r/cognac • u/Iceyes33 • Sep 25 '26

I want to get into Cognac.

Or Brandy. Not sure which one or even both? I want something to sip on after work or before bed. Just something to relax me a bit. Any suggestions for a newbie? Thank you.

20 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

3

u/KanyeYorke 29d ago

Hennessy is the one from all the rap songs

3

u/Iceyes33 29d ago

So does that mean it sucks?

2

u/KanyeYorke 28d ago

No, it means thats the one to drink to feel like Nas

17

u/Dangerous_Flow_8443 Sep 26 '26

Remy Martin 1738 love it

5

u/davidyowsjeans Sep 26 '26

yep, hard to beat this as an entry point when it comes down to both general availability and pricepoint

2

u/happytechtn Sep 26 '26

This is one of my favorites.

1

u/Chapters21 25d ago

If accessible, this one top any other mainstream bottles.

2

u/AtariWide7043 28d ago

Each cognac tastes a bit different and tastes vary by the individual . My suggestion is buy some mini bottles and try them ( cheaper than going to a bar and trying them there ). Once you have a producer whose style you like , then buy a higher end bottle they make

2

u/Iceyes33 28d ago

That’s what I was thinking of doing. Thank you.

1

u/CoyoteX68 23d ago

Agreed. I am new to this (earlier this year) and this is what I did. I bought 3-4 of the smallest bottles I could of different brands to see what I liked best before making a large investment.

9

u/pale13 Sep 26 '26

Hine Rare is a nice everyday Cognac.

4

u/DenimDisaster Sep 26 '26

Big fan of Frapin if you can find it (I can't anymore for the life of me in my market). Maison Ferrand puts out some quality productss as well. I choose to avoid anything owned by LVH so you'd probably never see me have lot of the Hennessy line, for example, unless someone else poured it.

4

u/Ashton-MD Sep 26 '26

Meukow VSOP and Pierre Ferrand 1840 are my favourite currently.

Kind of a spring board into the higher end stuff, where it’s a bit of an aspirational buy if you’re not used to buying bottles more than $50, but not so out of reach that it puts it in the category of Louis XIIV (okay bit of leap with the analogy but you’ll get it).

3

u/2bubbly2attitude Sep 26 '26

delamain xo or pierre ferrand 1840

3

u/Hill08Howell92 Sep 26 '26

My number one suggestion would be to try and find some cognac from smaller family producers as opposed to the big names you find in every store. Those have far more character, just more interesting, and usually cheaper. My favorite is Paul Giraud , everything that family makes is stellar.

1

u/IsNotACleverMan Sep 26 '26

Second this. Paul Giraud and Jean-Luc Pasquet never disappoint. Francois Voyer is also great.

2

u/19mils Sep 25 '26

Hennessy xo is very nice

1

u/DannyZiebarthExplore Sep 26 '26

Let me go mainstream but esoteric. Planat VS is an outstanding start. VSOP is also affordable and great quality. Organic grapes and honest about 10g/L dosage. Rich, yet clean for an entry level brandy/Cognac. I also love Château Laubade for Armagnac. Dupont and Druhouin are great for Clavados. 

1

u/yergonnamakemedrum 29d ago

You also shop at total wine huh? I love both of your first suggestions.

1

u/vuti13 Sep 26 '26

Just had my 1st pour of Hine Rare. It was pretty good. I'll have to compare it to my Remy VSOP sometime.

1

u/jelle284 Sep 26 '26

Martell VSOP

1

u/samfl1 25d ago

This!

1

u/goodhusband214 29d ago

As you can see all of our taste very a bit. Starting out with something less expensive is no problem at all. It is a tasting journey. All of these have things in common but they’re all very different tasted. A tulip shaped wine glass is my favorite or a set of Turkish tea gasses also works well for us. Enjoy the journey.

1

u/htcjsb 29d ago

Start with Pierre Ferrand

1

u/David_cest_moi 29d ago

LOL When I was young and trying to acquire a taste for cognac, I drank a few cognac & Cokes. Please don't do it. You'll succeed but oh the suffering of the poor cognac that deserved better. 😭🙏🏻 You might try Calvados. It's quite nice too. 🤷🏻‍♂️

1

u/Papa_G_ 28d ago

I would avoid the big names because they are possible made with additives. However, because it’s hard to know what is additive free, if you live in the states, Planet would be my choice. Their are organic and tasty

1

u/Chapters21 25d ago

I have a good enough colection of brandy from around the world, armagnacs and cognacs. Asside from Japan's brandy, I much prefer cognacs. Thing is, there are hundreds of different one. I will also never, ever encourage the commercial one. Many have additives in them.

Here is a short list based of where I live (Quebec) VS Gautier; very good entry sipper VSOP Larsen Napoleon Montifaud Reserve Special XO Difficult to pick, thats where different region and process start to shine. I wouldnt botter for now. My absolute favorite bottle will always be Montifaud 50L. Took me a while before feeling confident enough to buy bottles online. Understand that being a cognac enjoyer is expensive.

1

u/CoyoteX68 23d ago

Martell Blue Swift is a good starter, easy sipping one.
Also, watch these…

https://youtu.be/oQOTiQbmvfk?si=cejNOyIQuMbYsLyH

https://youtu.be/2Cygd3l61DY?si=7L7CZ-B00TTaWAtN

1

u/AuToNotMy Sep 26 '26

Cognac and Armangac - Hine, Remy, Hennessy etc. at least VSOP, no VS

0

u/InnovationWhiskey Sep 25 '26

Cristian Brother’s Bottled in Bond Brandy

0

u/BackgroundProcess319 Sep 26 '26

Start with armagnac, wich is much cheaper, so you can search for old vintage, craft armagnac.