Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal 2 is a lovely blend of over 240 eau de vies of cognac the minimum age is 4 years and the oldest 20 years. This makes it a bit short of an XO but on the flip side less than half the money (around $50 or so), also in its favor is that it has a higher percentage of Grande Champagne growth grapes than the VSOP.

First Impression: Apricots, figs, apples, vanilla, caramel, leather and oily nuts and some oak. A sweet, concentrated champagne or jam like-like smell to it with an admixture of floral scents. Very distinctive, aromatic with a nice blend of heavier bass notes to it also.

Appearance: Attractive red/gold color, leaves thin coat on swirling. Could be mistaken for a bourbon in color.

Taste: Sweetish entry, then drying pleasantly. Medium silky body, with a lot of ripe fruit notes, with concentrated almost raisin or ice wine type notes with more pronounced hints of vanilla and oak pepper than their other marques and a lovely somewhat charcoal, vanilla and oak lingering finish.

Drinks: We tried the drinks mentioned on the website, all of which we can recommend. Worked well in a Black Pagoda (basically a brandy Manhattan -see Gary Regan's Bartenders Bible) and the whisky like flavor profile made for a wonderful Cognac base for a number of traditional bourbon drinks. Made a lovely Mint Julep also.

Bottle: Slightly different from their standard production bottle: Simple clear glass cognac bottle (think bell or apple shaped with a long neck), somewhat distinctive with a lozenge shaped medallion stamp on the shoulder with 1738 and the drawing of Centaur hurling a javelin in gold. Parchment colored rectangular label labels and a copper colored neck foil. Real cork closure gives it a nice feel - a number of cognac companies now use screw caps which cheapens the package and presentation.

1738 has many of the aroma and taste characteristics that whiskey lovers -be they Scotch , Bourbon or Irish enthusiasts-enjoy so it makes for a great cognac to have in your collection if you like those types of spirits also. Also if I may dare say so, it reminds us somewhat of one of our other favorite brandies , armagnac in the heavier body and lovely aromas.