VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) is a grade of brandy or cognac - somewhere between VS (Very Special) and XO (Extra Old). VSOP means that it's been stored in a cask for at least 4 years, although the wood of the cask could be more.This particular bottle I picked up on the impulse counter at the LCBO right by the checkout. It was in the $8-$9 range, but I figured that with the VSOP label on it, it would have a standardized quality.
The smell is slightly offensive , with the overtones of petroleum. The initial taste is sweet, slightly toffee-like, the fumes of the brandy rising up your nose. But the flavour is not altogether awful, in fact, as your mouth opens up to the flavour, the grapeiness starts to come through and starts to become enjoyable as the alcohol numbs your tastebuds. A decent brandy for its price point
From wikipedia:
"Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, while some are simply coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging (and some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring)."
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