Martell is the oldest of the “big four” of the cognac world (the others are Hennessy, Courvoisier and Remy Martin). These four control more than 80% of the market share of cognac sales. Martell was founded in 1715. During its long history, its owner has changed several times. At the end of the 20th century, Martell was owned by the Canadian Seagram, until in 2001 it ended up back in French ownership, in the arms of the beverage giant Pernod Ricard. Martell produces approximately 14 million liters of cognac annually and is the second largest producer after Hennessy. In the Baltic countries, it is a familiar sight in the alcohol section of stores, but perhaps it lags behind the visibility of Hennessy. In terms of price, Martell is in the upper middle class, but often their products are also on offer. A 35 cl bottle of VSOP cost €20.95. It is Martel’s “Aged in Red Barrels” VSOP version; there are a few different versions on the market.

Martell VS was already quite a high-quality individual, so how much better can VSOP still be. The contents of the bottle are collected from distillates aged 5-8 years. The color of the cognac is golden brown, maybe even a little lighter than VSOP cognacs in general. The aroma is strong, it has a good dose of caramel and ripe fruit. The taste is smooth and rich. The taste has caramel-like sweetness, dark chocolate and different nuances of dried fruits. Vanilla and light wooden aromas of barrel aging. The aftertaste is sweet and aromatic. The harshness of the alcohol is felt only very lightly in the background, which is one of the benchmarks of a high-quality and well-matured product. Nothing bothers about Martel, it is in every way a very pleasant product for relaxing sipping. Martell ranks among the best cognacs in the VSOP class and is a highly recommended choice.

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