Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Evergreens

This is what the VSOP designation means on that bottle of Cognac

What is VSOP cognac?

By
Cognac
Timothé Durand/Unsplash

If you’re new to cognac, you might find the French spirit to be a little overwhelming. We can understand this. Getting into a spirit like bourbon seems a lot easier because the age is clearly defined on the label (in many cases). You’ll often see various ages on bourbon labels telling you exactly how long the corn-based whiskey spent in the barrel. You’ll usually see them labeled as ten years and beyond.

Cognac, on the other hand, is much more like tequila when it comes to aging terminology. For those unaware, tequila bottles don’t like the amount of years the liquid spends aging. Instead, you’ll find phrases like blanco, joven, cristilano, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo. The same goes for cognac, where you’ll find bottles labeled with terms like VS, VSOP, XO, and other random terms. While we could spend all day writing about the various cognac terms, today, we’re taking a deep dive into VSOP.

Cognac
Deeliver/Unsplash

What does VSOP stand for?

In the simplest terms, VSOP stands for “Very Superior Old Pale.” You might read that and scratch your head because that doesn’t even remotely explain what it means besides dictating that it’s “very superior” and “old.” But what exactly does that mean?

Recommended Videos

Well, it means that the eau-de-vie included must be aged for at least four full years. To be considered a cognac at all, the spirit must be aged for at least two years. VSOP doubles this (and more in most cases). It can contain cognacs that are much older as well. The blend can have other, longer-aged cognacs, but the youngest cognac is why it gets its designation.

Cognac
White Field Photo/Unsplash

Where did the term come from

Not only is the House of Hennessy one of the most popular cognac brands in the world, but it’s also the brand that originated the term VSOP. In 1817, the Prince Regent (the man who would eventually become King George IV) sent an order for the brand to create a ‘very superior old pale” cognac. The designation has existed ever since. It didn’t become official until 1983 with the official AOC Cognac Regulation.

Cognac barrels
Timothé Durand/Unsplash

What does VSOP cognac taste like?

If you’re a whiskey drinker (specifically bourbon) and you’ve never tried cognac, what are you waiting for? This grape-based spirit, when aged, carries many of the same flavors and aromas of your favorite whiskey. After spending at least four years in barrels, VSOP cognac is fruity, sweet, and lightly spicy.

Depending on the bottle you crack open, you’ll find flavors like vanilla, caramel, ripe fruit, grape skins, oak, and gentle wintry spices. Sip it neat, on the rocks, or mixed into a cocktail like you would your favorite whiskey. After a few sips, you’ll wonder what took so long for you to try it in the first place.

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He’s been writing professional Read Full Bio
Food & Drink
The best beers to pair with your summer yard games
Anderson Valley

When it comes to leisure activities during the summer months, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of a round of yard games. What could be more fun on a hot, sunny day than besting your friends and siblings in an epic backyard brawl? I can’t think of anything.

I’m talking about games like croquet, lawn darts, bocce, ladder ball, cornhole, and more. The only thing that makes the experience better is having a frosty, refreshing beer firmly in one of your hands. But just like how you don’t enjoy every yard game, not just any beer will do.

Read more
Food & Drink
Jagermeister goes citrus with new orange release
Alcohol, Beverage, Liquor

Alcohol is the ultimate gathering tool. No matter what event you have coming up, you can almost always bet on a good drink (unless it is a baby shower; then maybe not). From the moment I joined the United States Army, I became quite familiar with the presence of Jagermeister. It was a constant pillar of our get-togethers for two main reasons. The first was that we didn’t make a lot of money, and it has always been one of the more accessible liquors when we walked down the booze aisles of the Class 6 (picture a 711 on a military post). The second reason is that it is the perfect shot drink. It never needed a mixer. It is designed to be poured as a shot straight from the freezer. However, Jager is also versatile enough to make some great cocktails. Now, the brand dropped the perfect summer upgrade with an orange twist.

Jagermeister has always been about bringing people together. – Cindy Wang Simms, CMO,Jägermeister US.

Read more
Food & Drink
Bib & Tucker’s first bottled-in-bond bourbon is aged twice the legal minimum
Alcohol, Beverage, Liquor

Bib & Tucker is releasing its first bottled-in-bond bourbon, and the Columbia, Tennessee brand went well past what the designation actually asks for.

Bottled-in-bond is one of the oldest and strictest standards in American whiskey. The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 requires that a whiskey be distilled in a single season by a single distiller at a single distillery, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. No wiggle room on any of it.

Read more