Courvoisier V.S.

Courvoisier V.S. Cognac is a product of the cognac house founded in 1835 by Emile Courvoisier and is famous for its wide range of quality cognacs. The Courvoisier Château is located in Jarnac, France on the banks of the Charente River about ten miles east of Cognac. Courvoisier Cognac is said to have been the favorite drink of British novelist Charles Dickens.

Courvoisier V.S. Review

We tasted Courvoisier V.S. neat in a cognac snifter. Here is our review.

Price

Courvoisier V.S. is priced at the lower end of its big four competitors’ (Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin) V.S. offerings.

Alcohol: 40% (80 proof)

Age: Courvoisier V.S. is crafted primarily from eaux-de-vie from the Fins Bois growing cru with a smaller balance of eaux-de-vie from the Petite Champagne appellation. It is aged between three and seven years in french oak from the Limousin forests in the vicinity of Cognac, France.

The Bottle/Label

Courvoisier V.S. comes in a bell shaped bottle with the iconic Napoleon silhouette logo on the label and on the medallion at the base of the neck. The V.S. packaging is nearly indistinguishable from the Courvoisier’s V.S.O.P. packaging. The V.S. and V.S.O.P. label designs are the same with the Napoleon logo and the words “Jarnac”, France”, “Courvoisier” and “Cognac”. The only differences are the designations V.S.O.P. vs V.S. and the gold lattice design is slightly less intricate on the V.S. bottle than on the V.S.O.P. bottle.

The Color

Light gold

The Nose (Nez)

Spring flowers

Mouth (En Bouche)

Apple, pear, peach, light oak and floral with a touch of spice.

Finish

Medium length with light pepper.

Overall

Courvoisier V.S. is a blend of eaux-de-vie more mature than contained in most V.S. offerings. As such, it is suitable for sipping and mixing. While it doesn’t have the character or structure of Courvoisier V.S.O.P., you can sense it was on its way when bottled. Courvoisier is almost a hybrid V.S./V.S.O.P. and makes for a perfect introduction to cognac as it hints at more mature cognacs while retaining some of the youthful freshness of V.S. cognacs. Courvoisier V.S. is a well-balanced everyday cognac that sips and mixes well.

The lack of citrus notes of Courvoisier V.S. make it a lesser candidate for such cocktails as the Sidecar. Its fruity notes, however, make it an easy and perfect mix for many popular cognac punches and cocktails such as those with ginger ale like the Midnight in Paris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5tYMgquJHE
Courvoisier’s Colonial Punch Recipe:
Courvoisier VS 2 parts
Cherry Liqueur 0.5 part
Orange Liqueur 0.5 part
Apple Juice 4 parts
Water 2 parts
Mint + Cucumber slices

Garnish with chopped apples, oranges and lemons.

Awards:

Silver Medal 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Gold Medal 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Silver Medal 2015 BTI Ratings and Competition (85 Rating)
Silver Medal 2013 International Wine & Spirit Competition