干邑等级

VSOP干邑白兰地: 鸡尾酒&加冰&烹饪

VSOP干邑白兰地英文缩写为“Very Superior Old Pale”，简单翻译为超级古老和淡着色的干邑。非常有趣是，虽然干邑的发源地来自法国但VSOP却不是法文，而是英文的缩写。VSOP这个缩写的起源来自于英国皇家宮廷的一笔干邑订单。 1817年，英国国王乔治四世向轩尼诗要求购买一款“Very Superior Old Pale” 的干邑，后来这标准并被所有干邑制造商通用。 有些人会在字母后加点，V.S.O.P.，这写法不过是个人风格的偏好。 

超级古老和淡着色指的是干邑随着酒龄成熟的观感。不容许着色或加糖来保持独特的干邑酒香，VSOP是个特优良的品质保证。同个酒龄标识偶尔也被别标为“Very Superior Special Pale”(常优秀的特级)，“Very Old”(非常古老) 或法文简称“Réserve”和“Vieux”，全都一样表明这款酒混合中的原酒酒龄在四年以上。 和任何其他干邑白兰地等级一样，这不表示酿酒大师为了创作完美和谐的酒品时 ，不使用更陈年的生命之水。 VSOP的平均酒龄往往高于这定制的四年。 下一个年龄是XO干邑和拿破仑干邑。

A Vintage Cognac is a Cognac from a single year and a single harvest, not a blend from different eaux-de-vie like an XO or a VSOP. It is also referred to as a Millésime Cognac. We commonly know this from Whisky as “single barrel“, which means the spirit comes from one single source: one year, one estate, one barrel.

The difference between Cognac and Whiskey is that for Cognac, the art lies in the blending. Vintage Cognacs are quite uncommon, although it is a trend that is becoming more and more popular. It's actually a very special gift to find a Vintage Cognac of a birthday, or one that marks an anniversary.

In order for a Cognac house to be allowed to bottle a Vintage, there are legal obligations that need to be followed. The National Cognac Bureau (BNIC) has to verify that procedure is respected. Once the Cognac producer has decided to set aside a selection of barrels for the Vintage designation, an official from the BNIC comes and seals the barrels and then makes sure they are locked away for restricted access only. It is important that the bottling date is written on the label, as this indicates for how long the Cognac was actually aged in the barrel for, because Cognac stops aging once bottled.

Learn more in our selection of educational Cognac articles.