My Favorite Cigar Blend Cognacs

Recently I was in the Cognac aisle of my local big chain liquor store when a bottle jumped out at me. Usually, that’s from over-the-top packaging, but in this case, it was the uniqueness of it being the $70 Pierre Ferrand “Cigare” Cognac that’s bottled at 40% abv. The special edition “Cigare” was released many years ago and was meant – you guessed it - to complement a superior cigar. Jean-Dominique Andreu (founding business partner with Alexander Gabriel at Ferrand from 1989-2008), an avid cigar smoker himself, said of this Réserve des Dieux (Reserve of the Gods) that he wanted to balance the complexity of Grande Champagne cognac with a well-structured cigar. Ferrand had plenty of experience with what it takes to please cigar aficionados, for several years they were the sole cognac supplier to the prestigious Club des Parlermentaires Amateurs de Havane, which counts among its members France's top politicians. Now while there’s no official age designator on this bottle, it is well reported to contain Cognacs with an average age of 25 years old. And even though it was awarded a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco Wine Competition and was named “The World’s Best Cognac” in the 1999 Wine & Spirits Buying Guide, I was lucky enough to stumble on a bottle of it just 3 weeks ago. Now since it’s not something that’s going to be easy to find, I decided to review it alongside two others that you’ll probably have a better chance of picking up. Those would include the $130-$150 Hine XO Cigar Reserve (40% abv) that reportedly uses eaux-de-vies aged a minimum of 12 years from the Grand Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fin Bois and Borderies growing regions. It was originally created in collaboration with Nicholas Freeman who was the chairman of Hunters & Frakau (the renowned UK Cigar importer that brought in legendary smokes like the Behike Cohiba). Next is the 41.2% abv Gautier XO “Pinar Del Rio” Cognac that retails between $100-$130. It’s named after the famous Cuban valley where some of the best tobaccos come from and contains eaux-de-vies aged a minimum of 10 years up to 25. And finally, for my Patreon supporters I’ll be ranking these and tacking on a review of my “Best Buy Cigar Cognac” at the end – as a special thank you.

To see it and get a jump on finding special bottles like this, join me at www.patreon.com/liquorhound. There you’ll get a 2-week head start on hunting these bottles before the videos are released on my YouTube channel! Currently, I’m releasing a new review every 2 weeks (on Thursdays) first on Patreon, and then 2 weeks later it goes up on YouTube. This allows me to use my Patreon channel as a launch platform – giving my Patrons that 2-week advantage. You’ll also be able to access to the large private review library, see all reviews add-free, get bonus content and videos, be able to message me directly, and be eligible for giveaways. But regardless of where you’re watching, I want to thank all of my viewers! It’s that combination of my Patrons and the YouTube ad views that have allowed me to keep my independence and self-purchase the bottles I review. By doing so, I hope you feel safe in knowing you’re getting my 100% unbiased and honest opinions.

As of September 2021, my current bottle count is over 2,500. I am a Certified Specialist of Spirits and have also been accredited by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT). I've been actively collecting for more than two decades and what started as a small basic home bar has transformed (with the help and understanding of my wonderful wife) into this collection and career. Speaking of my career, stay tuned for the September launch of the new “Saints Alley” project that I’ve been working on. Given my knowledge and high standards, you know I’m working hard with my team to give you some amazing releases! Thanks for watching and remember to please drink responsibly. Cheers!