🥃 Martell VSOP
Martell VSOP Cognac: a blend whose youngest spirit is at least 4 years old, aged in fine-grained French oak.
Martell VSOP is a Cognac from the Martell house in the “Very Superior Old Pale” category, one step above VS. According to Difford's Guide, it is a blend of Cognac eaux-de-vie, the youngest of which spent at least four years maturing in barrels of fine-grained French oak. There is no age statement on the label.
Martell distils only clear wines without lees from Ugni Blanc grapes and makes its barrels from Tronçais oak. Like all Cognacs, it is distilled twice in copper pot stills. Before bottling the blend rests in vats; for VS that is about a month, and the sources do not give an exact figure for VSOP. For comparison, look at the age of the youngest spirit.
Why this matters to you. VSOP is the middle of the range: older than VS, younger than Cordon Bleu and XO. Read the full name and the “Cognac” mark, because the range also includes Blue Swift, which is not a Cognac. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Legal basis | protected designation “Cognac” (Reg. (EU) 2019/787) |
|---|---|
| Raw material | clear white wines from Ugni Blanc |
| Distillation method | twice in copper pot stills; only clear wines without lees |
| Cask type | fine-grained French oak (Tronçais) |
| Minimum maturation | VSOP: youngest spirit at least 4 years (Difford's Guide) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Martell VSOP → kind of → 🍇 Grape brandies → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🐝 French oak
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Martell, 🥃 Cognac, 🍇 Grape brandies
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Martell Cordon Bleu, 🥃 Martell VS, 🥃 Martell Cordon Bleu, 🥃 Martell VS, 🥃 Martell XO, 🥃 Martell XO, 🥃 Hors d'âge cognac
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that VSOP is a lower-grade XO?
No. It is a separate age category: in VSOP the youngest spirit is at least 4 years old, while in XO it is 10.
What does VSOP mean?
Very Superior Old Pale, roughly “very superior, old, pale”; this is how medium-grade Cognac is labelled.
Which barrels is Martell VSOP aged in?
According to Difford's Guide, fine-grained French oak barrels.
What to read next
- 🥃 Martell Cordon Bleu — Martell flagship Cognac at XO level, created in 1912; more than 100 spirits aged 10 to 25 years, about half from Borderies; 40% ABV.
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Hors d'âge cognac — An age mark for cognac: the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend has been aged in oak for at least 10 years, the same as for XO.
Similar
🥃 Martell Cordon Bleu · 🥃 Martell VS · 🥃 Martell XO · 🥃 Grand Marnier Grande Cuvée Quintessence · 🥃 Macieira Five Star · 🥃 Christian Brothers Apple
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide: Martell VSOP (blend of eaux-de-vie, the youngest at least 4 years, fine-grained French oak)
- Difford's Guide: Martell Cognac Production (Ugni Blanc, clear wine, Tronçais oak, resting in vats: 1 month VS, 3 months Cordon Bleu, 4 months XO)
- Difford's Guide: Cognac Summarised (age designations, double distillation in copper pot stills, oak)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019), Art. 2 and Annex I
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)