Hennessy Fine de Cognac

About 3 years ago I reviewed the Fine de Cognac Hennessy, one year ago this version changed a bit, so I will review this version also.

Previously this Cognac was promoted as VSOP, the new marketing position is between the VS and VSOP. The minimum age of the new Fine de Cognac is two years, where the old was 4 years…
The bottle is also slightly changed, the label in white appears more modern. The stopper also received a white treatment.

 
What effect does the change of blend have on the flavor of this Fine de Cognac?

Compared to the old bottle, the new version is much fruitier and smoother on the nose, where the old one was full of oak and dried fruit. The same is also reflected in the taste, the new version is less greasy than the old version, again lots of fruits and flowers to recognize. As clearly shown in the right picture of this article is the color of the new Cognac (right bottle) which is a few shades lighter.

As Hennessy always had an easy and smooth Cognac in mind with the Fine de Cognac, the  choice to change the blend is completely understandable. I can well imagine that this Cognac is a good choice for a wider audience. This Cognac can perfectly be mixed in cocktails or tea cocktails (more about this later), but it is also perfectly to drink pure.

The tasting notes of Hennessy Fine de Cognac (from 2011) are:

The color: light yellow / gold colored, very bright. Few shades lighter than the previous version …
The fragrance: fruity scents, the unmistakable smell of apple juice, honey, apricot and something of irises.
The taste: fairly honeyed, round and soft Cognac, again very fruity with aromas of apples. In terms of spices mainly cinnamon is to recognize. Something burning but very pleasant taste.
The after-taste: a reasonable length for a young cognac.
The Origin: most part is Fins Bois, further Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Borderies.
Age: at least 2 years.
The price: € 35, – to € 40, -
Price / Quality: a young expensive Cognac, yet the combination of image, taste and bottle is a reason to give this bottle a 7-.

See Cognac Wiki for more information about this Hennessy Fine de Cognac.