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Best whisky for Cognac and brandy lovers

Whiskies that share Cognac's dried fruit and French oak, from sherry-cask Speyside malts to French oak finishes and brandy-cask releases, at UK prices.

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If you like Cognac, start with a sherry-cask Speyside malt such as Aberlour 12 Year Old, or a whisky matured partly in French oak such as The Glenlivet 15 Year Old. For something closer to a VSOP or XO, try an older malt such as The Glenlivet 18 Year Old or the Irish single pot still Redbreast 12 Year Old. Whisky is not brandy, but the oak, dried fruit and texture are a familiar bridge.

What Cognac and whisky share, and what they don’t

Cognac is brandy made from white grapes in the Cognac region of France. It is double distilled in copper pot stills, aged for at least two years in French oak and bottled at 40% ABV or more. VS means at least two years in oak, VSOP at least four and XO at least ten.

Malt whisky is made from malted barley, not grapes, and Scotch must spend at least three years in oak. Most Scotch matures in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, which tend to give vanilla and coconut. European oak, the kind used for sherry casks and for Cognac, tends to give more tannin, dried fruit and spice. That is why European oak and sherry casks are the best route for a Cognac drinker. Whiskipedia’s guide to wood types covers the difference.

Match the age: Cognac grades and Scotch, in minimum years in oak. Cognac VS means at least two years in oak; if you like Cognac, start with Aberlour 12 Year Old or The Glenlivet 15 Year Old. Scotch must spend at least three years in oak. Cognac VSOP means at least four years; try The Glenlivet 18 Year Old or Redbreast 12 Year Old. Cognac XO means at least ten years; again, look at older malts such as The Glenlivet 18 Year Old or Redbreast 12 Year Old.

Sherry-cask malts

Aberlour 12 Year Old: £45.00 at The Whisky Shop. A Speyside single malt at 40% ABV, matured in a mix of traditional oak and sherry casks.

GlenDronach 12 Year Old: £49.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A Highland single malt at 43% ABV, matured in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks.

Tamdhu 12 Year Old: £49.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A Speyside single malt at 43% ABV, matured entirely in sherry casks.

French oak and Cognac-region casks

The Glenlivet 15 Year Old: £53.95 at Master of Malt. A Speyside single malt at 40% ABV, with part of the spirit matured in French Limousin oak, the same oak many Cognac houses use.

Balvenie 16 Year Old French Oak: £133.50 at Master of Malt. Finished in French oak casks that held Pineau des Charentes, a fortified wine made in the Cognac region from grape must and young Cognac.

Old Pulteney Coastal Series Pineau des Charentes: £99.95 at Hard To Find Whisky. A Highland single malt at 46% ABV, also finished in Pineau des Charentes casks.

Older whiskies for VSOP and XO drinkers

The Glenlivet 18 Year Old: £100.00 at The Whisky Shop. A Speyside single malt at 40% ABV, matured in American oak and European oak ex-sherry casks.

Redbreast 12 Year Old: £51.00 at Master of Malt. An Irish single pot still whiskey at 40% ABV. Like Cognac it comes from copper pot stills, though Redbreast is triple distilled from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, and matured in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.

Redbreast 15 Year Old: £87.00 at Master of Malt. The older version at 46% ABV, from bourbon and sherry casks.

Whisky finished in brandy casks

A few releases use casks that held Cognac, Armagnac or Calvados, the apple brandy of Normandy. Most are limited bottlings from a distillery or an independent bottler, so they come and go. Read the label: it should name the brandy and say whether the cask was a finish or the whole maturation.

Sources and review

Questions

Which whisky is most like Cognac?
Cognac is grape brandy, double distilled in copper pot stills and aged in French oak, so look for whisky with European oak, sherry-cask or wine-cask influence. Sherry-cask malts such as Aberlour 12 Year Old, and malts matured partly in French oak such as The Glenlivet 15 Year Old, share Cognac’s dried fruit and oak.
What is a Cognac-cask whisky?
A whisky matured or finished in a cask that previously held Cognac. They are mostly limited releases from distilleries and independent bottlers. The label should say whether the Cognac cask was a finish, the last stage, or the whole maturation.
What whisky suits a VSOP or XO drinker?
Match the age. Cognac VSOP must be at least four years old and XO at least ten, so look at older single malts with European oak influence, such as The Glenlivet 18 Year Old, or a single pot still Irish whiskey such as Redbreast 12 Year Old, which is matured in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.
Should Cognac drinkers add water to whisky?
It can help. Cognac and Scotch whisky both have a legal minimum of 40% ABV, so a 40% whisky can be drunk as you would a Cognac. For a whisky at 46% ABV or more, a few drops of water soften the alcohol and open up the aroma.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.