Xo Cognac Classification Increases To 10 Years
All XO Cognac must be aged for a minimum of 10 years, as opposed to six, under new industry regulations, which will come into force in April.
XO Cognacs minimum age has moved up from six to 10 years
The Cognac industry has increased its XO age classification in order to extend the quality positioning of the category.
Trade body the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac also said the change aims to align the regulation and the market reality, since many XO blends on the market are made with eaux-de-vies exceeding 10 years of age.
The BNIC first announced the amended law in 2011, but is implementing the change this year in order to give producers longer to mature their stocks.
However, the BNIC is allowing XO Cognacs aged for six, seven, eight and nine years, and packaged by 31 March 2018, to be sold as XO until 31 March 2019.
Brands that want to use this lead-time must send a stock declaration form to the BNIC outlining the pre-packaged XO eaux-de-vie stocks concerned by 1 March 2018.
Despite being hit by Chinas long-running austerity campaign in recent years, older expressions of Cognac continue to rebound in terms of export sales recording 24.2% growth in 2016/17.
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What Does Xo Mean For Cognac
X.O. is an aging designation given to Cognacs, that means extra old. The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac is the governing body that monitors the production of Cognac to ensure that it meets all required standards. In 1983, the BNIC established designations with respect to classifying Cognacs by age. The designation X.O. applies to Cognacs in which the youngest eau-de-vie blended in the Cognac is not less than six years old.
UPDATE April 1, 2018: The BNIC has changed its designation for XO to require the youngest eau-de-vie to be no less than 10 years old. Read more here.
Cognacs that undergo less aging include V.S. Cognacs are those whose youngest eau-de-vie is at least two years old and V.S.O.P. Cognacs whose youngest eau-de-vie is at least four years old.
The aging designation is determined by the youngest eau-de-vie blended in the Cognac, not the oldest.
A Change Coming for X.O. Cognacs
On April 1, 2018, Cognac ageing designations are about to undergo their first major change since 1983. According to the BNIC, starting on the first of April, in order for a Cognac to carry the designation X.O., the youngest eau-de-vie will have to be at least ten years old. The new requirement for the youngest eau-de-vie to be at least ten years old may required some Cognac Houses to change the blendings of their X.O. offerings.
X.O. Cognacs
Hennessy X.O.
Rémy Martin X.O. Excellence
Courvoisier X.O.
How Does Kirkland Xo Cognac Taste
Cognac experts and enthusiasts say the Kirkland Signature brand tastes delicate while standing out from the crowd.
It has a nutty flavor with slight hints of chocolate and honey. Youll also sense a citrus and oak taste, as well.
The cognac is aged in oak barrels that add vanilla and spice notes to the mix. Cognac drinkers report a warming feeling as it goes down with a swallow.
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Why Doesnt Costco Make Its Own Kirkland Signature Products
Costco doesnt make the items sold under its signature brand, Kirkland. This is because its not cost effective for them to do so.
Costco has Kirkland Signature items in numerous consumer products categories. If this wholesale giant were to manufacture them all, the products would have to have higher price tags to offset the cost of maintaining manufacturing facilities.
COSTCOS KIRKLAND XO Cognac Review > > Check out the video below:
Why Is A Cognac Xo So Expensive
An XO cognac sometimes ages more than ten years but more often 20 or even 40 years in French oak barrels. It will have taken as long to achieve this degree of perfection, as they all do, with considerable financial costs, housing costs in high quality barrels and not insignificant labor costs because it will have taken a lot of attention and the eye of the cellar master sometimes of two generations
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How Much Does Kirkland Xo Cognac Cost
While the Kirkland Cognac is one of the big box stores more expensive spirits, its still priced competitively for what it is. Cognac is generally expensive compared to other types of liquor.
You can buy a 750-milliliter bottle of Kirkland XO Cognac for a little under $70. Its a great deal for an authentic French cognac and an especially good deal for an XO cognac.
How Do You Drink Cognac
Cognac is typically enjoyed neat. Its pleasantly flavored and quite smooth. It doesnt need to be cold or mixed with other ingredients.
Should you want to drink it with something else, you could make a nice Old Fashioned with Kirkland XO Cognac. Heres what youll need:
1 cube of sugar
Bitters
1 orange peel
Put the sugar cube in the bottom of a glass with a small splash of water and the bitters. Muddle those together until they have a syrup-like consistency.
Pour the cognac over the top of the sweet mixture. Continue stirring the drink until the sugar cube has fully dissolved. Put a large ice cube in the glass.
Squeeze and twist the oils out of the orange peel into the drink. Rub the peel around the top of the glass and then garnish the Old Fashioned with the peel. Now, you can enjoy a pleasant Old Fashioned made with your Kirkland XO Cognac.
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How To Drink An Xo Cognac
Like any good bottle or any good glass, it is between friends or family that we appreciate. A tulip glass is more appropriate because it allows the flavors of XO cognac to escape through successive olfactory volatilities, allowing the taste sensations to be perceived slowly through staggered tastings, thus allowing all the infinite riches of XO cognac to be captured. An XO cognac can also be enjoyed neat on ice or as a long drink, for example with a citrus schweppe to be dosed according to your choice.
Who Makes Kirkland Cognac Xo
Do you know who makes Kirkland Cognac XO? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.
Kirkland XO Cognac is made in Europe, but its hard to know by whom.The Kirkland Signature brand at Costco is known for its high-quality products, which include spirits like Kirkland Cognac. You may already know that Costco doesnt make its own items, instead of contracting them out to other manufacturers.
We know that Kirkland XO Cognac is one of Costcos more expensive signature products. We know that its because its authentic and aged for up to 21 years.
What we dont know is the exact manufacturer that distills the cognac. In this article, youll learn everything there is to know about Kirkland XO Cognac, so keep reading to find out more.
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Cognac: Xo Classification To Rise To 10 Years
The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac has announced that all XO Cognac brandy will be classified as 10 years old from April 1, 2018.
The BNIC says this is in accordance with the provisions of its Cognac specifications. This means that the youngest eau-de-vie included in a blended Cognac labelled XO* must have been aged in barrels for at least 10 years, instead of the six years previously required.
The bureau says in practice, there are already many XO* cognacs on the market with the youngest eau-de-vie exceeding 10 years of age. The new measure aims to align the regulation and the market reality, and also to extend the quality positioning of XO*.
The measure was first confirmed by the BNIC in 2011, allowing brands time to anticipate the change. To support the producers in the transition, Cognacs generic body has put into place a system that allows cognac XO spirits, classified as six, seven, eight and nine years, pre-packaged by March 31 at the latest and in accordance with BNIC provisions to be marketed as XO until March 31 2019.
To be able to take advantage of this lead-time, the operators must send the BNIC a statement of the pre-packaged XO eaux-de-vie stocks concerned by March 1, 2018, using a stock declaration form available from the BNIC.
* ‘XO’: ‘Out of Age’ Extra, ‘Ancestral’. ‘Ancestor’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Imperial’
The designation ‘Napoleon’ remains six years minimum
To find out more about the implementation methods, visit: www.cognac.fr
The Digital Age & Gold: Bitcoins
Meanwhile, we have seen a new form of gold in recent years. As the world turns more and more digital, the value of cryptocurrency has rocketed. Like gold, Bitcoins are available in limited quantities and must be obtained through mining. Although with bitcoins, mining takes place virtually via a series of special computer encryptions. As Bitcoins offer a new source for investors to toy with, it is clear that gold has a special wealth of power that has been successful in influencing the digital world too. Nevertheless, both physical gold and digital bitcoins are a glittering storage of opulence that increase in value over time.
Therefore, it goes without saying that gold and Cognac come hand in hand. As often, Cognac is produced exclusively in the form of a limited edition or in small batches. Meaning, certain releases become collectors items and, like gold, the value of such Cognacs may increase over time.
Here is a round-up of our top Cognac picks that have been inspired by the concept of gold:
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What Do The Initials Vs Vsop And Xo Mean
VS, VSOP and XO refer to the age and quality of the cognac. Each corresponds to how long the brandy has been aged in oak barrels. In 1983, following a request by the BNIC *, the French government drafted regulations governing the terms used to describe a cognacâs quality. These designations, which may be included on the label, refer to the age of the youngest eau-de-vie used in making the cognac.
VS stands for âVery Specialâ: only eaux-de-vie at least two years old can be used to make a VS cognac. Other denominators and expressions are permitted, such as â3 starsâ or âluxuryâ, and as such are included in the VS cognac category.
VSOP stands for âVery Superior Old Paleâ: VSOP cognacs are created from eaux-de-vie aged for at least four years. The VSOP category includes designations such as âOldâ or âReserveâ.
XO stands for âExtra Oldâ: XO cognacs are made only from eaux-de-vie at least six years old. Cognacs such as âNapoleonâ or âOld Reserveâ are equivalent to XO cognac.
Incidentally, the reason these abbreviations are in English is because cognac has been exported for many years and the first importers spoke English.
The Story Of Gold Inspired Cognacs
As a long-standing emblem of culture and luxury, it is only natural that Cognac producers are inspired by gold and choose to incorporate it into their products which like gold, also glimmer with elegance and finesse.
For as long as history on Earth dates back, the value of gold has always been considered precious and opulent. From thousands of years ago, when gold was first used as money, to the California Gold Rush and the creation of bitcoins: Gold remains iconic, withstanding social and cultural developments, century after century.
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Where Is Kirkland Cognac Made
Kirkland Signature XO Cognac is an authentic product of France, where cognac originates. Its made with French Ugni Blanc grapes and is aged anywhere between 12 to 21 years.
As for who is responsible for producing the cognac, the jury is still out on that. Costco proudly displays some of its products manufacturers on their packaging.
However, it depends on whats contained in the contract language. Some of its relationships are kept in secrecy due to what was originally agreed upon.
Moisans Cognac Xo Extra Old
MOISANS COGNAC XO
Cognac MOISANS XO Extra Old is presented in a decanter specially created by our designers. Assembled with all the care that a great cognac deserves, this blend of the best eaux-de-vie vintages is aged for more than 10 years. Mahogany color with reddish brown glints, a rich and finely elegant nose gives way to subtle aromas of oak, violet and jasmine. The light attack is soft and velvety on the palate that develops to stronger notes of vanilla and candied fruit before giving way to flavors of rancio and honey, the mark of venerable cognacs. A very long finish, supported by rare and powerful aromas.
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Please consume in moderation.
Data sheet
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Geographical Origin Of Xo Cognacs
XO cognacs all come from the delimited region of Cognac and all come from white wines distilled by double heating in Charentais stills of red copper heated over an open fire. The Cognac wine estate extends over approximately 80,000 hectares for an annual production, all qualities combined, of the order of two hundred and ten million bottles, ie one bottle sold every five seconds.
What Do The Different Cognac Grades Mean
The lettering given to the different Cognacs acts as a guide to the age of the brandy :
- V.S. Cognac is the youngest, and the letters stand for Very Special. This Cognac can also be marked with 3 stars. For this classification, the eau-de-vie has been left to age for at a minimum of 3 years.
- V.S.O.P. Cognac is a Very Superior Old Pale classification, and it is sometimes given a 5 star marking. The eau-de-vie has been aged for a legal minimum of 5 years.
- X.O. Cognac is Extra Old. Since April 2018, X.O. can only be used if the eau-de-vie has been aged for a least 10 years. Prior to 2018, it only had to age for 7 years. This change was dictated by the B.N.I.C. in 2011. There will be bottles available that had the X.O. label applied before the 2018 changes.
- X.X.O. or the Extra Extra Old classification. This is a recent category and was added because producers wanted a way to show they had something a little older to offer their customers. This classification means that the Cognac will have been aged for at least 14 years.
- Napoleon, Réserve Familiale or a Vieille Réserve must have been aged for at least 10 years, but in practice these Cognacs will normally have been aged for many more years to give it a celebrated taste.
- Hors dAge is widely considered the highest quality Cognac. This will have been aged, usually for more than 30 years but in many instances, it is difficult to tell the exact age of Cognacs in this classification as they have been around for so long.
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Cognac Vs Vsop Xo : The Different Cognac Quality Grades
When it comes to choosing a bottle of Cognac, the range of different grades on offer can make selecting the best one a little complicated. The labels on the bottles are printed with V.S., X.O., V.S.O.P. and there are sometimes stars on the classification too. The price of each of the Cognac grades varies a great deal as well, so what does it all mean? What is the difference between a VSOP Cognac and XO Cognac ? Have a look at our guide to the classification of Cognac so you can understand what you are buying.
Hennessy Xo Cognac 1 Litre
Status:Out of stock
Order online your favorite Hennessy XO Cognac 1 Liter in Nairobi at wholesale price and get it delivered to your doorstep within minutes. Hennessy XO Cognac 1 Litre price in Kenya is Ksh. 34,000 only. It contains 40% ABV . The original extra-old cognac, first bottled in 1870 by Maurice Hennessy for family and friends. Darker and much more complex than the VSOP, with appealing leather and tobacco notes and a touch of spice a great cigar Cognac.
A magnum bottle of Hennessy XO 1 Litre. It was the first eXtra Old cognac. Its powerful, masculine, and generous a genuine pleasure. It releases woody, spicy aromas. Now an established symbol of luxury, its rich character is enhanced by a distinctive decanter designed in 1947. Rich, full-bodied and complex, Hennessy X.O combines the spicy aromas of oak and leather with the sweeter essences of flowers and ripe fruit. Well-balanced, the initial flourish is dominated by the powerful suggestion of pepper and rancio, which testify to the long years it has spent being aged. Complex and long-lasting.
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Larsen Viking Ship Gold Carved
Representing pure elegance and sophistication the Larsen Viking Ship Gold Carved Cognac is also synonymous to the valuable and rare precious metal of gold. Its unique viking ship decanter was the result of fine Cognac craftsmanship, which curates the bottle in authentic Porcelaine de Limoges or glass. It is then hand-painted and carved with 24-carat gold by incredibly skilled artisans. The fine floral bouquet of this Cognac is thanks to its origins of Grande and Petite Champagne regions. Like gold, these premier crus are known for producing exquisite high-quality products that stand the test of time.
Cognac Changes Xo Age Classification To Spirits Aged At Least 10 Years
Rule comes into effect on April 1 in order to formalise industry blending standards.
From the beginning of April, cognac is undergoing its most significant rule change in decades, with the spirits XO age classification adjusted to mean at least 10 years old.
Previously, XO could include cognacs aged at least six years old or more accurately six and half years from harvest, since there is half a year from the first autumn grape pressing to April 1, which is when most distillation is complete and the eaux-de-vie put in barrel.
The change has been introduced to bring the classifications in line with the categorys own common standards, because many XOs have long blended eaux-de-vie aged longer than 10 years, and often 15-20 years. By formalising this practice, the cognac industry is protecting its long-term quality standards, but also guarding against the temptation to bottle younger eaux-de-vie under the label as global demand puts increasing pressure on stocks of longer-aged spirit.
Cognacs presiding body, the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac , first announced the plan in 2011, but gave producers a long lead time in order to mature more stocks for longer. Under the new law, producers will also be able to sell those XOs bottled before March 31 with younger spirits up until 31 March 2019.
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