Ages: always older than you could think...

The words VS, VSOP, XO, Réserve or Hors d'Age written on the label are related to age categories based on the age of the eaux de vie that compose the Cognac.

The age of an eau de vie measures the time the spirit has been ageing in casks, the counting beginning on March 31 after distillation.

More clearly: let's take a wine made in September / October 2006. The wine has been distilled between autumn 2006 and March 31 2007 at the latest; usually the new make spirit has been put directly in barrels. However, before April 1, the eau de vie has no age: it is counted "compte 00", lost somewhere in a non-time-Cognac-space

On April 1 2007, the eau de vie will "be born": they are said to be "compte 0": thus, all the spirits distilled in a season have the same "birthday". One year later, all of them become "compte 1" .And on April 1 2009 they reach the "compte 2": the minimum age required to enter in a blend.
Remember that the age is not related only to the date of distillation, but to the time passed under wood. A spirit, once in a bottle, does not mature any more. Let us imagine an eau de vie distilled in 1950, aged in barrels from 1951 to 1955 then bottled in 1956. In 2006 this eau de vie sleeping since 1956 is.. not 50 years old, but still 5 years old.

The alchemists of the Middle Ages never found the secret of immortality for men in their alembics, but apparently they found it for the eaux de vie.

What about the age of Cognacs ?
It could seem logical to take the mean ages of the eau de vie composing a Cognac to calculate its age. It does not work like that. The age of a blend is the age of the youngest eau de vie included in this blend.
The large majority of Cognacs do not claim a precise age, but an age category. The categories most widely used on the labels are:

• VS (Very Special): in a VS blend the youngest eau de vie must be at least a“compte2”
• VSOP(Very Special Old Pale) : at least a“compte 4
• XO (Extra Old) : at least a “compte 6”

The regulations have changed last year : in year 2016 you will see on the shelves a new XO category: the “XO compte 10”.
In realty, there are dozens of category names: Cognac producers and merchants have so much imagination that all these names have been listed in a decree, so that words such as “Mathusalem” for instance could not be written on a VS blend label…

Vintage Cognacs

To write a specific vintage year on a label in Cognac is very difficult. If you want to claim a precise age, the maturation must be strictly controlled by the Cognac authorities: the “dated” eau de vie must be isolated, and the producer cannot enter this cellar without somebody representing the BNIC, the Interprofessional Organization Bureau. The system is so restrictive that most producers become discouraged.: this is why you find very few vintage Cognacs in the shops, even if many small producers bottle single vintages.

Prices

Ageing an eau de vie is an expensive process : evaporation, barrels and storage costs…The older an eau de vie, the higher its price…The very old spirits, the ones no longer stored in oak barrels but in demijohn bottles are so rare that they have literally no price. Hence, the price of a Cognac is directly related not only to the Crus composing it but to the ages of the spirits.

You will never know…

Last : age categories are not a good indication of the real ages. The Cognacs are usually far older than the age category they claim.

The problem is that the ultimate official category contains « everything older than 6 »…which means that a product labelled XO can be as well 7 as 10, 25 or 50 years old. And as they want to put on the market a “clear” range of products, many Cognac makers write VS, VSOP or XO on products which are far older than the category .It is easy to find a 10 or 15 year old VSOP.
The practical solution choosen by the producers to give more indications about age: to speak to the buyer’s subconscious mind. Suggest that the product is ancient and noble, by giving it names evoking history, luxury etc…For examples and more precisions, read my paper on names and ages…" Catégories d'Age...que d'inventivité! "

So how can you guess the age of a Cognac?
Meet the people and discuss…

Ask them, they will tell you a precise age, but not too loud…

Read my papers in Cognac Magazine.

Taste the product. Learn how to make the difference. A little course at the Ecole des Cognacs might be a good idea!
But remember, the oldest spirit might be the more precious and the dearest...it does not mean that it will be automatically your favourite.