does anyone know what the best type brandy is?

Question

i really like brandy but not the cheap ones as much, so i was wonderin wat the best kind was ?

Answer 1

just finished a bottle of Metaxa 7 star it was the best ive ever had, i was brought up with the belief that metaxa was paint stripper in a nice bottle, but this supprised me. dont know if you can buy it over here as the one i had came from cyprus. good brandy hunting!!

Answer 2

The best brandy in the world is widely considered to be 'Richard Hennessy.' At over £1000 per bottle, it is not cheap, but is served in a specially-made, cut-crystal decanter and comprises a blend of various reserve Cognacs dating back over 100 years. See www.hennessy.com for more information. A close rival would be Remy Martin's 'Louis XIII,' also around the £1000-mark per bottle (see www.remy.com for more information), although most afficionados today would consider the 'Richard' to be marginally superior.

Edit......

I have just been quite rightly corrected by a colleague. The most expensive (and, supposedly best) brandy in the world is actually a comparitively recent addition to the Hennessy range called the Hennessy Ellipse. This is a blend of reserve Cognac eaux de vie dating back as far as 1800 and retails for over £3000. I have only be able to find it available for sale at Harrods (www.Harrods.com) so I am not sure if it is produced exclusively for them. I have also been informed that there is a more expensive Cognac also available from Harrods, the 1888 Rabelais Frapin, though this is not considered to be of as high a quality and that the price is only higher than the Ellipse because it comes with a gold and crystal decanter, hardwood cabinet, crystal glasses and silver flask for £3,395. (Good grief some people have TOO MUCH money!)

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

First, don't believe those who say metaxa, it's not brandy but a kind of fortified wine.

Then, I'd have to say I have it quite hard a time deciding whether the best is cognac or armagnac.

Cognac can probably make the very best brandy in the world, the best brands being Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin. But Armagnac makes quite excellent brandy, at a fraction of the price fetched by cognac of equivalent quality. I have a special liking for Laubade and Marquis de Caussade armagnac, but they are certainly not the only producers to make laudable stuff0

In either case, look for XO (extra old), Napoléon, vieille réserve, or hors d'âge mentions, as the best stuff is almost invariably that which was aged the longest. Those are regulated. VSOP and réserve are the next best grade.

Answer 4

That's a little like asking "What's the best car?". A lot depends on your budget and taste. Personally, I like Armagnac but Cognac is probably better known. Both are French. Brandies have a grading system that is based on how long they spend aging in oak casks before they are bottled. In order of age, they are VS, VSOP, and XO but they're more marketing tools than real marks of quality. The French have their own, regional guidelines for quality that are a little arcane. Shooting from the hip though, an XO Cognac is considered to be the best.

Answer 5

Metaxa

http://www.metaxa.com.gr/english/mainenglish.htm

Answer 6

Napoleon 5 Star, very very nice but very expensive, try Hein 5 Star its a good price and quite good. Remy Martin Champagme Brandy is OK but expensive for what its is.

Answer 7

I like Courvoisier Brandy... umm! Reminds me of Christmas pudding...!

The web link has some excellent cocktail ideas

Answer 8

a good NAPOLEON brandy preferably purchased in France and expect to pay a lot of money for it!! my second choice is Courvoisier

Answer 9

i think remy martin v s o p is the best brandy

Answer 10

Château de Briat Armagnac