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Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

"If it's not good enough to drink slowly, then it's not worth drinking"

Christmas Cognacs

 11 Nov 2007  

Two Christmas cognacs have been added to the range at "Systembolaget" here in Sweden. One from Delamain (goes on sale on December 1) and one from Grönstedts (available now). I sat down and compared the two with their "ordinary" counterparts. Here are my tast­ing notes:

Grönstedts XO Christmas 2007:
Very nice, spicy nose with notes of gin­ger­bread and prunes. Rich, spicy, oaky and dry palate. Quite nice yet fairly fiery and a little too dry. (88 p)

Grönstedts XO:
Very nice nose with dried fruit and a note of gin­ger­bread. Rich, complex, fruity palate with notes of oak and vanilla. Fairly fiery finish. (89 p)

Delamain Christmas Cognac XO:
Mild, quite sweet and fruity with notes of raisins and plums, also citrus fruit, vanilla and iced tea. Very nice and very nicely bal­anced. (89 p)

Delamain Pale & Dry XO:
Fairly dry and oaky palate. Also fruity with a note of citrus fruit. De­velops a spicy bite. Very nice finish with notes of plums and spices. My first bottle of this was richer and nicer but this is still a very good cognac. (88 p)

All four cognacs are very good and quite close in quality. I found the Grönstedts Christmas cognac a little dis­ap­point­ing. It's too oaky and spicy for my taste. But because of that intensity, it might work well with coffee and a dessert... For a sipping cognac however, I'd rather get the won­der­ful Grönstedts Extra (at the same price) or the XO (which is both cheaper and better).

On the other hand, the Delamain Christmas XO is even better than the ordinary Delamain XO and it's actually a little cheaper. Highly recommended!

—   o   —

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