Frapin VSOP Cognac. 40%, 70cl.

Frapin VSOP — Aged roughly 8 years, Grande Champagne
Deep amber-orange. Baked apple and orange zest lead the nose, laced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of gingerbread. The palate turns rounder and sweeter — honeyed, with hazelnut and a warm baking-spice core — closing on a long, satisfying trail of orange oil and exotic spices.

VS, VSOP, XO?...
VSOP stands for "Very Superior Old Pale," a quality designation used in Cognac that indicates the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend has been aged at least four years in oak casks, though many producers age their VSOP blends well beyond the minimum. It sits above VS (Very Special, minimum two years) and below XO (Extra Old, minimum ten years) in Cognac's official ageing hierarchy.

The extra ageing time compared to VS typically brings more depth and complexity — richer notes of dried fruit, vanilla, and spice from extended oak contact — while still retaining some of the brighter, fruitier character that longer-aged XO expressions tend to lose in favor of deeper, more mellow profiles. VSOP is often considered a sweet spot for both sipping neat and using in more premium cocktails, offering more nuance than VS at a more accessible price point than XO.