Review of: Hennessy Very Special Cognac Proof: 80 Review Type: 20 cl bottle Notes: When I started getting into high proof spirits I bought a bunch of readily available bottom shelf offerings (Jim Beam White, Myer`s Rum, Johnny Walker Red, etc). This small bottle of Cognac is included in that initial rush to try as much “introductory” stuff as possible. As I have tried more spirits (primarily bourbon, but increasingly rum), I have started to regret adding too many of these typically low proof offerings to the shelf. They tend to languish as I move on to higher proof, well-aged, and/or higher quality spirits. Thankfully most of these early bottles are smaller sizes, so it doesn’t take too much effort to dispense with them. Anyway, today I am putting away the Hennessy VS Cognac, lets see how it is! Look: Metallic copper color. Nose: Metallic, fruitcake, grape juice, dusty smell, fake frosting. Taste: Starts off with some cornflake sweetness, mild, light passion fruit and grapes. Finish: Becomes musty very quickly, raisins, mulled fruits, slightly astringent and warming, a hint of leathery-tobacco-barrel is present. Lasts a medium amount of time. Overall Impression: This was interesting and informative, but its not a favorite of mine. The metallic-dusty nose and the musty components in the finish don’t stand out as positive points to me. I don’t find myself gravitating towards this particular spirit for sipping neat, or for mixing in cocktails. Hence it has been on the shelf for quite a while, not a positive mark. As a result, there are a lot of other spirits I would rather drink. Score: 60 (That’s a solid D, it passed but barely). Network Reviews: Bourbon (59), World Whiskey (3), Scotch (4) Brandy (2), Rum (3). Total: 71 More on reddit.com

Price: Starting at around $34 per 750ml Alcohol content: 40% Age: Legal minimum of 2 years, but apparently a blend of eau de vies aged between 2 and 8 years according to the Internet. Nose: Out of the snifter, the nose is relatively unimpressive, with an uncomplicated but pleasant bouquet of apple pie with cinnamon and caramel sauce, and maybe some vanilla, followed by white grape and lemon sherbet, but this then transitions to a plasticky aroma with prominent alcoholic spiritiness - more pronounced than in even most cheap whiskies I review. However, I should not let this affect my overall opinion too much, because I realise now that snifters tend to concentrate the alcohol aroma more than the crystal sherry glass I usually use for tasting spirits. Taste: The cognac starts with a strong flavor of dark caramel and slight vanilla and milk chocolate, transitioning to a hint of banana and peach, then white grape, burned sugar and finally an odd burned note reminiscent of charcoal smoke. Finish: Medium prominence with grassiness, baking spices and orange. Conclusion: Hennessy VS is not as good as I remember it, both compared to when I tried it at the same time last year and the memories I have from flaming Christmas puddings as a child. In particular, I now taste more confectionery flavors that come across as drier compared to the sweet and lively fruitiness I found before. I will chalk this up to palate development since I find it hard to believe that quality has been reduced by that much within only one year. Overall, although I have little to compare it to having tried just three other brandies, one of which was not made from grapes, I consider it pleasant but certainly not impressive for the price, and feel like it is trading on an overblown reputation. More on reddit.com

Hennessy VS is like the Honda Civic of cognacs. Nothing wrong with it at all but it’s at the bottom end. It’s a good place to start and develop your pallet. The levels go VS, then VSOP, and XO is the finest. Since you’re a teenager, if you’re gonna be mixing it with Coca Cola or some bullshit like that I would just buy some E & J brandy to save money and you won’t notice the difference. Not trying to sound uppity, I’m saying this from personal experience More on reddit.com

This was my first bottle as well. Definitely has a smooth kick! More on reddit.com