What is VSOP Cognac? HOW OLD? Hennessy, Courvoisier, Martell, Rémy Martin

What is up guys? Bonjour! This is Julien, the French winemaking guy who makes wine and spirits videos here on YouTube and we are looking at what is a VSOP Cognac and how long does a Cognac need to be to be called a VSOP. So first, let's have a look at what VSOP stands for. The Bureau of Cognac, the BNIC, officially says that it means Very Superior Old Pale, but it is generally referred to and accepted to mean by most brands Very Special Old Pale. So it is a little old, old, it is supposedly very special, and it is a little pale as well. Not as dark as the older ones, the XO's for example. So how long does a Cognac need to be aged for before it can be called VSOP? Well, you have to know that most Cognacs are blends of Cognacs, of Eau de Vies, of many different vintages coming from the past that are blended together to form a whole that is consistent year after year. Now the youngest of all the components of a given blend for VSOP must be at least aged in oak barrels for at least 4 years. So that's going to be the youngest component. That said, the master blender is always going to incorporate some older Cognacs in a blend to give it more strength, I mean power, in terms of the flavors, to give it the consistency that they are looking for as well. So you're going to have some 5-year-old components, 6-year-old components, 10-year-old components, sometimes 20-year-old components, why not 50-year-old components, just a little touch of it just to give it a little extra power, a little extra complexity. So essentially, how old exactly is the Cognac? Well, it's a blend of different ages if you wish. So you may have an average age of the Cognac but the houses do not communicate on that. If you have a cheap VSOP, it's likely to be just 4 years old, maybe with just a little bit of older stuff. If you have a more expensive, more complex VSOP, well, it's likely to contain a lot more of older Cognacs. If you'd like to learn more about how Cognac is made, well, there's a bit of a typo on my title here. Here is a video where I explain everything that you should know about how Cognac is made visiting the famous Hennessy distillery. I will see you soon in the wonderful world of wine and spirits. Au revoir! Ciao ciao...