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I’m having a party soon. I will not say that I am a fan of strong drinks, however, sometimes I can afford to drink.
As a rule, then I feel, to put it mildly, not very well. That is why I seriously thought about what kind of cognac to buy, so that in the morning I and my friends would not feel bad, and we would feel invigorated.
I turned to a good friend of mine who worked for many years in a liquor store for advice, and this is what he told me.
Story from my subscriber Sergey.
What determines the price of cognac in stores
Firstly, real, good cognac cannot be cheap, since its production is quite complicated:
- make cognac only from certain grape varieties;
- it is kept in oak barrels, which are made by hand;
- And finally, you need to withstand cognac for a long time.
Secondly, the original packaging requires considerable expenses from the manufacturer. Add to this the numerous certification procedures, excises and taxes. Plus, in some cases, an overpayment for the brand is added.
How to choose cognac in Russian stores to be sure of its quality
As you already understood, real cognac is not cheap. But, no one can guarantee that if you buy cognac for all the money in the world, it will be of the highest quality.
In Russia, they have long learned to fake everything, including alcohol. My friend explained to me in detail what I should pay attention to when choosing alcohol so that I would not bitterly repent in the morning:
- there is an excise tax on the bottle;
- the label is pasted evenly, there are no traces of glue, the font is not smeared, readable;
- cognac does not contain chemicals, that is, dyes, flavors, various flavor enhancers (at least, this is not stated in its composition);
- the shade is similar to black tea that has just been brewed;
- the bottle is not filled to the brim.
Attention: if you turn the bottle upside down, there should not be any specks, flakes, etc. on the bottom.
Fake cognac vs real judging by color
When I choose cognac, I always pay attention to all these nuances, because I don’t want to give money for outright chemistry.
What brands of cognac can be considered ideal in terms of price-quality ratio
Before giving away my hard-earned money, I decided to deal with one more question, namely, which brands of cognac can be considered ideal in terms of price / quality ratio. I am sincerely interested in which brandy corresponds to its price, and which one is overpriced.
My “alcohol guru” told me that they are mostly French brands, such as:
- Hennessy H.O. (Hennessy) – from 1 rubles;
- Courvoisier – from 1 rubles;
- Martell – from 2 rubles;
- Remy Martin – from 2 rubles.
If we consider Russian cognacs, then you should pay attention to Bakhchisarai for 550 rubles. From Georgian drinks – this is Old Kakheti – 1 rubles. and Tetroni for 000 rubles.
How much can you buy cognac so that the evening with friends is not spoiled
After listening to my friend, I began to think, how much should I spend on cognac, so that my evening with friends would not be spoiled, and everything would go off with a bang?
I would not want to buy a very expensive one, since finances sing romances, but now I don’t consider super-cheap either, since, most likely, this is a fake or outright “fueled”. I see no reason to overpay for a brand, because there are not so well-known, but also good brands.
Assortment of cognacs of different price segments
I came to the conclusion that I would buy cognac in the range of 800-1 rubles per 200 liter. This price range suits me completely. Moreover, our company is small, three bottles should be enough for us. Well, if I get rich in the future (ha ha!), I will definitely try expensive alcohol.
I think that my information was useful for you, and it was not in vain that I tormented my friend with questions. I hope you will now adhere to these recommendations and do not buy a palenka, and do not overpay for an “average” cognac.
What do you think, how much should a good quality cognac cost?