At Sazerac, It's Not Just About Whisky: Its Cognac Has Three New Expressions

In 2016, Sazerac, owner of Buffalo Trace Distillery, purchased the historic Domaine Breuil de Segonzac estate. This cognac house—located on 220 acres near Segonzac, a small town in the heart of Cognac’s famed Grande Champagne region—had been owned by the Brillet family, specialists in making certified bio-organic cognacs. The sale included the estate’s property as well as its stillhouse, barrel inventory, vineyards, and its 19^th-century chateau.

In 2019, Sazerac relaunched the cognac brand as Sazerac de Forge & Fils, inspired by the name of a cognac house founded by the Sazerac family in 1782 that shuttered in the late 1800s after France’s phylloxera outbreak devastated the region’s grapes. The inaugural expression was a 7 year old blend called Finest Original, made from several grape varieties other than the industry-standard Ugni Blanc, to create a pre-phylloxera expression. Now Sazerac de Forge has released three additional expressions: an XO, a single vintage, and a 50 year old.

Upping The Age

Other than their ages, not much is revealed about the provenance of these new releases, except that they’re all from casks purchased from other estates. Here are the details of the new lineup:

•On Sazerac de Forge XO, the term XO stands for “Extra Old”, meaning that the youngest spirit in the blend is at least 10 years old. But this one is actually far older, as it includes 20 year old liquid, with all of it aged in French oak. It was proofed to 43% ABV prior to bottling, and carries a suggested retail price of $150.

•The single vintage expression was distilled from grapes grown in Grande Champagne—Cognac’s best grape region—during the 2000 harvest. After aging for over two decades in French oak, the barrels were selected by Sazerac cellar master Denis Lahouratate, and released in a single-cask format. This one was bottled at 44.8% ABV, making it the highest-strength offering in the trio. It has a suggested retail price of $450.

•The final expression in the trio is the rarest one, and it carries a 50 year old age statement. It’s a blend of three single-vintage eaux de vie distilled in 1970, 1971, and 1974. Each cognac was aged in wax-sealed barrels for at least 50 years before being blended at peak maturity. This one is also bottled at 43% ABV, and it carries a suggested retail price of $4,000.

As these newcomers hit the market, Sazerac also confirmed that its Original Finest’s availability will be scaled back. That expression be sold exclusively at Sazerac House in New Orleans going forward, and the XO will replace it as the core expression. Looking forward, the brand also confirmed that it’s currently cultivating several historic grape varieties, including Montils, Folle-Blanche, Colombard, and Sémillon, which will very likely find their way into future blends as they reach maturity.

How Do They Taste?

Sazerac de Forge XO

ABV: 43%
SRP: $150
Availability: Nationwide

A lovely nose invites you in with toffee, marzipan, baked berries, soft spices, toasted almonds, and an underlying floral aroma reminiscent of crushed rose petals. The palate is a veritable kaleidoscope of vibrant fruits, including orange, tangerine, mango, and red berries, plus nuts, vanilla, caramel, and peppery spice. The finish has more citrus, plus oak, and warming cinnamon.

Sazerac de Forge 2000 Grande Champage Single Vintage Single Cask

ABV: 44.8%
SRP: $450
Availability: Nationwide and online

The cask is on full display here, with the nose offering interesting aged notes like toffee, oak, ground cinnamon, almond paste, and cinnamon babka. It’s similar on the palate, with oak, wood spice, coffee cakes, toasted vanilla, warming nutmeg, cocoa powder, and a touch of orange spice. It evolves into a long finish of orange spice, vanilla, butterscotch, and a spiced orchard fruit similar to that found in certain Highland single malts. There’s certainly a lot of French oak-derived notes and flavors here, but it isn’t overly tannic in the least bit. Adding a few drops of water is recommended to coax out additional citrus.

Sazerac de Forge 50 year old

ABV: 43%
SRP: $4,000
Availability: Nationwide and

This one is surprisingly closer in profile to the XO than the single vintage. Dried fruits, toasted nuts, baking spices, vanilla wafers, and subtle florals are on the nose. The palate is velvety, including cooked berries, peach cobbler à la mode, peppermint bark, dried apricots, and vanilla creme. The finish adds more dried fruits, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, gingersnaps, pralines, and chocolate-covered nuts.