What We Know
- Aged at least two years
- Blend of Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, and Fins Bois
- Ugni Blanc
- Limousin oak used for aging, 350-400L barrels
- 40% ABV
- San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2016 Silver Metal, International Wine and Spirit Competition 2013, 2015, and 2019 Silver Medal, World Cognac Awards 2019 Best VS
Nose
Vanilla, dark honey, fruitcake, nutmeg, coconut, ginger, faint new oak, straw, almond, red apple, Bartlett pear, grapefruit, orange blossom, grape juice, jasmine, peach, yellow raisins, unripe banana
Palate
Honey, cinnamon, coconut, fruit blossom, brief cocoa powder, spearmint, lightly salted pecans, pear, lime zest, apricot, mango
Finish
A little bit of gravel/minerality after a moment, tropical fruits linger above all else
Overall Thoughts
Burnt yellow in color with flakes of amber and gold. This is a very fruity Cognac, both on the nose and palate. It hits hard with the red apples and pears, then moves to peach and unripe banana. There is a sweetness of vanilla and honey, but it plays more of a supporting role to showcase those fruit aromas. The palate flips the script and starts with the honey and baking spices then brings in the fruit. Pear and mango get a wonderful pop from some lime zest. The finish is fairly tannic and dry with some limestone and tropical fruit.
This is a great expression of what a younger blend can be. Light, juicy, and perfect for cocktails and long drinks. I believe the ABK6 VS to be a heavier percentage of Fins Bois in the blend than either of the other two crus. Fruits are the star, no question about that. I love all the tropical fruit flavors. They make this Cognac really vibrant. But that grape juice/skin aroma and taste makes your mouth water and want more.
To me, that’s a big part of Fins Bois, fresh pressed grape aroma/flavors. Don’t think Welch’s grape juice (as that’s about 5% real juice and artificially flavored with who knows what), but brighter and slightly acidic. If you get the chance, peel a grape from the grocery store and chew on just the skin. It’s both juicy and drying at the same time from the malic and tartaric acid. The flavor isn’t the easiest thing to explain, but once tasted you’ll catch on no problem.
There was a brief moment of pecans after one of my sips. Mostly, I was noticing the flavor right behind my lips, but I really had to search for it. It didn’t jump out in an obvious manner. It took a while to put my finger on it, but there was a perfume or potpourri aroma that became more and more apparent as the Cognac sat in the glass. After about 5-10 minutes or so I revisited it and orange blossom was the clear winner with just a hint of jasmine. This expression from ABK6 is definitely a good value for the money. It has the appropriate depth of flavor you’d expect from a VS Cognac, but the aromatics are the selling point for me.
