Until 2018, you could label a
Cognac as XO after only six years of ageing, but now the minimum period of maturation is a decade. In reality, this made little difference to most quality-conscious distillers, because they were already ageing their eaux-de-vie for well over 10 years anyway.
Creating these XO styles is the point at which the great
Cognac terroir of Grande and Petite Champagne comes into its own. Those deep, chalky soils help to create a distillate that rewards patience and long years in oak – whether produced by one of the big, multinational-owned Cognac houses, or by a small farm operation using only the fruit of its own vineyards.