AGEING GRACEFULLY

Matured for at least 10 years in oak casks, XO Cognac is one of life’s affordable luxuries. Laura Foster explains how it’s made and recommends top XOs to buy

- Laura Foster

Of all the spirits categories, Cognac, with its clearly defined tiers of products of different age specifications, is one of the most varied. From the VS and VSOP categories, used in cocktails everywhere and enjoyed in nightclubs in America, to the older and more luxuriously presented offerings, starting at XO and working upwards, there is a Cognac to suit everyone.

The year 2020 marked the 150th anniversary of the first-ever XO – or Extra Old – being made. Created at Hennessy by Maurice Hennessy and cellar master Emile Fillioux in 1870, the ‘extra old’ blend was apparently intended for friends and family, but then it was actually launched in the US, before being taken to Shanghai and Hong Kong in 1872.

What exactly does the XO label mean? In order to understand, we must first look at how Cognac is produced.

XO essentials

Cognac is produced from an area of 78,000ha of vineyards, most of which span the Charente and Charente-Maritime regions of France’s Atlantic west coast, north of Bordeaux. It is made predominantly using the Ugni Blanc grape – which comprises 95% of the grapes grown for the spirit – and fermentation and the double distillation process are completed in separate batches.

The resulting spirit, known as eau-de-vie, is then aged in oak barrels for years, if not decades until it is sufficiently conditioned to be blended with other eaux-de-vie of varying ages and flavor characteristics to make a final Cognac product.