I had never heard about Chabanneau Cognac before I received this XO as a present some time ago. Then I realized that supposedly this XO was the best selling cognac in Europe. This really came as a surprise to me. Having tasted it now I believe its popularity is more due to the price rather than taste…

Although not one of my favorites Chabanneau XO is still a very well crafted traditional Cognac. Traditional in the sense that you have the well known – and very welcomed – soft entry of toffee, vanilla and wood. Later toasted marshmallows appear on the palate together with even more vanilla. Altogether it is more sweet than oaky. There is not much to jump up and down about here because, as I mentioned, the flavor is more common than unique. Still it is a decent XO at not a too steep price.

VERDICT: Very smooth and traditional flavors, nothing surprising here. As a whole it is more on the sweet than oaky side. The low price also makes it attractive and I would recommend it if you just need a plain Cognac and are not out to impress anyone.

  (6.6/10)