And with Cognac, I mean two official Cognacs and one that cannot be called Cognac because it was sent to the UK in a cask before being bottled there. It has to be bottled in the Cognac area to be called that, if I am not mistaken.

I got these samples ages ago and as things go, I haven’t reviewed them yet. Mostly because I wanted to have something to compare them too, since I’m not overly familiar with Cognac.

The 1993 one I have reviewed, however. That’s the one that’s not an official one. I did check it out again just because I wanted to and to see how my ratings hold up with spirit that I’m more unfamiliar with. Although, going by the Caol Ila review I did recently, even if I’m familiar with a spirit there’s not much to go by…

French Brandy 1993-2022, 47% – Michiel Wigman’s Precious Moments

Sniff:
Lots of rancio and big red wines and dried grapes on the verge of being raisins. A hint of copper, orange zest, and quite a rich oakiness.

Sip:
The palate arrives with more punch than I expected. Lots of sharp oaky notes, with iron and copper. Some red chillies too. Raisins, blue grapes, lots of wood. Chocolate oranges, cherries.

Swallow:
The finish is much more dry than the palate, and loses the syrupy texture right away. Quite mature on the rich oak and dark fruitiness of blue grapes and cherries.

Delicious!

Lots of lovely flavors that really make this rather ‘young’ one sing. It’s a stellar drink and it not being bottled in France doesn’t do anything to diminish it!

90/100

Available for € 175 at Dutch Whisky Connection

Cognac Petit Champagne 53yo, 1969-2022, 59.8% – Michiel Wigman’s Precious Moments

Sniff:
Very oak forward, with a bit of sweetness. Syrupy grapes, very pastry like compared to the ’67. Orange, canned cherries, grape jam.

Sip:
The palate packs a punch and is very dry, especially compared to the nose. Lots of wood, raisin twigs, cherries, grape seed, and a bit of peppery heat.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more sweet but doesn’t lose all its dryness. Big flavors of oak and fruit. Lots of grape, stewed pear.

Massively fruity and not overly singular, which sometimes happens with these ridiculously old brandies. It is true to the grapes it was made from but the fermentation, distillation and maturation have added lots of gorgeous flavors.

91/100

Available for € 305 from Best of Wines

Cognac Petit Champagne 55yo, 1967-2022, 57.2% – Michiel Wigman’s Precious Moments

Sniff:
A slightly fiery nose, with oak and a bitterness like grape seeds. Rancio, blue grapes, wood, a hint of warm tar?

Sip:
The palate is very similar to the nose buts adds a chili pepper heat. There’s a syrupy sweetness behind it, with banana and strawberry cream.

Swallow:
The finish merges the wood and fruit flavor into one blast of flavor. It mellows quickly and flavors last rather long.

Even though it’s rather similar in statistics with the previous one, there are lots of differences in flavor and aroma to be discovered. It might not have the bandwidth of whisky but it still sure is amazing. This one is comparable to the 1969, I think. The main difference is that this one is sold out…

91/100