After a run of whisky, we are moving to Cognac for a look at two of the category’s defining maisons: Rémy Martin and Hennessy. Alongside Martell and Courvoisier, they form the traditional ‘Big Four’ – houses whose global reach has long shaped how Cognac is produced, sold and understood. Depending on the source and measure used, these four brands account for roughly 85% of global Cognac volume and close to 90% of its value; in other words, they represent a very large share of the category rather than merely its most familiar labels.
The line-up puts three Rémy Martin expressions – 1738 Accord Royal, XO Excellence and the current XO – next to Hennessy XO, perhaps the best-known luxury Cognac bottling of them all. This review is not intended as a comprehensive study of either house, but as a useful cross-section of their modern, widely available ranges: from the accessible 1738 Accord Royal through Rémy Martin’s two takes on XO, and finally to Hennessy’s benchmark interpretation of the style. Four blends, then, assembled at scale from substantial reserves of mature eaux-de-vie – but also four chances to see how much personality remains once the big-house signatures take over. Expect something quite different from the cognacs we’re used to review.
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal (2016) Review
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal was created in 1997 by cellar master Georges Clot, named to commemorate the royal decree King Louis XV granted Rémy Martin in 1738, permitting him to plant new vines – a rare privilege at a time when new vineyard planting was otherwise illegal in France. It is a Fine Champagne Cognac, blending eaux-de-vie from the two best growth areas of the Cognac region: 65% Grande Champagne and 35% Petite Champagne. The blend reportedly comprises around 240 eaux-de-vie aged in French Limousin oak, ranging from 4 to 20 years old (though some sources cite 4–12 years), with an average maturity of about 12 years.
Technically classified as a VSOP, since the youngest components are at least four years old, 1738 Accord Royal occupies a premium tier above standard VSOP releases, benefiting from 6 to 8 months of additional new-wood aging compared to Rémy’s Club expression, giving it a richer, more Napoléon-like character. It is bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof for our US friends), with sugar, added colour and probably chill filtered. Retail pricing is typically €60–100 in Europe, and the $50–70 range in the US. You can try Cognac-Expert, for instance*; they have a few different versions (not sure if the liquid is different or just the bottle design).
Colour:
Brown sherry with a red-ish hue (fake).
Nose:
Neat: Deep coppery amber in colour, opening with concentrated dark fruit – plum and fig marmalade – rounded out by intense toffee, toasted bread, and oak notes, with a hint of rose. Fruitcake, crème brûlée, leather and chocolate are joined by some warm spices (cinnamon, Moroccan spice mix).
Palate:
Neat: The palate is medium-bodied and not too thin, but dry and rich, centred on butterscotch and dark chocolate, with pronounced dried figs and apricots alongside vanilla and brown sugar. There is a surprisingly fiery, spicy quality on the palate given the aged portion of the blend, with black pepper, baking spices, cinnamon, tobacco, and demerara sugar sweetness layered against toasted almond and dried fruit.
Finish:
The finish is long and dry with light tannins, closing on notes of oak, tobacco, hazelnut, dried fruit, and dark chocolate. Cigar tobacco leaves, fruitcake with candied fruits and ginger cake.
Comments:
I took way too many years before opening this bottle, and I should have done so way earlier because that is quite a good cognac. And its price feels honest and fair. This could do well paired with a cigar. I might indulge and verify this theory quite rapidly.
Rating: 6/10
Rémy Martin XO Excellence Fine Champagne Cognac (2015) Review
Rémy Martin XO was originally created in 1981 by cellar master André Giraud (in role from 1960 to 1990), launching as ‘XO Special’ before being rebranded and reformulated as XO Excellence in 2003. It is a Fine Champagne Cognac, blending eaux-de-vie from 85% Grande Champagne and 15% Petite Champagne, the two most prestigious growth areas in the Cognac region. Sources vary somewhat on the exact composition, citing a blend of roughly 300 to over 400 different eaux-de-vie, aged in French Limousin oak from 10 to 37 years, with an average maturity commonly cited around 25 years.
Bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof), and even though it’s discontinued, its retail pricing runs widely by market and edition, from around $215 in the US with a pair of glasses, or from €200 in Europe.
Colour:
Spice (fake).
Nose:
Neat: Predominantly floral and fruity, with white flowers like jasmine and iris appearing alongside orange peel, ripe grapes, peaches and melon. Spices join with baking spices, clove and cinnamon, as well as hints of leather and tobacco, while a more critical reviewer found the nose comparatively neutral, picking up berry fruit, oak, a touch of licorice, and a varnish-like polish note. Distiller.com’s tasting panel instead emphasised a waxy quality with orange peel, walnuts, and caramel.
Palate:
Neat: Rich and full-bodied, dominated by candied orange, cinnamon, and hazelnuts, sweet, fruity flavours of dates, ripe grapes, honey, buttered pastries, and maple syrup, with oaky spices (cinnamon, clove and baking spices) appearing on the back of the palate. Some brighter fruits also appear, with peaches, apricots, dark cherry, plum and hints of mangoes.
Finish:
The finish is medium in length, closing with dried fruit, cinnamon, cardamom, dried fruit, dry oak, blueberry muffins and chocolate.
Comments:
This discontinued Rémy Martin XO Excellence is a very nice Cognac, well balanced, but I cannot help but think less sugar and a slightly stronger ABV, maybe around 45% and without chill filtration, could have elevated to true excellence. But as it is, it doesn’t reach excellence, but is quite good anyway.
Rating: 6.5/10
Rémy Martin XO Fine Champagne Cognac (2020s) Review
Rémy Martin XO launched in 1981, originally as ‘XO Special,’ and stands as the house’s signature XO-tier bottling, later rebranded simply as XO after the ‘Excellence’ naming was phased out. It is a Fine Champagne Cognac, blending eaux-de-vie from 85% Grande Champagne and 15% Petite Champagne, drawing on up to 400 different eaux-de-vie selected and blended by the house’s cellar master. Aging spans roughly 10 to 37 years, with an average maturity cited around 25 years, all matured in French oak casks.
Bottled at 40% ABV in the same distinctive decanter-style bottle as the XO Excellence, retail pricing runs around €200/$160 RRP, though it is frequently found discounted. Try Cognac-Expert for instance, though the price is higher, but use my code at the bottom of the review for a discount.
Colour:
Deep gold (less fake, but still fake).
Nose:
Neat: Warm and buttery, evoking fresh brioche with orange marmalade and jasmine tea, alongside sultanas, vanilla extract, and almost-ripe grapes, and quite a South American rum aroma. A fruit salad of plums and figs drizzled with honey and vanilla join dates, orange blossom, and soft spices.
Palate:
Neat: Mellow and rich, enveloping the tongue with orange, vanilla, butter, and pear, kept lively by biting clove, cinnamon, hazelnut, and pepper. The palate is lush and velvety but a bit thin, coated in brown sugar, toffee, and milk chocolate with raisins, figs, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Compared to the XO Excellence, it feels more summery and light, but also bitterer at the same time.
Finish:
Long and lingering, closing on rich, woody notes with lingering warmth and spice, creamy oak, caramel, and vanilla mixed with soft spices: candied ginger, clove, and cinnamon, along with tightening woody tannins for added dryness.
Comments:
On the nose, this newer edition of the Rémy Martin XO (compared to the XO Excellence) feels sweeter and boozier, as if their blended had added more sugar into the blend, and it feels like the forbidden child of rum and cognac. The palate feels brighter and more bitter at the same time as the XO Excellence, slightly thinner regarding the mouthfeel, and sweeter.
Rating: 6/10
Hennessy XO Cognac (2020s) Review
Hennessy XO was created in 1870 by Maurice Hennessy for his personal ‘inner circle’ of friends, and is credited with originating the ‘XO’ (Extra Old) designation that has since become an industry-wide labelling standard. Hennessy remains the world’s largest cognac house, holding roughly 40% of the global cognac market. The blend draws on a selection of up to 100–400 different eaux-de-vie (sources vary widely!), aged up to 30 years in young French oak barrels, delivering power and structure while achieving roundness over time. Since a 2018 regulatory change, the minimum age requirement for any XO cognac has risen from six to ten years, though Hennessy’s blend reportedly runs well beyond that floor.
Bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) in the brand’s distinctive pear-shaped, corrugated decanter, Hennessy XO has a retail pricing typically running around $160/€165 for a 700 or 750 ml bottle. Try Cognac-Expert for instance.
Colour:
Between mahogany and dark umber.
Nose:
Neat: Rich dark fruits dominate – raisins, prunes, figs, and candied orange – layered with baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, plus wafts of leather, cocoa, and espresso. The nose is spirit forward, also showing orange peel, cigar tobacco and vanilla, but lacks a bit of intensity.
Palate:
Neat: The palate is light to medium-bodied and silky, rich, with chocolate caramel, dark dried fruit, and baking spice as the through line, joined by hazelnut praline, milk chocolate, and orange. Butterscotch, candied orange peel, and stone fruit gather strength progressively, alongside cinnamon and oak.
Finish:
Medium long, warming, and mentholated, closing with chocolate, baking spices, dried fruit, and tobacco leaves, with vanilla and coffee-candy notes emerging late alongside subtle oak.
Comments:
This Hennessy XO feels slightly inferior to the Remy Martin XO Excellence, and on par with the 1738 and XO in terms of taste and complexity. I find it sweeter and less deep than Rémy Martin’s XOs reviewed above. And in terms of design, I’m not too fond of the pear-shaped Hennessy XO bottle, I clearly prefer the more elegant RM decanter, but this has no impact on the rating.
Rating: 6/10
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