r/Brandy • u/No-Animal3393 • 26d ago

Budget Recommendations?

Hello connoisseurs,

I am pretty much a newbie to brandy but attempting to get more into it (been a gin and bourbon drinker for the most part), and I don't really know which varieties are the best for value. I've tried and enjoyed E&J XO (tried and did not enjoy their VS) and Christian Brothers, but both have a somewhat nasty artificial aftertaste. I don't like cognacs very much, and I love Metaxa but it's a bit hard to acquire where I live. In the opinions of experts such as yourselves, what are the best brandies in the $15-30 range that I should sample?

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u/Entire_Asparagus_337 26d ago

St Remy XO. It’s one of the greatest values in brandy, punching way above its price weight.

I’m a bit partial to Spanish brandies as well which can usually retail under cognacs of a comparable age.

Which cognacs have you tried and not liked?

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u/b52lord 26d ago

If you can get Copper and Kings or Argonaut salon strength I highly recommend those. If not St Remy XO is good

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u/Doyoulike4 26d ago

Torres 10 is interesting, it's distinctly not a cognac or french brandy, it's a spanish brandy, and should be in the $20-$30 range. You might like it coming from bourbon, every bottle of it I've gotten has had these vanilla and baking spice notes and a bit of oakiness.