1936 Shaking in the 60's by Eddie Clarke

One will often meet products bearing the first two descriptions but the remainder, rarely so. These are marketed in England as one, three or more stars, etc. The number ofstars used is not controlled by any law. A reput able shipper's *** bearing the all-important word Cognac is to be preferred to an unknown branded ***** without the appendage Cognac. The spirit draws its colour from the cask, but it is sur prising how little its original off-white hue changes in wood after a period of, say, ten years. It would therefore appear logical to assume that a Cognac resembling the colour of mahogany has spent decades in cask. Quite so, but harmless colouring can be imparted. Please, never discount a Cognac before tasting on the grounds that it is very light in colour, for you may be depriving yourself of a gem. No added colouring here; untouched...in fact"a virgin". Two very famous vintages were 1848 and 1865, whilst 1875, 1877 and 1884 were exceptional.The twentieth century has kept up a very high standard with 1900, 1904, 1906, 1914, 1919, 1929, 19345 1937 2.nd 1947. There have been other good vintages but these are mentioned as being exceptionally good. Regulations were introduced by France in very recent years, which prohibited vintages being mentioned if they exceeded five years ofage.Presumably,anything older than this will be called "Old Vintage"and the like,in the future. I must say that stocks of vintage 1875 went on for an awfully long time! Armagnac, regrettably I feel, is now not so popular in the British Isles. References of its importation and sensa tional popularity here, go back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.Assuming that public demand influences the wine merchantwhen he draws up his wine and spirit list, it is interesting to note that currently, eleven Cognacs are offered to one Armagnac, by one of the foremost wine

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