XO Cognac Classification, Requires At Least Ten Years Of Aging

The grading of XO Cognac will change from April 1, 2018, requiring that spirits labelled XO be aged from six to 10 years.

A statement from the French Cognac Bureau (BNIC) explained: "The new measures aim to align regulation and market practice, while extending XO's quality positioning (XO also includes "Out of Age", "Extra" and "Ancestral"). , "Gold" and "Imperial" names).

The change was first proposed in 2011, and the interval was to allow the brand to adapt to the change, although BNIC has also noticed that many producers are already using 10-year-old new wines for XO.

Spirits aged 6, 7, 8, 9 years bottled (but not yet shipped) in XO bottles by March 31 will be allowed if any producer still has not sold out of their younger XO stock Sold until March 31, 2019.

Producers wishing to take advantage of this will have to make a statement to BNIC.

The name "Napoleon" grade cognac will remain unchanged, and the spirits used in it will have a minimum age of six years.