How to taste Cognac?

First comes the Eye: Swirl the glass and look at the beads of alcohol. The softness of the ‘legs’ indicates the complexity of the cognac.  But colouration alone does not tell you a lot, dark colour could just be a sign of an older Cognac or of added caramel.

Tasting Line Up (Pic 1)

Second is the Nose: The glass at the chin, try to identify the vapours. Concentrate on flowers and spicy notes. Flowers and fruits stand for a younger Cognac and jammier notes imply an aged Cognac. Often one might find Vanilla, sometimes ever so slightly. Nutty notes can also be noticed.

Third, Palate: Have a sip, keep it in your mouth. Remember, Cognac is sipped, not drunk — you want to taste all the different nuances. Make the Cognac get in touch with the key sensors on your tongue: taste at the tip for sweetness, at the back for bitterness, and at the sides for saltiness and sourness. Also pay attention to the length of the flavour in your mouth and to the balance of the different flavours.

Cognac Tasting (Pic 2)

Some Cognac producers add caramel to darken their product.  This way, they appear older than they actually are. But on the palate you can notice it quite easily: A very early, sweet vanilla note on the tip of the tongue, which then quickly vanishes, and is not present elsewhere on the palate.

Of course there are general ‘rules’ for tasting:

Don’t be in a rush to drink a Cognac. What is very important is that the Cognac must breathe at least 30 seconds per year of its age. So, a XO Cognac at 20 years should breathe for a minimum of 10 minutes before tasting it.

Different flavours you might detect

Fruit: In a younger Cognac (older than VSOP or older than 8 years) one should be able to find fruity notes. Typical fruits one can recognise are raisins, apricots, oranges, lemons, apples and/or peaches.

Flowers: Middle-aged Cognacs (older than 14 years) normally present a certain nuance of flowers, either in the nose or on the palate.  Flower flavours can be roses, clover, and/or honey.  Borderies Cognac often have notes of lavender.

Cognac aroma wheel: so many different tastes and nuances (source BNIC)

Spices: You might find nutmeg, cinnamon, coffee, ginger, coconut, toffee and other notes in older Cognacs (over 20 years).  Some Cognacs even combine fruits and flower with those spicy aromas.

Rancio is a specific term, describing a characteristic sense of sweet nut, influenced by the taste of wood and Oak in a Cognac, with a long finish.

Chalk: When one can taste nuances of earth or oaky flavours in the upper half of the mouth.

Pic 1: andreasnilsson1976 Licence
Pic 2: Roadtreker Licence

http://www.1stcru.com/singlevineyardcognac/CognacTasting.htm

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