Cognac Daniel Bouju – Très Vieux Cognac and VSOP Grande Champagne Cognac

When French say that the delivery is on its way and should arrive in 5 days, you have to count with at least a month before you get the bottle you have longed for. On Friday, after several weeks of waiting, I was finally able to pick up another bottle for my collection at the post office – this time I chose cognac Daniel Bouju Très Vieux Cognac. 

Daniel Bouju Très Vieux Cognac

This cognac is between 30 to 50 years old and it matures in new Limousin Oak casks. It has a dark amber colour which reflects the fact, that the distillate is not filtered. The cognac has a strong character with wooden undertones and spicy aroma.  

Daniel Bouju Très Vieux Cognac

VSOP Grande Champagne Cognac

In my tasting set from  Masterofmalt I have discovered some cognac by the same producer, but younger. Daniel Bouju VSOP Grande Champagne is a nice cognac for a very reasonable price. In Czech Republic it can be bought for about 1000 CZK (30 Euro). 

Tasting notes:  

Colour: dark amber with reddish tones 
Aroma: gentle non-aggressive aroma 
Taste: strong, complex, vanilla undertones 
Finish: vanilla, slightly spicy

VSOP Grande Champagne Cognac

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Two types of cognac from one house: Cognac Leyrat Lot 50 Chai Ancestral and ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru Cognac

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Mr. Beer Home Brewery Kits!

Two types of cognac from one house: Cognac Leyrat Lot 50 Chai Ancestral and ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru Cognac

I always try to read something interesting about the cognac that I am about to drink. However, I encountered an interesting and unexpected problem when it came to Leyrat Lot 50 Chai Ancestral – I could not find any information on the product, there is nothing on the producer´s web page and the producer does not even react to my questions. This can only happen in France. 

The only description I discovered was on a web page of an English distributor, according to whom it is old cognac for connoisseurs. Eau de vie comes from the region of Fins Bois. That is not a very explicit description for a cognac that costs 5000 CZK (180 Euro) per bottle!  

Update: 
I got some information from Elodie Abécassis, the director of  Domaines Francis Abécassis. Apparently, Cognac Leyrat LOT 50 was produced 10 years ago in a very limited amount for a British importer. She couldn’t remember the exact age of the cognac only that it was very old and their own production (particularly it came from Domaine de Chez Maillard winery) in the village of Claix. The barrel is empty today, and the importer doesn’t have any bottles for sale either. The closest you can get to the taste of Leyrat Lot 50 is cognac Leyrat XO Elite. It tastes of honey, wood, spice (cinnamon) and dried fruits. 

Tasting notes: 
Colour: quite pale for an old cognac, amber 
Aroma: spicy taste, we can smell fruit and honey, which is very distinctive 
Taste: strong, very distinctive, intensive, maybe a bit too much for me, we can taste spices and honey 
Finish: I would say it is short, dry due to stronger tannins, spicy 

Leyrat Lot 50 Chai Ancestral

We do have  more information on our next cognac - ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru. It comes from the same house, of which the lucky proprietor, Mr. Francis Abecassis, thus produces three brands of cognac: Leyrat, Reviseur and ABK6. His vineyards cover the area of 250 hectares.

ABK6 is a young “brand”, but it already managed to win some interesting awards. Cognac ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru was awarded the prestigious  „World's Best Cognac at the World Cognac Awards 2014”. 

Tasting notes 
Colour: golden 
Aroma: pleasing, fruity 
Taste: after a drop of water the taste is rich, slightly spicy, we can taste fruit, particularly apples 
Finish: a bit longer, gentle, velvety, with vanilla

ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru

Recommendation 

If you want to try a more modern form of cognac (what a strange collocation), I recommend ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru. Cognac Leyrat Lot 50 Chai Ancestral is more specific and might not be to everyone’s liking.

Twitter: @dropoflush
Mr. Beer Home Brewery Kits!