Cardenal Mendoza Brandy: A Fan's Pick Over VS Cognacs
A brandy enthusiast argues Cardenal Mendoza offers superior value to VS cognacs. The article also touches on whisky aging and budget-friendly spirits.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Cardenal Mendoza, the Brandy de Jerez Preferred Over VS by an Enthusiast
An amateur tastes VSOPs from major brands and reaches an inconvenient conclusion for cognac: Cardenal Mendoza, a Brandy de Jerez (Sherry brandy), offers better quality for the price than all easily found VS cognacs. This isn't from a commission-earning sommelier. More than one person repeats it. With this evidence, the question becomes less romantic: if a Courvoisier costs around €28 and a Duque de Alba is €25, what are we really paying for?
Brandy de Jerez vs. Cognac: The Comparison That Causes Discomfort
Sherry brandy and cognac are distinct products, made with different methods, yet similar enough to be judged by the same standards. For some forum users, the scales tip towards the Spanish product. According to this view, Larios 1866 does with VSOPs what Cardenal Mendoza does with VS cognacs: matches or surpasses them without the premium price. Price doesn't always reflect content: a VS typically costs around €20, a 'reserva' around €10, while the differences between a VSOP and a 'gran reserva' are minimal. What separates one bottle from another is less the distillation process and more the label.
Is an 18-Year-Old Whisky Better Than a 12-Year-Old?
Here, according to one forum user, marketing falls apart on its own: since precise analyses became available, it's known what substances wood contributes to distilled spirits, and wood stops contributing after 10 or 12 years. An 18-year-old whisky would, at best, be identical to a 12-year-old but with a much higher price. A bar might even afford to keep a 20-year-old, 58.8% ABV single malt, or a 10-year-old, 45.8% ABV one that, according to this user, is very good. Age is a selling point, not a guarantee of flavor.
Vermouth and Liqueurs: Where Prices Plummet
If there's one category where budget reigns supreme, it's large-format aperitifs. Casa Valdepablo costs €5 or €6 for a two-liter bottle and, according to one forum user who tasted it, surpasses more popular and expensive vermouths. St. Petroni, at €14 per liter, plays in another league without breaking the bank. And Zarro, a bitter supermarket vermouth at €6 for 1.5 liters, is the choice for those who don't want a sweet palate, according to a female forum user. This challenges the notion that good vermouth must cost as much as cava.
The Blacklist: What Not to Drink
Ron Almirante is, according to a forum user, an example of saving money that ends up costing more: €5.5 for 700ml, supermarket 'firewater' for mixing with soft drinks. It's fine for cooking; for drinking, it's best avoided. For another forum user, Becherovka liqueur and Greek Ouzo fall under the same judgment. Cheap alcohol often comes with a hidden cost.
And a historical curiosity, because these names have been battlegrounds: during the early Franco regime, there was an attempt to Hispanize cognac with the invention of 'jeriñac' for Brandy de Jerez. People mocked it, telling a joke about a customer asking in a bar for 'jeriñac, please,' and the bartender replying, 'At the back, on the right.' Names change; hangovers don't.
An amateur tastes VSOPs from major brands and reaches an inconvenient conclusion for cognac: Cardenal Mendoza, a Brandy de Jerez (Sherry brandy), offers better quality for the price than all easily found VS cognacs. This isn't from a commission-earning sommelier. More than one person repeats it. With this evidence, the question becomes less romantic: if a Courvoisier costs around €28 and a Duque de Alba is €25, what are we really paying for?
Brandy de Jerez vs. Cognac: The Comparison That Causes Discomfort
Sherry brandy and cognac are distinct products, made with different methods, yet similar enough to be judged by the same standards. For some forum users, the scales tip towards the Spanish product. According to this view, Larios 1866 does with VSOPs what Cardenal Mendoza does with VS cognacs: matches or surpasses them without the premium price. Price doesn't always reflect content: a VS typically costs around €20, a 'reserva' around €10, while the differences between a VSOP and a 'gran reserva' are minimal. What separates one bottle from another is less the distillation process and more the label.
Is an 18-Year-Old Whisky Better Than a 12-Year-Old?
Here, according to one forum user, marketing falls apart on its own: since precise analyses became available, it's known what substances wood contributes to distilled spirits, and wood stops contributing after 10 or 12 years. An 18-year-old whisky would, at best, be identical to a 12-year-old but with a much higher price. A bar might even afford to keep a 20-year-old, 58.8% ABV single malt, or a 10-year-old, 45.8% ABV one that, according to this user, is very good. Age is a selling point, not a guarantee of flavor.
Vermouth and Liqueurs: Where Prices Plummet
If there's one category where budget reigns supreme, it's large-format aperitifs. Casa Valdepablo costs €5 or €6 for a two-liter bottle and, according to one forum user who tasted it, surpasses more popular and expensive vermouths. St. Petroni, at €14 per liter, plays in another league without breaking the bank. And Zarro, a bitter supermarket vermouth at €6 for 1.5 liters, is the choice for those who don't want a sweet palate, according to a female forum user. This challenges the notion that good vermouth must cost as much as cava.
The Blacklist: What Not to Drink
Ron Almirante is, according to a forum user, an example of saving money that ends up costing more: €5.5 for 700ml, supermarket 'firewater' for mixing with soft drinks. It's fine for cooking; for drinking, it's best avoided. For another forum user, Becherovka liqueur and Greek Ouzo fall under the same judgment. Cheap alcohol often comes with a hidden cost.
And a historical curiosity, because these names have been battlegrounds: during the early Franco regime, there was an attempt to Hispanize cognac with the invention of 'jeriñac' for Brandy de Jerez. People mocked it, telling a joke about a customer asking in a bar for 'jeriñac, please,' and the bartender replying, 'At the back, on the right.' Names change; hangovers don't.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (160 replies).
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