Which cognac is better: a rating of French, Russian, Armenian and Moldovan brands

The rating of cognacs is not an objective thing, the assessment varies depending on the country, the personal taste of the taster, the given parameters (price, aging, etc.). Thematic publications, professional communities, websites and even mobile applications have their own ratings. In this article, we will look at the tops of the best cognacs and brandies, compiled by more or less authoritative sources.

Classification

The rating of cognac also depends on the class of the drink – aged brandies do not compete with young ones, vintage ones do not compete with blends.

The following classification is found on bottles of foreign and many Russian cognacs:

• VS – Very Special (alternatively – three stars), aging in oak for at least 2 years;
• Superior, aging in oak barrels from 3 years;
• VSOP – Very Superior Old Pale (alternatively – Old or Reserve), aging from 4 years;
• VVSOP – Very Very Superior Old Pale (alternatively – Vieux), exposure from 5 years;
• XO – Extra Old (alternatively – Napoleon or Old Reserve), exposure of 6 years or more;
• Extra – in theory, the same as XO, in practice it is often used to emphasize exceptionally long exposure, for example, 10 years or more;
• Hors d’Age (alternatively Vieille Réserve). Theoretically, it also more or less coincides with XO, in practice – it indicates not only a long exposure, but also an unsurpassed quality of the product.

The actual aging period can be much longer than indicated, since the marking indicates the age of the “youngest” alcohol in the blend.

Rating of the best cognacs in France

Worldcognacawards.com provides the following summary table of the 2019 winners (XO category):

• Winner: ABK6 XO.
• Gold winners: Dubosquet XO Grande Champagne Premier Cru, Godet Freres Cognac XO Terre.
• Silver winner: Francois Voyer XO Gold.
• Bronze winners: Cognac Frapin XO VIP, Cognac Gautier XO.

The results for 2018 were as follows:

• Winner: Cognac Frapin Cigar Blend.
• Gold winner: Cognac De Luze XO Fine Champagne.
• Silver winner: Cognac J.Dupont Art Déco XO Grande Champagne.

On the same page you can see the ratings of beer, cider, armagnac and other alcoholic beverages since 2014.

Rating of Russian cognacs

Russian cognacs, of course, have no right to be called that – they are just brandies, referred to as cognac only as a tribute to tradition. The situation with the rating is rather bad – each manufacturer promotes its own brand, there are few objective ratings, and there is no unity among them.

For example, according to the Roskachestvo website (rskrf.ru), Bakhchisaray can be considered the best Russian cognac. Also, Kinovsky, Koktebel, Three Stars from the Kizlyar Brandy Factory received high marks at the tasting, and the brands Great Dynasty, French Standard, Troyekurov are of average quality.

The site in-rating.ru provides other information. This source considers the following brands to be the best: Grad Petrov, Praskoveisky, Stary Gorod, Dombay.

Rating of Armenian and Moldovan cognacs

In Moldova, grape brandy is called divin, and in Armenia it is called arbun.

Among the Armenian cognacs, Sargis, Ararat, Noy Araspel, Noy Classic, Ararat Ani, Ararat Nairi, Grand Sargis, Tsar Tigran and Kilikia were highly rated.

Among the Moldovan brands, one can single out Kvint Surprise XO, White Stork, Calarasi, Codru and Bouquet of Moldova.