it's single distilled and more characterful. But also much cheaper! Your friends in Alberta will be able to source some Armagnacs from the indie bottler Darroze. They are outstanding.

I like your presentation style. Good job

That's was good info on the artificial additives thank you so much.🤯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👊🏾

If you want natural presentation in Brandy try Copper and Kings American Brandy. They are young but the label states no added color, sweetners, or boise. Got one that is finished in Stout Barrels at cask strength for $45.

Been waiting for the alarm to go off with that time ticking sound going on

Agreed. The same applies to Armagnacs, but to a much lesser extent, since most are distilled but once. I switched to small house Armagnacs some 20 years ago... good vid.

learn something new everyday, thanks for sharing.

I bought a henny xo just to try it and to add to the collection but I’m definitely trying to find a cheaper one to drink more regularly

Very informative video- - I think everybody must try low price Camus vs elegance. It's good for value.🙏

I'm a Hennessy XO guy so this was interesting. Seems maybe a bit out of my price range but I am interested. I like the purity, natural aspect. Maybe I will treat myself. Thanks.

Great information, now all I need is the name of that bottle??? Thanks

Great review and I agree with you that the smaller distillers are the way to go on cognac.. Also I something more than 40%... Should all be in the 46 min area now

I agree with the title of this video (and I've been saying this for years). But my point was always that you can find artisan cognacs for LESS than the mainstream XO. There are cheaper XO expressions from single farms (single vineyard), there are single grape, single cru, single barrel cognacs, some of them are not chill filtered, without additives, higher abv, etc. Or how about "single oak" (specific oak species)? Cognac Park is not afraid to bottle and bring to market "lesser" crus (like Borderies, Fins Bois, etc.). Why wouldn't anoraks want to try that? That's "single malts" of cognac! Maybe we can let our own noses and palates decide which crus we like best. Maybe Grande Champagne just produces more yield vs. being "the best"? (I'm not asserting that, just saying). I think we live in a time when more and more people are starting to understand that anything "mainstream" being spoon-fed to them is not necessarily the end-all-be-all.

Thanks Rob, doing research

Thank you. I really enjoy your videos. Can you review greek brandy Metaxa 7 or Metaxa 12?

Have you tried Damblat 10 year? It's under 75$ and very tasty It's classified as an "Armagnac " basically a single distilled Cognac, just supports your point that you can get a great tasting spirit for less then some of the big name ones, I noticed you briefly mentioned the Armagnac category in this video

Here's the tricky part. I'm all for holding distillers and producers accountable. But, even in your video, you hinted at the problem. The producer doesn't have to tell you if boise is added, if sugar is added, so in reality, even if we can make an educated guess based on experience, we just don't know. So I'm on board with your idea. My point is, the push needs to be for specific labelling guidelines that highlight all three additives on the bottle itself.

I have never heard of Armagnac I will be looking for it now.

A De Fussigny is absolutely amazing but unfortunately their VS has went from being very fairly priced to being more expensive than almost all of the others, due to the popularity they gained for being an exceptional value. Now you don’t even hear about them hardly.

Nice change up Rob!!! Good video.

great review.. gotta question, ive tried looking up if a cognac had additives added and i cannot for the life of me, find any of these info upon research of any of these cognacs. maybe im not looking in the right places but how do u find ur infos? thanks

Definitely some 'off the radar' good value Cognac and Armagnac's out there. Maybe we'll see a shift from overpriced to whisky to spirits from France

Would you recommend others cognacs from the same brand ? The VS Selection, for example ?

Artisanal Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados is amazing!!! L'Encatada will capture any whisky lovers heart.

Great idea, hope you do a ‘why you don’t buy any big name champagnes’ to ;)

Only one thing comes to mind when I see 1967, sadly. Maybe this is our year. Go Leafs and cheers Rob 🥃

Totally unrelated to the video, your book selection on that shelf is top tier. Stormlight, Kingkiller, American Gods, ASOIAF

Okay fake wood flavouring is news to me! Thanks for the intel!

Hi Rob im also from ontario, is there any recommended website or way to purchase spirit except lcbo?

Great video! Agree 100%. I unfortunately bought a bottle of Hennessy XO a couple years ago and it ain't worth close to $180. Got wiser and now buy 25 year old Armagnac for $65.

My relatives live near Chermignac,you should try their Pineau too if you are able to get your hands on it.There is a whole world of French Fortified wines not many non French liqueur enthusiast know about that are really nice to drink,the big brands are for export, we tend to keep the good stuff hidden for ourselves :p.

If you want to know the details of the spirit im sure they will tell you if you ask them. I asked for a tour while passing them in cognac, got a private tour. Family owned businesses, small operation. Very friendly people.

Is it possible that what I’ve been looking for from single malt, is hiding in plane sight with cognac..

I learned a ton about cognac when I met the owner of Hardy Cognac. After meeting her and tasting some beautiful cognacs I learned that big name brands that say they are selling cognac are literally selling junk. The Hardy Noces d’or contains 50 year old liquid and the Hardy Printemps contains some 100 year old liquid. Then there’s Dudognon Hertiage that has 40 year old liquid and is just beautiful. My latest cognac enjoyment came from a new comer Monfleurie, a true connoisseurs Cognac.

Love Cognacs and Armagnacs. Rob you should try, if you can find, Daniel Bouju Royal Brut de Fut and God by Godet. Cheers bro!

Hey Rob, fellow Canadian here just curious as to how you go about purchasing your spirits. Do you shop online?

What would you say is the best under US$30 brandy for absolute beginners on a budget?

The big four cognac producer do make the best brandy but you have to be prepared to spend a thousand or more something in their Extra and higher category.

Hi Rob, fully agree with you there. If you want pointers to good Armagnacs and Cognacs for a whisky lover, try Serge Valentin’s website. He knows his stuff! (Edit: nevermind, I just got to the part where you recommend his site yourself....)

You're right that artificial chemical cocktail like Hennessy xo isn't worth 350. But I'm not sure I'm ready to pay 500 for "real stuff". Brandy like Raynal vsop is perfectly fine for ~30cad.

That shirt is awesome!! Did you get it in the ladies section??

To be honest, thinking about the amount of pesticides used in grape growing, I would be wary of drinking too much cognac since the pesticide residue is likely to be much more concentrated.... I always get bad headaches the next morning after drinking cognac, I think this is why.

Just a note to let you know I will update (I have to thank you as an unvolontary reminder with this video I forgot to do it) my topic about my journey to Cognac tomorrow, with an important update about Vallein Tercinier (you will see that some references, sorry, are coloured & c.f., but neither this one & all the high end ones though), as I visited them in 2014. I will also very soon update it with other references tasting notes, but for now it will still be only in French (but maybe you can use Googletranslate I guess ? the report is actually super long that's why I cut it to publish it later then I forgot). IF you want, I'll keep you posted on Twitter...Cheers !

Wow! Will have to track one down!

i would like to buy knowing exactly how much sugar is in it and should also be able to see the additives

What do you think about Martell? Bought a VS bottle just to get into cognac.

Boise is like Liquid Smoke, for when u don't feel like grilling etc

Hey Rob, haven’t really had any cognacs or armagnacs. I can’t help but think how useful it would be if they would talk a page out of the scotch book and let the consumer know which of those additives are in it.

What do you recommend in the $100 CAD range?

Where did you get your added sugar facts?

I recommend Jean FIllioux, François Voyer & Chateau de Beaulon

Like or Dislike: Like. In theory I completely agree. It's the same with rum. The problem is availability and price.

Yeah what a great video :)

What about JEREZ brandies from Spain? 🤔 Is it safe to buy them?

Where did you buy this gem?

I’m 19 and drink $400 bottles already I’m be an amazing alcoholic

Armagnacs are a steal compare to Cognac. Although it lacks the prestige but they are some of the best kept hidden gems in the alcohol world.

Pivot! Sounds awesome

the added color argument of batch consistency is kinda insane to me, unless they are using that as a way of saying 'making it consistently dark'. do you really think anyone would walk into a liquor store and not buy hennessy because it looks a little darker than normal? and anyway, how many bottles of a spirit do you think you'd need to consume to be able to distinguish batch variation in color when these companies are essentially recipe spirit producing?

Looks like a good one Rob. With all the things that are allowed to be done with Cognac and Armingac I read one thing you did not mention. A lot of the old ones spend some of the time in a wood cask and then are transferred to a glass lined tank and age for a lot of the time in that. They are allowed to put the entire time on the age statement. The Malt Whisky world really seems to be way out front with transparency making a natural quality product without a bunch of questionable practices going on in the dark. Cheers Rob

Im not a big cognac drinker but my family has a sazarin family cognac or something like that any good ?

What do you think about Ararat cognac/brandy?

Rob, you drop French class after grade 9 as well?

What are your thoughts on tesseron cognac

Just picked some up, just out of interest Rob, do you like a cigar?

I freakin love Delamain cognac.

Try the Romanian cognac! Brâncoveanu, Zarea ,Murfatlar! You will not be disappointed!

bruh you really stepped up from the montifaud vsop

Once again, great marketing for Henny, Remy Ma, and Courvoisier.

I wonder if they are doing the same with Brandy?

Good information here, thanks! You're gonna get a lot of mean comments from the big cognac producers now....😂