Cognac Delamain Tres Vénéré | 70 cl

This cognac has a fabulous aroma, and for this I would recommend it. To taste, it's very full-flavoured and, at first, it is smooth. But then it approaches the finish and becomes astringent from too much wood.I tasted this, at full strength and also mixed with 50% water, against two other cognacs from the same producer, one a far-cheaper entry level XO, the other a white-label single vineyard bottling that was even cheaper. The "tres venere" was markedly better on aroma, both times, but the cheaper (thought still expensive) bottlings were better to taste. I tested this on someone else, blind, and they had the same view.Perhaps it could justify four stars but not at the £217 I paid so I have marked it down to three stars. It is simply spoiled by its age, and not as good as cognacs a third of that price. Perhaps the age is just a gimmick but, this all said, if all you plan to do is sniff it I could highly recommend it.