X.O

All XO (Extra Old) cognacs are special in their own way. As they are Extra Old, meaning the sherry blends that compose them are each at least ten years old, they are naturally refined and sophisticated.

Icon-Icon’s selection offers to discover the best XO Cognacs, renowned for being genuine elixirs, as they are all born from extraordinary expertises. Expertises that are transmitted from one master blender to another.

How does one recognise a great cognac? One of the determining factors that forges a cognac’s sought after complexity is the ageing process in double distillating oak casks: it’s every cognac’s signature.

Among the houses that make the world’s best cognacs, Icon-Icon has selected the most interesting XOs; spirits that have been assembled by legendary houses such as Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Courvoisier and Camus.

Hennessy; the name itself is a reference in terms of cognacs. Imagined by Maurice Hennessy, its cognac is an aromatic symphony; composed from a hundred different sherries, and originally imagined exclusively for Maurice Hennessy’s inner circle in 1870, Hennessy’s XO has pioneered a new style of cognacs, full, rich and complex. Its secret is the ten year long ageing process of each and every sherry used in the final blend.

Founded in 1863, Camus is renowned for the extreme aromatic richness of its cognacs, of which the Camus Borderies X.O is the iconic expression; a cognac that owes the exceptionality of its variety to the grapes that are used for its assembly. Raisins that are sourced in the smallest and rarest of AOC vintages, the Borderies.

Upholding some of Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Borderies’ oldest sherries, Courvoisier’s XO offers a honeyed floral bouquet, underlined by notes of violet. Its mouth is both velvety and silky. It’s no surprise that it seduced Emperor Napoléon the 1st!

Rémy Martin’s icon is exquisite; it’s born from the assembly of 1200 different sherries, each one having been aged between 40 years and a century. André Giraud, the master cellar at Rémy Martin, elaborated it as a homage to the three century long union between Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. Its name? Rémy Martin XO Excellence.

Eminently renowned, the Grande Champagne Cognac variety seals the complexity and superbness of Tesseron’s Lot 53 X.O Perfection Cognac Grand Champagne.

But where is this “Lot” mention coming from? It’s directly linked to the rich history of the family vineyard established in 1850 which we owe this cognac to.

Since 1905, the sherries produced on Tesseron’s vineyards are no longer sold to other Cognac houses, rather they are assembled and bottled by their very producer itself. Hence the “Lot” mention; it’s a signature of the brand’s expertise. Icon-Icon has included in its selection the 28th lot of Tesseron’s iconic spirit, as it’s the icon of the brand’s collection. More precisely, it’s a unique assembly of Grande Champagne Cognacs, many of which are part of the best, oldest and rarest stock Tesseron has to offer, some dating back to the 1920s!

There you have it, Icon-Icon’s recommendations for the best possible XO cognac cabinet.