300437 Mon Jun 20 11:43:18 -0700 2005 10 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1669477 i like to get my dad a bottle of nice cognac for his birthday each year. i am not much of a cognac drinker & the stores around me are rather bereft of options, so i usually just go by price & get him a nice remy martin or hennessey. does anyone have any suggestions (i go to other cities with better selections often enough that i should be able to find other stuff if i know what to look for)? i'm looking for stuff in the $40-100 range. the only other brand (the name escapes me) available locally comes in a frosted bottle with a raised cat/tiger on it. does anyone know whether it's any good? any help will be greatly appreciated. Mon Jun 20 11:43:18 -0700 2005 0 mark 1 1669478 Courvoisier VSOP (*not* the VS). Widely available, very good, and in your price range. I'm sure you'll get more esoteric suggestions on this thread but you won't go wrong with Courvoisier. Mon Jun 20 12:12:12 -0700 2005 1669477 0 Bob Martinez 1 1669481 Remy Martin is generally considered to be the best of the standard brands. In your price range, Delamain is a good value for the money. Mon Jun 20 12:56:28 -0700 2005 1669477 0 TCUJoe 2 1669485 Delamain Vesper is excellent. Mon Jun 20 13:18:39 -0700 2005 1669481 0 Scottso 3 1669488 Vesper is indeed ethereal stuff, and at approximately the same price, it's much better than the more commonly available Hennessy/Remy/Courvoisier XO. Unfortunately, around here (Boston) at least, it's well beyond the price range he gave. The Delamain XO is a slightly younger blend that may be below his $100 ceiling. At the lower end of the range, I find Hine Rare to be very nice, much better at the same price point than the usual run of VSOPs. The trouble with cognac is that VSOPs tastes great until you've tried XO, and the XOs taste great until you've had something like Vesper. Vesper always tastes great, so that's what I usually have on hand - it's expensive, but I'd rather drink Cognac half as often and have it be something really special when I do. Mon Jun 20 13:45:13 -0700 2005 1669485 0 FlyFish 4 1669552 My "sediments" exactly! Tue Jun 21 13:52:45 -0700 2005 1669488 0 Scottso 2 1669539 Lately, we've been enjoying the Remy Martin 1738 (about $50 a bottle). http://www.remy.com/remy_site/classic/our_cognac/index03.htm The one with the cat I believe is Meukow. I've only had the VSOP of it which was pretty good for sidecars. Here's their website (you might want to turn your speakers down...irritating background sound). http://www.meukowcognac.com/frame.php?lang=gbr Tue Jun 21 12:06:17 -0700 2005 1669481 0 MrClives 1 1669492 Moore Bros, a wine shop in New Jersey started by the Sommelier of Le Bec Fin, one of the finest restaurants in Philadelphia, carries a wonderful line of cognacs from Fillioux. We use the Balzac for sipping and for making sidecars, and it has a full, complex flavor and bouquet that Remy Martin just doesn't have. Don't let the price fool you, it is inexpensive because they are small and do not have a big advertising budget like Remy Martin or Corvoisier. Thank you. Link: http://www.wineaccess.com/store/moorebrosnj/winery.html?producer_id=10036585 Mon Jun 20 15:24:56 -0700 2005 1669477 0 Bride of the Juggler 1 1669498 I really like Chalfonte, and it's a stinking deal at $20-25. Mon Jun 20 16:35:24 -0700 2005 1669477 0 KathyR 1 1669858 If you're in New York city check out the two really big wine & spirit stores around Astor Place. They carry harder-to-find brands like Delamain, in addition to the usual culprits (Hennessy XO, Remy VSOP would be at the top of my list of the well known 'top' brands). About three years ago, I found 25 or 30 year old Delamain cognac there for a little over $100. My dad & I really enjoyed that one... I think they may carry good ones in the VSOP or maybe even the XO range, in a lower price range. I've been told that the heavily advertised brands have been depleting their older stock to keep up with the ever-expanding cognac market, so blends made by less popular producers might very well be composed of better aged cognacs. Good luck!!! Fri Jun 24 12:51:18 -0700 2005 1669477 0 vicki_vale 1 1670134 Smack dab between VSOP and XO cognacs (and not so coincidentally, smack dab in the middle of your price range) would be Martell Cordon Bleu. Costco has it for about $70 a bottle. Better than VSOPs, almost (but not quite) as good as XOs. Tue Jun 28 17:40:35 -0700 2005 1669477 0 Eugene Park