Message 10963 of 39188 in General Discussion

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>   VS 2 years, VSOP 4 years, XO 6 years

Whilst that sounds like a fine guideline, I admit in my post that the website 
I found it at is the first time I've seen it written down that way, and  I 
don't believe everything I read on the web. In that search I passed over more 
than 8 bigger, better, glossier and more professional websites, drinking 
guides and glossaries, none of which stated a definite year value to the 
terms. It's called research, but I called it inconclusive.

I have browsed both my own collection of cocktail books, and many others over 
the years, and although I've found the statutes and limitations describing 
what is an isn't rum, whiskey, whisky, gin and tequila, and many many more, 
along with the peculiarities of place of origin and labeling, I've not seen a 
legal looking description of what 'Old' means when applied specifically to 
Brandy.

That's all I'm saying, and there probably is a big hardback book out there 
that I haven't read yet that has the international demarcation of terminology 
in it somewhere.

> > Stick with the Golden Rule. If it costs more, it must be better!

> What do you mean?? Do you think that there is a difference between 
> the "vs, vsop and xo" or not. Are there conditions about labeling or 
> not?

That was typed with tongue in cheek, If I wrote 'The customer is always right' 
in this forum, would you react with a similar lack of humour?

Anyway. There are of course differences between different brands and batches, 
but I'm not claiming that vsop from brand X must be better than vs from 
brand Y.
The majority of the sites in the aforementioned research (and IIRC a few of my 
dusty books) only said that companies use the labels to distingush between 
their own brands. 

> Isn't the aging period of the cognac a condition.

If it is a condition of labelling, it is. However...

> Are labels with names like 
> "reposada" , "reserve" or "aged 15 years" meaningless?

There is a distinct and explicit meaning to "aged 15 years".
... yet still in some cases it need only mean that 'more than 50 of the 
content was aged that long' or other tomfoolery.

However, I'd like you to inform us of legal reasons why I may not call 
anything I pull off the shelf "reserve", "grand reserve", "very superior, 
extra special brew" or (almost) anything else. Yes , I would call those 
terms meaningless out of context. They only imply (with no commitment) that 
it's a bit more expensive than the other batch I put out!

Quote me the statute and you win - but unless the conditions are known and 
enforced, they are pretty weak.
.dan.