A. De Fussigny Sélection Cognac

The flavor is rich with a blend of fruitiness, floral notes, nuttiness, a few spices, backed by some faint woodiness and a strong sweetness. Unfortunately, the underlying flavor comes across as cherry cough syrup more strongly than in almost any other drink I've tasted. While I can appreciate the complexity and enjoyed this drink initially, there's no getting past the cough syrup taste, so I can't like or recommend it. It smells fruity with fresh cherry and spice along with a bit of milk chocolate. The palate has a lot of sweet cherry like Hennessy VS along with some sweet spices. There's a hint of licorice, but also a nectar sweetness. It has an interesting herbal bouquet of spices along with some sugary sweet cherry. The sugary sweetness would be better if it were subdued with more richness from the wood and some bright notes of orange. The nose has a lot of orange marmalade like Grand Marnier. It smells sweet with bitter and tart elements mixed with a little bit of spice. The fruity, floral nose is quite nice. The palate is smooth and viscous with some tingling from spice happening in the background. The flavor is quite sweet with some nice spices balancing it out, including some licorice. There's a bit too much sweet cherry in my opinion, occasionally inducing a brief bout of gagging. The complexity here is quite good though. It wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd be willing to drink this because of the more interesting spice elements. It's a tad short of ABK6 in quality, but it's much better than Pierre Duchene. The prickliness is sort of quickly numbing, so that's a bit of a disappointment. This has a more mild fruit nose than the deep, rich fruits of Symbole National. It also has more spices though, making it reminiscent of Remy Martin 1738. A bit of coffee and a robust tobacco flavor with bursts of sweet cherry that taste faintly of cough syrup but are not entirely unpalatable. The palate lacks the richness of the Symbole National, though the spices do make it more interesting. Ultimately, the Symbole National has more richness with pleasantly decadent flavors and a solid amount of complexity, so I like it better, by a significant margin. Still, this is an interesting drink with a blend of flavors. The balance of fruitiness with spice and some lighter chocolatey and barrel flavors is actually quite nice. I'm actually quite happy sipping this. This is spicier and more lively than Symbole National, but it also has a bit more bitter alcohol and less smooth decadence.

Nose - cherry, grape juice, moderate oak presence, caramel, baked apple, floral notes, cinnamon, nondescript nuttiness, black pepper, grassy vegetal quality, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - artificial cherry and grape, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, butterscotch, ginger, black pepper, floral notes, barrel spice, almond, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing quickly with fading sour cherry, baking spice, and oak flavors. This is enjoyable, but nothing stands out as particularly noteworthy. The fruit notes are decent, but a bit artificial and sour. And it generally feels thinner than I'd prefer. For the price, I'd much rather have a Pierre Ferrand 1840 or Ambre.

Composed of grape spirits from various growing regions (Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, and Bois Ordinaires). Exhibits a pale gold hue. This introductory cognac is generally quite easy to drink. It has aromas of ripe fruit (difficult to pinpoint), caramel, and cinnamon. The taste is somewhat sweet, featuring grape juice, dried fruit, and dried pumpkin. The cognac showed no evolution over several weeks of leisurely tasting. It's moderately alcoholic, but acceptable overall.

50ml bottle. Incredible. The only non-bourbon/rye whiskey spirit I like, and it ranks very highly too. VS Other Tasting Notes: sweet spices, white chocolate, brandied cherries, and minerals @ http://www.tastings.com/Spirits-Review/A-De-Fussigny-Selection-Fine-Cognac-France-02-01-2015.aspx

The aromas are very pleasant. Oak. Vanilla. Fruity grape, toasted nuts. The flavor is right in line with the alcohol providing a medium burn. The aftertaste is a bit harsher than the nose or first sip led me to believe.

It presents as a deep amber with scents of vanilla, oak, and grape. The oak is prominent, with ample toasted marshmallow. It's quite sweet, concluding with a mildly alcoholic finish.