St-Rémy Signature Brandy (40%)

If you have found yourself this week in Figo or the Miller Tavern in Toronto, Nightingale or the Keefer Bar in Vancouver, Grinder or the Garden Room in Montréal, or any of dozens of other establishments across the country, you may have noticed something called Signature Cocktail Week, sponsored by the Rémy Cointreau-owned brandy, St-Rémy Signature. The point of the week is to have bartenders feature the brandy in an innovative cocktail for the week, with the national winner announced next week and awarded an opportunity to feature their bar at a pop-up in New York City.

(For more info, and a list of participating establishments, see the Signature Cocktail Week homepage here.)

While the cocktail week is all about mixing St-Rémy, I thought it wise to spend some time here examining the brandy on its own, beginning with a little background.

First off, St-Rémy is a brandy, not a Cognac, whereas its much more famous stable mate, Rémy Martin, is both a Cognac and a brandy. The difference is that Cognac is a form of brandy – meaning a spirit distilled from wine or other fermented fruit beverages – that is governed by an  Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, or AOC. This means that each step of the way, from where the grapes are grown to the processes used to what label designations may be applied, is tightly controlled for Cognac, whereas it is not for brandy.

In terms of flavour, Cognac tends to be drier and far less fruit-forward than is brandy, with a signature flavour known as rancio – described anything from nutty, dried fruit flavours to an almost musty sandalwood character in very old Cognacs – developing over time. Brandy can also develop rancio, but few are left in the barrel long enough for the process to take effect.

While the St-Rémy brand has been in production in France for over 130 years, Signature is a fairly new label created by Master Blender Cécile Roudaut. (Read more about Ms. Roudaut and her brandies here.) Its intent is to showcase the youthful, fruity side of the brandy and, I suspect, attract the attention of younger drinkers and, more obviously, the bartending community.

Bright amber in colour, Signature has a fruity nose tempered by oak and vanilla notes, creating an effect akin to a barrel-aged fruit cocktail, although not nearly as sweet and perfumey as that description might suggest. The palate entry is sweet and honey-ish, displaying a boldly nectar-like character that gently settles into a more spicy, almost Christmas cake-like mid-palate, with soft spice notes mixing with canned and dried fruit, soft vanilla, and a hint of shortbread. The finish dries admirably, returning to the oakiness of the aroma and adding a touch of ginger.

By way of comparison, I sampled the St-Rémy signature alongside a well-known VS Cognac (not Rémy Martin) that cost a fair amount more and found myself preferring the brandy. The freshness, fruitiness, and, well, youth of the Signature made it stand out as a delightful sipper for before or after a meal.

86 ($50)