Maison Ferrand Pierre Ferrand 1840 Original Formula NV 750ml

Cognac Pierre Ferrand distillery owner Alexandre Gabriel and cellarmaster Christian Guerin designed this new release to taste like the kind of Cognac that would have shown up in cocktails in the days of famed bartender Jerry Thomas. Basing their recipe on brandy samples from the 19th century, including an impossibly rare and well-preserved bottle of Pinet-Castillon, this Cognac is bottled at a higher proof than usual and aged lightly to add oak flavor, but not so much as to lose the bright fruit flavors it shows when proofed down. It’s not the most nuanced Cognac out there, but it also doesn’t get lost when mixed into a cocktail, remaining lively and forward with vanilla, caramel and butter flavors. Check it out in an old-style Old-Fashioned.