MartellXo Cognac with Gift Box, 700ml

First sampled this on a tour of the distillery a year ago. It was accompanied by a caramel flavour French macaron - the Cordon Bleu cognac which we also sampled was accompanied by a chocolate flavour macaron - interesting as they both went perfectly with their respective cognacs. We both thought the XO was by far the smoother, richer taste so I decided to treat us to some for Christmas. Ludicrously expensive though it is for a bottle of Christmas booze, it is exquisite when sipped with full attention on the flavours and mouth-feel. I'm not going to be buying this in quantity but am looking forward to another measure on my birthday. A treat for special occasions and the bottle is pretty too!

This is a great XO Cognac at a a very good price. I buy a bottle of this every 2 months and nurture it to the last drop. It has great smoothness and depth. Drink slightly warmed by your hand in the glass and let the Cognac stay in the mouth for a few seconds before swallowing.

Cognac (not brandy!) comes in 3 basic brackets VS, VSOP and XO - progressively providing more age, smoothness and depth of flavour as you move along. IMHO Martell is the best of the XO bunch. It delivers a smooth, rich flavour which provides a ballet of raisins to dance across your pallet. The depth of colour hints at the richness of the liquid. Allow a double measure in a balloon glass, caress it in your palm for a few minutes to gently warm it through and then enjoy. This is a cognac to keep in reserve in your cabinet for those that will join you in appreciating it. For all others, retain a bottle of VSOP. It's not cheap (but not ridiculously expensive either). The price is well justified however as something which you will happily ration out perhaps over a year or two.

Sublime.This Cognac's only serious rival to the title of best Cognac XO available on Amazon is the Frapin XO.

This has flavours of rich dried fruits and some peppery spice, but is still clean and elegant. I think it has more character and depth than the equivalent cognacs from the other big names. There are better XOs and better cognacs generally for the price, but in my opinion this is the best XO from the major houses. If the price is under £100 then this is worth it, considering the recognisable name and beautiful bottle.

Tried Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martel and Remy. First price goes to Martel. XO should be smooth for the age. Martel does. Very pleased.

I drank this as slowly as possible, but still managed to polish off the entire bottle over the course of 8 nights, with one generous glass per evening. Yes, I agree that Hennessy is perhaps very slight smoother, but this is so good and at this price, it's great value. In fact all the major XO cognacs are amazing, so try them all and choose the one that works for you.

Excelente