A late night companion.

I have been drinking, Hennessy, ever since I bought a bottle of Napoleon Cognac, in a duty free store, coming home from Norway, back in 97'. I fell in love with Cognac's smooth taste and the pleasure it gives burning on its way down. Hennessy VSOP is no Napoleon, but it is great for the price.

There are many different grades of Cognac that may seem Greek to the uninitiated. A general rule would be that the more letters, in the classification, the better the Cognac. Lowest(what I am drinking now, Happy New Years!) is VS, Very Special. Followed by VSP, the P for Pale. Than VSOP, the O for Old. After that are your Napoleon's and I forget what lies in the expensive reaches beyond Napoleon. I do know from personal experience that I feel guilty drinking them after two glasses, it is hard to appreciate the flavor when your taste buds begin to grow numb.

As one can no doubt guess, the better the grade, of Cognac, the more it costs. It shouldn't be hard to find a bottle of 750 ml VSOP Hennesy for around $30. The difference between the grades is easy to determine once you have acquired a taste. If you are new to the sport do the Pepsi challenge. My Mom doubted that the Napoleon I brought home(about $60 for a liter) was far superior to her Remy Martin. I had her try a glass of each and she was convinced. The difference is subtle, but it is there. As the price goes up the Cognac gets smoother, tastes better and is much more complex. I won't pretend to know the science behind it all, but it has to do with how it was made, how long it was aged and a bunch of other ancient French secrets.

Cognac is a type of Brandy, a fact I denied for some time due to the fact that I hate Brandy. If you fall into ranks with me and can't stand Brandy, do worry your happy, little, alcoholic taste buds, Cognac is significantly different. Cognac reminds me more of Whiskey, but sweeter. You can taste the Brandy influence, the sweetness, but the strength is more Whiskey, as Cognac tends to be around 40-50% alcohol. Now, for the purists, Brandy is a difficult subject to tackle. Cognac is only a type of Brandy, that is made a certain way, in the Cognac region of France. There are Brandy's, that are more Cognac, than Brandy but are made in other regions of France or Germany. My exploration into the dark depths of alcohol haven't given me any experience into those areas, but it is what I have been told.

OK, I'm sure you have had more than enough about the history of Cognac, and all that, well if you haven't I have so we are moving forward. Hennessy, o'glorious drink that thou are, is and has been my staple drink for some time now. I recommend it more for a quiet night with friends, after a nice dinner. It is a good drink to spur on intelligent, if spirited, conversation. Not everyone likes it as I do, so I wouldn't keep Cognac as the exclusive late night drink in your inventory, but every good liquor cabinet NEEDS to have it. If you are well to do and want to impress people you may want to stock a Napoleon, rather than a VSOP, but a VSOP is really enough to quell the needs of most connoissuer's. Hennessy to my knowledge doesn't make a Napoleon so, as far as this review is concerned, the Hennessy VSOP should do.

Some may prefer a Remy Martin or Courvoisier VSOP, the are slightly better, but I like Hennessy. Hennessy has more taste. It is harsher, but that adds a personality to the flavor. Remy and Courvoisier are over priced imposters. If you want to impress someone at a bar order Courvoisier, but you are paying for name. It is better to go "top shelf" than Courvoisier. Why pay the price for the name when you can buy a Napoleon for $5 more?

As a side note, I wouldn't recommend buying Cognac at a bar. Bar tenders tend to give you about a shot worth, 1 once, and charge you anywhere from $5 to $8 for it. When you can buy an entire bottle of Hennessy VS for $20, it just doesn't make much sense. I also find that when I mix Cognac with beer I black out. I'm sure that is my own issues, but it is true none the less. I start off slow with my dear friend Hennessy and than due to price go on to Corona or what ever is on tap. Than I end up on the dance floor and get pulled off by my friends because they are about to get in a fight and need back up. This is followed by me and another friend wrestling around in a bathroom soaked in what I hope was water because one of us said something the other didn't like. We couldn't remember who said what, but those are just details really. The rest of the night I will keep to myself since I am not proud of it and it involved me throwing up and being passed out.

The core of this review has to do with atmosphere and status. That isn't a mistake, that is what fine drinks are about. Hennessy is the lower end, but it still ranks. You don't drink expensive drinks if you aren't interested in your image. If you don't care you drink Bud and like it. I drink Bud and sorta like it, but I also sorta care about my image. Hennessy doesn't offer the most complex mix of flavors of the Cognacs. If you want that pay the extra price for the softer Remy Martin's or the Courvoisier's. They are better Cognacs, but they are over priced. Hennessy is by far the best Cognac for the price. A fact my Dad confirmed to my surprise. He used to drink it when he lived in France. Now he drinks very expensive Whiskeys because he has the money to. Good for him, he doesn't give me any, so I drink Hennessy!

Hennessy is blunt and to the point. It fits my personality. It doesn't say something unless it has something to say. Its flavor hits where it means to, it doesn't beat around the bush. You either love it or you don't drink it. It isn't the best Cognac out there, but it is the best value. A taste of France since 1765, give it a try.