Although the word "cognac" has the right to be called only a drink given in the French province of the same name, but in stores all drinks made using cognac technology are still called so. Aged in oak barrels, grape alcohol is a cognac, a rather refined and expensive drink - it is often presented as a gift, which already speaks of its status, but it is also often counterfeited. Quite good and affordable brandies are produced in Armenia, but even when bought in a store, they often turn out to be counterfeit.
What are Armenian cognacs
Unlike French cognacs, the aging of which is indicated by obscure letters: V. S., V. S. O. P., V. O., V. V. S. O. P., X. O. and so on, Armenian cognacs are subdivided according to this parameter only into three categories: ordinary, vintage and collection.
The aging of ordinary cognacs is indicated by asterisks: 1 year - 1 asterisk. The minimum aging period for cognacs of this "age category" is 3 years, the maximum is not less than 5 years. The age of vintage cognacs is indicated by letters. If the bottle says "KV" - aged cognac, it means that before bottling it languished in an oak barrel for at least 6 years. In the event that his "imprisonment" lasted at least 8 years, the bottle will say "KVVK" - matured cognac of the highest quality. The letters "KS" - old cognac - say that the drink has been aged for at least 10 years, and "OS" is very old - at least 20 years. Collectible cognacs include cognacs over 20 years old, which have undergone additional aging in barrels or already in bottles for at least 3 years.
How to distinguish real Armenian cognac from a fake in a store
Unfortunately, most of the famous cognac brands are sold in quantities several times higher than what is indicated in the manufacturers' reports. Armenian brandies are no exception. When choosing a drink in a store where there is no way to evaluate its taste, first pay attention to the bottle. Made of glass, it should nevertheless look quite "dapper", without chips or cracks. Branded bottles with vintage and collectible cognac are decorated with a glass logo-seal of the manufacturer.
The typographic quality of the label must be impeccable - good quality paper, bright colors, clear letters. The label should be glued over the entire surface, no glue should appear through it. Inspect the cork - it should fit tightly and damage to it is excluded. An indirect confirmation of authenticity can be the coincidence of the places indicated on the label or box where the cognac was produced and bottled.
Cognac, especially aged, has a fairly high density. Therefore, if you take the bottle in your hand and sharply turn it upside down, the liquid should not flow down the walls, but separate from the bottle day in a dense mass. In this case, large air bubbles must first rise upward, and then smaller ones - this is an indicator of the density of the drink.
