Cognac
7 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Sweet, Gourmand, Tobacco, Boozy, Whisky / Boozy
- Origin
- an accord; natural material — cognac oil from wine lees
- Raw materials
- cognac oil (green and white), fruity esters, oak notes
- Extraction
- distillation of wine lees; synthesis
- Olfactory group
- gourmand, amber (“boozy”)
- Position in the pyramid
- top and heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- ethyl heptanoate (“oenanthic ether”), fruity esters
The cognac note recreates the aroma of aged grape brandy from the French region of Cognac. Interestingly, there is a natural material for it too — “cognac oil”, obtained by distilling the wine lees left over after winemaking.
How it smells: warm, fruity and heady: grapes, dried fruit, the oak barrel, a faintly nutty and floral shade. Cognac sounds nobler and drier than rum — less molasses, more fruit and wood.
“Boozy” notes add maturity and flavour to fragrances: cognac makes a composition warm but not sweet, so it often sits in evening masculine and unisex fragrances next to leather and tobacco.
What it pairs with: with tobacco and leather — an “evening in the study”, with vanilla and cinnamon — cosy winter compositions, with oud — luxurious oriental ones, with rose — a winey rose, with honey — warm sweet fragrances.
Good to know: under EU rules a spirit may be called cognac only if it is made in the Cognac region to strict rules, double-distilled and aged in oak barrels.
Fragrances with Cognac
