This Cognac’s powerful perfume and lengthy fragrance showcases floral touches rare for its age, in addition to dry grapes, almonds and the rich and concentrated, slightly cheesy and overripe fruit aromas known as rancio.

Réserve de la Famille was until recently reserved strictly for the Delamain family and guests. Its defining feature is that it is not a blend but a single-estate bottling from one barrel aged for 60 years, the maximum period over which a Cognac can improve in cask. Like most Cognac houses, Delamain does not grow grapes but instead purchases eaux-de-vie from trusted grower/distillers who offer their finest spirits for evaluation after each harvest. The selected single-estate spirits are aged in old, 350-liter oak barrels called roux, then bottled without blending. This single-estate Cognac allows the connoisseur to experience the unique qualities of the vineyards and the color, intense aromas and concentration imparted by the longest period of cask aging.

Technical notes

ABV: 43% AGING: 60 years in a single French oak cask

Food pairing

The highest-quality Cognac is usually enjoyed after dinner as a contemplative drink. It should be served at cool room temperature or slightly chilled and allowed to warm in the glass, slowly releasing waves of aroma. Pour about 1 inch of Cognac into a thin tulip-shaped glass. Pause to smell the aromas, then take small sips to appreciate the Cognac’s smooth texture, its expressive layers of flavor and its lengthy finish. Cognac connoisseurs enjoy its aromas long after the glass is empty.

Producer

Delamain & Co. holds the most distinguished range of brandy in Cognac. The portfolio begins with the Pale and Dry XO, matured for more than three times the required aging period for the category, and ends with the Le Voyage, an irreplaceable blend of extremely old stocks.