Tips for tasting Cognac

• Use a tulip glass. Thanks to its wide bowl and narrow neck, the tulip glass concentrates Cognac’s nose and allows you to best appreciate the spirit’s subtlety and layers of aromatic complexity. The glass is also easy to hold and is great for admiring color.
• Don’t warm a Cognac or any fine wine or spirit too much or you will accentuate the alcohol, not the aromas.
• Swirl Cognac gently. Cognac is packed with aromas and needs less oxygen than wine for the aromas to reach your senses.
• Put your nose close to the glass but not in it. (For the same reasons as above.)
• Take a sip. Keep the spirit in your mouth for 2 or 3 seconds before you swallow.
• Wait 45 seconds. You’ll experience the fullest range of flavors and aromas from about 45 to 90 seconds after sipping.