Contents
Just a few days ago, I started talking with friends about gifts. They say that soon the holidays will begin, and there is nothing to give to employees and superiors. He said only a couple of words that he got confused on the last New Year and gave the boss a good cognac, he was delighted, he still remembers.
Friends, of course, immediately perked up – questions began, advice and everything else. So I decided, maybe with this article I can make life easier for someone and help with such a rather difficult choice.
What cognac to give
At one time, my choice fell on such an instance as Remi Martin VSOP (Remy Martin). Yes, it may not be cheap, but the quality and pleasure of the boss was a priority for me. It’s better to strain and buy the best than to be ashamed to give later.
First of all, I looked at the aging period – it must necessarily vary from 8 to 15 years. The less it is aged, the less saturated its taste qualities are, respectively.
Also the country of origin – in my case it is France. The production uses Ugni Blanc grapes, which were harvested in the elite areas of the Champagne region.
In addition, I recommend the following brands of cognac for a gift to the boss:
- HennessyVS;
- Kochari 5 years;
- Noah Traditional 7 years;
- Kvint (Quint) aged 14 years.
What are the selection criteria
Of course, the taste and color of cognac can be different, but if you still decide to seriously understand this issue, you should know the basic selection criteria. These include:
1. Exposure. In the CIS countries, they are used to counting age by the number of stars (3 stars – 3-5 years of exposure, 5 stars – 5-15 years of exposure). However, Europe and the US use a different system. Based on it, cognac aged 3-7 years in the name will have the prefix VS; 7-20 years old – VSOP, and 20-50 years old – XO. As I wrote above, the higher the exposure, the more taste and aroma the cognac absorbed from the barrels.
2. Color. It depends on the exposure time and additives (colours) used by manufacturers. Therefore, color should be, of course, an important factor, but not the main one. Shades of cognac are considered the norm, ranging from light wheaten to amber and reddish-oak.
Please note that in good cognac there will never be sediment or a slightly cloudy color. If you see at least something of this, most likely, cognac is a fake, the production technology or storage conditions have been violated!
3. Smell. In the smell of cognac, a woody oak aroma should be clearly felt. This is due to the fact that high-quality cognacs are infused for a long time in oak barrels before they are finally bottled.
Additional light flavors should also be present: vanilla, apple, chocolate, nut, and so on. Their smell should not be chemical or too intrusive. If cognac smells too strongly of alcohol, it’s better to leave it and move on to the next option – this way you definitely won’t get into a mess and don’t stumble upon a fake.
4. Taste. A good, not fake cognac does not dry the larynx, does not leave behind a too obvious aftertaste. Conscientious producers add tannins to cognac, which make it much softer and slightly viscous.
Here’s a tip to be sure of the quality. It is necessary to pour cognac into a glass and turn it several times so that the drink touches the walls of the glass. If at first the liquid on them first looks like a film on milk, and then it collects in droplets, then you can be sure that the cognac is of high quality.
Cost: how to weigh the pros and cons
From personal experience, I’ll say that it’s not worth saving – if you have already decided to purchase such a gift for your boss, then you need to acquire quality, but it costs from 1000 rubles. But the price also depends on exposure. For example, cognac Courvoisier VS (Courvoisier VS) in chain stores costs about 1850 rubles, and Courvoisier VSOP (Courvoisier VSOP) is already about 2200 rubles.
Such a high cost of this drink is also due to the high cost of production, because only 1 liter of cognac requires more than 10 liters of young wine. The process of distilling fermented grape juice takes a long time and requires a lot of effort from winemakers.
Agree, the boss is not the person who should save on a gift. Especially if he is also a good person.
Packaging options
Whether or not to pack cognac is a purely individual decision, but I believe that a beautiful presentable gift is never superfluous.
If you do not want to bother, you can ask the store employees to beautifully pack the cognac in a special bag.
A good addition to the gift cognac will be various “accessories”, such as a pocket flask for a drink, beautiful glasses or a wooden barrel that emphasizes the woody aroma of the gift.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
What do you think, is it worth giving cognac to the boss? If so, which one?