Hardy XO Fine Champagne Cognac 700ml

Maison Hardy was founded in 1863 when Anthony Hardy, a London spirits importer, settled on the banks of the Charente and began building his own blends. He took so completely to the region that he adopted the French form of his name, and the house has stayed in family hands ever since, now into its fifth generation of Hardy cellar masters.

Fine Champagne is a protected designation rather than a marketing flourish: the blend draws only on eaux de vie from Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, the two most prized crus of the Cognac region. This XO is aged well beyond the minimum for its classification, with long years in oak doing the slow work.

The result is floral and deep at once. Fresh rose and dried fruit sit at the front, the Grande Champagne signature, with tobacco leaf, sweet spice and polished oak emerging behind. The palate is round and lingering, best served neat in a tulip glass at room temperature.