11 cognacs for less than £200

This is quite simply one of the most incredible value for money cognacs you’ll ever find. An XO at a shade over £50 is a rarity and this one will knock your socks off. As with many of our favourite cognacs, it is made with a blend of liquids from the Grande and Petite Champagne regions and offers an elegantly complex bouquet of spices, dried fruit, flowers and a hint of citrus.  Having aged for more than 15 years in cask, it’s powerful but not too heavy. We’re not surprised it won a Double Gold award in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition back in 2009. We love it just as much now as we did back then. Bache 

Camus VSOP Borderies is a limited-edition made from grapes grown in the smallest cru in Cognac and is the perfect example of how cognac houses can make use of terroir as much as wine producers.  The Camus family home, lies in the heart of the Borderies region thanks to the vision of Jean-Paul Camus who identified the potential of the region at an early stage. Long ageing in seasoned casks present mineral characters as a harmonious, smooth and coherent array of aromas. It’s elegant and floral with notes of milk chocolate. Camus

This bottle from one of the most famous Cognac houses was named in honour of the Accord Royal granted by King Louis XV to Rémy Martin in 1738, allowing the firm to use his land to plant vines. This rich and robust cognac offers generous notes of plum and fig marmalade, toffee and toasted bread on the nose, followed by the mellowness of butterscotch and baked spices with hints of dark chocolate. Remy Martin

Fanny Fougerat is a 4th generation winemaker and distiller, having been born into a family whose produce was used for blending by the big Cognac houses. Back in November 2013, Fanny launched her own brand, and to great success.  Fanny has become a driving force behind young producers in the region and is one of the few producers making terroir driven cognac. She does not blend her cognac, but instead every bottle from every release is labelled with barrel number and bottle number – there are just 450 bottles from each barrel. The cognac in each batch is truly unique but always with a signature style of freshness and finesse. Fanny Fougerat 

The first ever cognac bottling from The Whisky Exchange is a single-vintage bottling from the highly regarded house of Frapin. Aged for more than two decades, this rich and fruity cognac shows off the character of Grande Champagne, the most highly rated area in the region. The Whisky Exchange’s head of buying, Dawn Davies, says this is a silky smooth cognac that offers notes of baked apple and cinnamon, nutmeg and roasted almonds, and some tropical flavours to boot…mango and roasted pineapple. Frapin

The eaux-de-vie used for this super value for money VSOP are made using grapes from the Grande and Petite Champagne regions of Cognac – the regions offering the most valuable and high-quality vineyards thanks to exceptional growing conditions. Thanks to a modest price point, this cognac is the king of cocktails, and works brilliantly with tonic, but thanks to the refined elegance of all of Hine’s cognacs, there’s no doubt this is great for sipping too. Expressive yet discreet, its notes of iris, fresh apricot, acacia and white pepper chime with its sprightly and joyful demeanour. Oh, and the current limited edition gift box was designed by American artist David Schroeter thanks to a collaboration between Hine and the Royal College of Art. H by Hine 

A truly superlative VSOP from boutique producer Paul Beau. Rich, perfectly balanced and incredibly complex for a VSOP - we're sure that some much older cognacs went into this cuvee. The delicate balance of flavour and finesse is extraordinary with delicious sweet candied notes mingling with toffee apples and honeysuckle. There is lots of sweet fruit that turns to slow-fading honey and spice flavours. Paul Beau VSOP

The Trijol family began distilling in 1859 and became professional distillers in 1962, creating eaux de vie for other cognac producers. Thanks to their size – they have 20 pot stills - the company has recently concentrated on releasing more of its own cognacs. Jean-Jacques Trijol is a master in the art of blending…younger batches of 10-15 year old liquid are given maturity by blending with 30-40 year old cognacs, and older blends are refreshed and lifted by younger blends. The Maxime Trijol XO Grand Champagne is a full-bodied and yet delicate cognac, with hints of liquorice and touches of vanilla, lingering with an extraordinary length to a very smooth, soft finish. Maxime Trijol

Pierre Ferrand Renegade Barrel is a rare example of double-matured cognac. It has been aged in a combination of classic oak casks and chestnut-wood barrels, which makes it rich with a hint of sweetness. Technically not a cognac - the practice of using chestnut wood barrels for cognac has been forgotten since 1945, and was not recognised by Cognac AOC regulation – this nectar is an eau de vie de vin but we love it just as much. The rather unique maturation enhances the honeyed, candied fruits and floral notes of this delicious liquid. Pierre Ferrand

Thanks to the more widely recognised classification of VS, VSOP and XO, age statement cognacs aren’t very common, except for within those historic houses where old vintages were recorded in the warehouses. This blend of 20-year-old eaux-de-vie from family-run Prunier is full-bodied with notes of bitter chocolate, leather and honey, and a long finish.  Aged in damp cellars over 20 years, the cognac reduces its alcoholic strength naturally – and nature has rewarded in this instance. Prunier