Larsen is a cognac house founded in 1926 by Jens Rydar Larsen from Norway. It is a well-known cognac brand in the Nordic and Baltic countries, where its current owner, Altia Group, has a strong foothold. Larsen’s VSOP is a blend of distillates made from grapes grown in two different regions, Fins Bois and Grande Champagne. They have been matured for 4-6 years in small oak barrels. The added sugar is 10 g / liter. Larsen is for sale at a very affordable price, a 35 cl bottle cost € 17.

The aroma is fruity, spicy and very pleasant. However, the taste is sharp and spicy, but not quite as fruity as one might expect from the aroma. Although sugar has been added, there is nothing very sweet and soft about Larsen’s VSOP. The taste contains the same apricot which was also in VS, but in this older version there is more affect of oak, which has given more spiciness and a bit of bitterness, which is especially felt in the aftertaste. The burn of alcohol is sharp but short, perhaps that the maturation process is still somewhat in progress. The best about Larsen is the fruity and spicy nuances, but the rough bite of the alcohol and the bitterness of the oak will take it to the middle-class range cognac. In its price level, however, it is a pretty good product and clearly better than Larsen VS.

84/100