Editing Cognac (section)

==Grades==
[[File:Vs cognac.jpg|right|thumb|upright|VS (Very Special) cognac is aged for at least two years in cask]]
[[File:Cognac xo domaine de jacquiot medaille d'or 40%.jpg|thumb|XO (Extra Old) cognac is aged at least ten years]]
[[File:Vegu cognac boutrand biron 70s 2010.jpg|thumb|upright|right|"Champagne cognac" is produced from grapes grown in the [[Grande Champagne]] and [[Petite Champagne]] zones of the Cognac region of France]]

According to the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), the official quality grades of cognac are:

* '''V.S.''' (Very Special) or ✯✯✯ (three stars) designates a blend in which the youngest brandy has been aged for at least two years in a cask.<ref name="BNIC etiquette">{{cite web|url=http://www.bnic.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=etiquette|title=Cognac.fr - All about Cognac|first=BNIC - Bureau National Interprofessionel du|last=Cognac|website=www.bnic.fr|access-date=18 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223223212/http://www.bnic.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=etiquette|archive-date=23 December 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* '''V.S.O.P.''' (Very Superior Old Pale) or '''Reserve''' designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is aged for at least four years in a cask.<ref name="BNIC etiquette"/><ref name="VSOP.ca">{{Cite web | title= What does VSOP mean? | issue= 22 | url= http://www.vsop.ca/vsop-brandy | work= [[Camus Cognac]] | access-date= 25 November 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181007073832/http://www.vsop.ca/vsop-brandy | archive-date= 7 October 2018 | url-status= dead }}</ref>
* {{anchor|Napoleon}}<!--[[Napoleon brandy]] redirects here-->'''Napoléon''' designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is aged for at least six years.<ref name="BNIC etiquette"/> It is not to be confused with "the Cognac of Napoleon", a sobriquet for [[Courvoisier]].
*'''X.O.''' (Extra Old) The minimum age of the youngest brandy used in an X.O. blend was increased to 10 years in April 2018; this rule was originally scheduled for implementation in 2016, but was postponed due to inadequate stocks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/pdf/etiquette_texte_anim_en.pdf|title=Understanding a Cognac label (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, May 2008)|access-date=15 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102259/http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/pdf/etiquette_texte_anim_en.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Napoleon designation, previously unofficial, is used to specifically denote those blends with a minimum age of six years that do not meet the revised X.O. definition.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Field Guide to Cognac| date=17 November 2015 |url=http://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/11/17/9747068/what-is-cognac|access-date=18 March 2017}}</ref>
* '''X.X.O.''' (Extra Extra Old) is a specific indication given to wine spirits that have been aged for at least 14 years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Product specification for the Cognac or Eau-de-vie de Cognac or Eau-de-vie des Charentes controlled appellation of origin, officially recognised by French decree No. 2015-10 dated 7 January 2015, amended by the Order of 8 November 2018, as published in the Official Journal of the French Republic on 14 November 2018|url=https://p9d8a6h2.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015_01_07_Cognac_product_specification_controlled_appellation_of_origin.pdf|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=15 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715231720/https://p9d8a6h2.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015_01_07_Cognac_product_specification_controlled_appellation_of_origin.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* '''Hors d'âge''' (Beyond Age) is a designation which BNIC states is equal to X.O., but in practice the term is used by producers to market a high-quality product beyond the official age scale.

Most names of the grades are in English because the historical cognac trade, particularly in the 18th century, significantly involved the British.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bnic.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=faq|title=FAQ|access-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525032916/http://www.bnic.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=faq|archive-date=25 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>