Courvoisier VSOP Cognac, 40% vs Sainsbury’s Napoleon Brandy VSOP, 36%

This bottle cost £5.

This one £6.25.

Which one to purchase exercises many a customer.

Do you go for the big brand Cognac?

Or the lottery of a supermarket own label Brandy?

Being a blogger I purchased both – with the express intention of doing a back-to-back taste comparison.

Honouring accepted practice I started with the lowest ABV first.

Sainsbury’s Napoleon Brandy VSOP, 36%

Now it doesn’t state Sainsbury’s on the front of the rather plain label – but it’s clearly displayed on the rear.

There’s a confusing trio of terms giving mixed messages.

‘Napoleon’ denotes aged in oak & ‘Aged 3 Years’ is the youngest of the blending components – but ‘VSOP’ suggests 4 years in Cognac terms. Perhaps it doesn’t mean the same for Brandy?

Presented in a plastic bottle at 36% & labelled as Brandy clearly reduces the costs – but does it impact on the flavour?

Golden brown in colour. Soft nose of gentle sweet dark plums follows through into a mild – yet rich & warming – palate. Develops a slightly prickly finish fading slowly away.

An attractive easy going brandy with a touch of flair on the rear.

Courvoisier VSOP Cognac, 40%

Courvoisier pours an identical colour to Napoleon. The nose is rather shy too – but lifted by hints of woodiness. A similar mild palate grows with tannic spiciness on the rear.

The woody oakiness lifts this Cognac’s appeal.

Thoughts

For such a large price difference I was expecting a lot more from Courvoisier.

What I experienced were 2 very similarly tasting brandies with only the extra ageing giving an oaky lift to the cognac.

Given Sainsbury’s lists the 70cl bottles at £11.50 for Napoleon & £38 for Courvoisier – I’d rather spend my money exploring other brandy varieties before choosing the big brand again.

Sláinte

Prices listed March 2023 on Sainsbury’s webpage here.

Courvoisier website here.

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Tesco Napoleon Brandy, 3 Years Old, 36%

Why did I buy Tesco Napoleon Brandy?

A number of reasons.

To begin with it was there, on the shelf, in my local store, and in a 350ml bottle too, making it both accessible & affordable – increasingly important factors in the current economic climate.

Further, my St Remy VSOP Brandy, initially purchased for an WSET course back in 2019, was nearing it’s end. I found the brandy world shared – like whiskey – a set of rules & regulations governing it’s production – as well as a long history – plus barrel ageing too & I enjoyed the drinking experience, encouraging me to explore more.

Tesco Napoleon appeared a shade darker than my St Remy, suggestive of extra caramel, a permissible added ingredient for the category – just like whiskey.

Quite a shy nose – not very aromatic for me – soft sweet winey elements are all I got.

Smooth, soft mouthfeel, easy on the palate.

Dark notes of burnt caramel & a tingling warmth surfaced on the finish giving Tesco Napoleon a bit of a lift.

Lacked any hints of oakiness I enjoyed with St Remy.

After sampling Tesco Napoleon I read the label – Mellow And Smooth Taste – it says.

A very accurate appraisal of what I found.

Sláinte

Read my study method for the WSET exam here.

For an interesting read on ingredients in brandy see cognacreverie.com blog here.

WSET website here.

St Remy VSOP review here.