Wines, spirits, perfumes...

If we refer to the legal definitions, in a few words :

Roughly, Cognac, or Cognacs, are created by blending « eaux de vie » (spirits).
These spirits are made by distilling whites wines, which are produced in a very precise area around the town of Cognac (an Appellation d’Origine, for those aware of French regulations) in special pot stills called “alambics charentais”. The spirits are aged separately in oak barrels, for a minimum of two years (that is really a minimum!), and then blended. The result is a Cognac.

Confusing? This deserves some explanations…

But beforehand, let us focus on a strange encounter of worlds...

By many respects, such as being under wine AOC regulations or ageing in barrels, by a range of smells definitely coming from grape and grape vines, Cognacs originate from the world of wines

When you consider distillation, specificities of ageing, blending procedures...of course, Cognacs are spirits, they belong to the world of brown spirits

But when we think about some blending methods, a part of the aroma wheel or several aspects of the nosing and tasting ...well,we could be as well in the world of perfumes...

So Cognacs are somewhere in-between these three great worlds.

Cognacs are complicated.

Complicated and complex.

Fascinating.

Let us explore them...