Any Brandy Drinkers?

[Moonbog]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

Been mostly a vodka, bourbon and scotch drinker. But in the last couple of years, I've tried some cheapo brandy like E&J and some Total Wine house brands. Happened to have a bottle of E&J VSOP left over from the holidays and poured some neat while smoking my pipe the other night. I was amazed at how much better brandy was when paired with tobacco and it didn't seem to matter which blend of tobacco I was smoking.

So, any dedicated Brandy drinkers have any recommendations on what Brandy I should try next. Price point is a factor, but let rip with any suggestions you might have. Total Wine is a mile from my house and they carry an absolute trove of everything. Their opening 3 years ago has been bad for my liver to say the least, but that's life.

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

I put it in eggnog over Christmas... Christian Brothers... other than that.. nah, prefer Rye

 

[adui]

I have had expensive brandy, and cheap brandy. My favorite hands down is good old E&J XO. It's buttery smooth and a great drink done neat.

 

[Moonbog]

I put it in eggnog over Christmas... Christian Brothers... other than that.. nah, prefer Rye

Yeah, Rye is enjoyable. Whistle Pig, Michter's are the pricey one's I've tried, thanks to a friend and his generous pours. I've bought the more reasonably priced ones and enjoyed those too.

 

[Moonbog]

I have had expensive brandy, and cheap brandy. My favorite hands down is good old E&J XO. It's buttery smooth and a great drink done neat.

Good to know. Just bought a bottle of that yesterday. I'll crack it tonight. Thanks.

 

[mikefu]

I enjoy brandy, cognac and Armagnac and calvados quite a lot in the winter. As far as recommendations go, I think you’d be extraordinary hard pressed to find a better value than St. Remy XO brandy. It’s really good and very affordable.

 

[anotherbob]

Love Brandy. And E&J is really amazing for the price point. Especially the VSOP and XO. I'd say that just as important as the brand is glasswear. You don't need anything special to enjoy brandy but a good snifter will make it easier to really enjoy a good brandy. As far as brands go pick a price point you're interested in and find which bottle sounds the most enjoyable or interesting to you at that price. It's mind blowing to me how different various brandies can taste. After a while you should get a few favorites. Though I've never had a bad brandy I've had ones that are more or less closer to my personal taste. Strange thing I've noticed with Brandy is that expensive doesn't really mean smoother like it tends to with Whiskey for example. And some of the tastier brandies actually to my pallet seem to have more rough edges, but it doesn't matter because they also seem to have more complex flavors over all. Though a lot of times when I get Brandy I get one E&J VSOP or XO and also a new one I have not tried. See it's kind of hard to pass up a drink that cost less then 20 bucks for a larger bottle and drinks better then most other types of liquor (in my uninformed opinion) that cost about 20 bucks a bottle. Also try mixing it with Absinthe too which is a bit of an acquired taste but is interesting (though if you don't like Absinthe then don't listen to this suggestion).

 

[anotherbob]

Good to know. Just bought a bottle of that yesterday. I'll crack it tonight. Thanks.

it's really quite good for the price. Like hard to see how they could pull it off and also makes you wonder why you have to spend more to get an equally flavorful and potable drink.

 

[mso489]

Back during an ancient war, I was on a truly small warship that did underway replenishment, wherein we would pulley a fuel hose and supplies across from a much larger ship, an oiler, to keep us on "station" for months at a time. One raw day in the South China Sea, we all finished our weather deck duties (outdoors) soaked through and somewhat cold. The Navy corpsman went into his secret stash and pulled out a supply of brandy and handed it out to anyone who wanted a airline bottle full. I quietly solicited a few extra from shipmates who were religiously or otherwise opposed to alcohol. I sipped them all quietly as I put on dry dungarees (as they were called) and caught a pretty good nap.

 

[lightmybriar]

Brandy is my drink of choice, and I have to say embarrassingly that I prefer the cheap stuff. Paul Masson Grande Amber. It’s $11 here. My friends have gifted me a few nice bottles of cognac for my birthday, and as much as I enjoyed the novelty of a fine drink, I keep going back to the Paul Masson. ??‍

 

[adui]

Back during an ancient war, I was on a truly small warship that did underway replenishment, wherein we would pulley a fuel hose and supplies across from a much larger ship, an oiler, to keep us on "station" for months at a time. One raw day in the South China Sea, we all finished our weather deck duties (outdoors) soaked through and somewhat cold. The Navy corpsman went into his secret stash and pulled out a supply of brandy and handed it out to anyone who wanted a airline bottle full. I quietly solicited a few extra from shipmates who were religiously or otherwise opposed to alcohol. I sipped them all quietly as I put on dry dungarees (as they were called) and caught a pretty good nap.

Though my ships were likely a bit larger, Spruance class destroyer was the Cadillac of her time, I do remember those underway replenishment's every three days or so...

 

[shanez]

First, I would recommend trying various types of brandies (technical definitions be damned).

Here's my personal reference/definition list:

Cognac - Brandy from the Cognac region of France. Usually has a nice level of sweetness to it.
Armagnac - Brandy from the Armagnac region of France. Usually retains more of the characteristics of the wine it was made from than Cognac.
Calvados - Brandy made from apples (sometimes pears) from the Normandy region of France. Usually retains noticeable apple characteristics.
Armenian - Brandy from Armenia.
Sherry Brandy - Brandy made from Spanish sherry (or other sherries).
Generic Brandy - Anything considered brandy but doesn't fit any specific type. Lots of American produced stuff fits this category.
Apple Brandy - I consider this a sub-category of generic brandy and is obviously made from apples. Sometimes called applejack.
Other - Highly specific stuff that I don't often drink but there is a restaurant where I live that has a nice selection of Ukranian and Bulgarian stuff I can't pronounce.

There are bottles in each category that is worth trying IMO.

Second, I'll try to list some bottles here in different categories with various price ranges. Personally, I break my prices into three categories:

1 - (Under $50) Both affordable and good enough to drink everyday if so inclined.
2 - ($50-$100) A little more expensive but what the heck, it's Friday night and why not have something a little nicer?
3 - (Over $100) Okay now this is too pricey to just randomly drink but so good I'll pony up for a bottle to have a glass on birthday celebrations, etc.

Quick Spreadsheet:

	Cat 1	Cat 2	Cat 3
Cognac		A de Fusssigny Grande Champagne VSOP	Kelt XO Tour du Monde
Armagnac	Marie Duffau Napoleon	Sempe 15 Year Old
Calvados	Lecompte Pays d'Auge Originel	Roger Groult 8 Ans d'Age Pays d'Auge
Armenian		Ararat Nairi 20 Year Old
Sherry Brandy		Lepanto PX Brandy de Jerez
Generic Brandy	E&J XO
Apple Brandy	Laird's Apple Jack
Other

 

[rushx9]

I love Brandy. Definitely my spirit of choice. While I love a good Cognac, I've found I get almost as much pleasure from brandies at a 10th of the cost. Raynal VSOP is my all time favorite, I rate it higher than most Cognacs, definitely better than any VS I've had. Korbel is wonderful and grassy and a favorite for mixing. I really enjoy Christian Bros VSOP and XO, if you can find it, is a real treat. I also enjoy Masson VSOP, but rarely drink it anymore as I prefer the others I've listed. Had a bad experience with E&J when I was barely legal and have been afraid to revisit it since, but have heard good things about recent expressions of XO and VSOP that pique my curiosity. I have a bit of a chest cold going on so I may pick up a bottle this evening, since you got me thinking about it. Also, if you really dig brandy and tobacco, and like English tobacco blends, I can't recommend Esoterica Pembroke or Smokers Haven Cognac Mixture enough! Also, it's hard to come by in the US, but Mick McQuaid is a tasty Irish made blend that is subtly topped with brandy and almond.
Cheers!

 

[rushx9]

Also try mixing it with Absinthe too which is a bit of an acquired taste but is interesting

La Tremblement de Terre (earthquake) is a beautiful classic french cocktail!!!

 

[Moonbog]

Back during an ancient war, I was on a truly small warship that did underway replenishment, wherein we would pulley a fuel hose and supplies across from a much larger ship, an oiler, to keep us on "station" for months at a time. One raw day in the South China Sea, we all finished our weather deck duties (outdoors) soaked through and somewhat cold. The Navy corpsman went into his secret stash and pulled out a supply of brandy and handed it out to anyone who wanted a airline bottle full. I quietly solicited a few extra from shipmates who were religiously or otherwise opposed to alcohol. I sipped them all quietly as I put on dry dungarees (as they were called) and caught a pretty good nap.

Sounds like a fine reward for a hard day's work. Thanks for the reminiscence.

 

[Moonbog]

First, I would recommend trying various types of brandies (technical definitions be damned).

Here's my personal reference/definition list:

Cognac - Brandy from the Cognac region of France. Usually has a nice level of sweetness to it.
Armagnac - Brandy from the Armagnac region of France. Usually retains more of the characteristics of the wine it was made from than Cognac.
Calvados - Brandy made from apples (sometimes pears) from the Normandy region of France. Usually retains noticeable apple characteristics.
Armenian - Brandy from Armenia.
Sherry Brandy - Brandy made from Spanish sherry (or other sherries).
Generic Brandy - Anything considered brandy but doesn't fit any specific type. Lots of American produced stuff fits this category.
Apple Brandy - I consider this a sub-category of generic brandy and is obviously made from apples. Sometimes called applejack.
Other - Highly specific stuff that I don't often drink but there is a restaurant where I live that has a nice selection of Ukranian and Bulgarian stuff I can't pronounce.

There are bottles in each category that is worth trying IMO.

Second, I'll try to list some bottles here in different categories with various price ranges. Personally, I break my prices into three categories:

1 - (Under $50) Both affordable and good enough to drink everyday if so inclined.
2 - ($50-$100) A little more expensive but what the heck, it's Friday night and why not have something a little nicer?
3 - (Over $100) Okay now this is too pricey to just randomly drink but so good I'll pony up for a bottle to have a glass on birthday celebrations, etc.

Quick Spreadsheet:

	Cat 1	Cat 2	Cat 3
Cognac		A de Fusssigny Grande Champagne VSOP	Kelt XO Tour du Monde
Armagnac	Marie Duffau Napoleon	Sempe 15 Year Old
Calvados	Lecompte Pays d'Auge Originel	Roger Groult 8 Ans d'Age Pays d'Auge
Armenian		Ararat Nairi 20 Year Old
Sherry Brandy		Lepanto PX Brandy de Jerez
Generic Brandy	E&J XO
Apple Brandy	Laird's Apple Jack
Other

My man. Thanks for the effort in putting this together. I'll be sure to reference this list when looking to buy something special. Much appreciated.

 

[Moonbog]

I love Brandy. Definitely my spirit of choice. While I love a good Cognac, I've found I get almost as much pleasure from brandies at a 10th of the cost. Raynal VSOP is my all time favorite, I rate it higher than most Cognacs, definitely better than any VS I've had. Korbel is wonderful and grassy and a favorite for mixing. I really enjoy Christian Bros VSOP and XO, if you can find it, is a real treat. I also enjoy Masson VSOP, but rarely drink it anymore as I prefer the others I've listed. Had a bad experience with E&J when I was barely legal and have been afraid to revisit it since, but have heard good things about recent expressions of XO and VSOP that pique my curiosity. I have a bit of a chest cold going on so I may pick up a bottle this evening, since you got me thinking about it. Also, if you really dig brandy and tobacco, and like English tobacco blends, I can't recommend Esoterica Pembroke or Smokers Haven Cognac Mixture enough! Also, it's hard to come by in the US, but Mick McQuaid is a tasty Irish made blend that is subtly topped with brandy and almond.
Cheers!

Thanks so much. And I've had absinthe a few times, first time in Milan when visiting family 20 years ago. Time flies. Is it available in the states these days? Definitely wasn't back then.

 

[rushx9]

Thanks so much. And I've had absinthe a few times, first time in Milan when visiting family 20 years ago. Time flies. Is it available in the states these days? Definitely wasn't back then.

Depends on the state... here in NC the only brand available is Grande Absente.

 

[shanez]

Absinthe is available all over the place where I live (Vegas). A local restaurant has a drink called a "Trinidad Swizzle".

5 year Trinidad rum, falernum (ginger, lime, and almond syrup), pineapple and lime juices, and the glass gets a absinthe "rinse" which is some absinthe put in the glass and swirled around to coat the inside. Fantastic summer drink!

 

[troutface]

Nice to see Shanez mention Laird's Apple Jack. I grew up near the distillery in Jersey and a good splash of the stuff in hot cider in winter was always a welcome drink.