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Koya XO rated top in blind-tasting event
Chinese brandy Koya XO came top in a blind-tasting event that included some of the world’s most famous XO Cognacs at ProWein in Düsseldorf last month.
Koya XO received the highest mark in a blind taste-test that included famous XO Cognacs
Koya XO, aged for 15 years, received the highest score in the tasting, which also included: Hennessy XO, Courvoisier XO, Martell XO, Frapin Chateaux Fontpinot XO and Rémy Martin XO.
The tasting, hosted jointly by the drinks business and The Spirits Business, was chaired by Patrick Schmitt MW, editor-in-chief of the drinks business, and Amy Hopkins, editor of The Spirits Business.
The tasting panel also included: Lucy Shaw, editor of the drinks business; Jude Mullins, managing director for WSET Asia Pacific; Roslyn Frame, PR manager for Atom Brands; Victoria Stephen Clarkson MW, director of The Little Fine Wine Company; Bob Davidson, sales manager for Imbibe; Bertrand Rocher, US business development manager for Lucien Bernard; Lisa Breidthardt, of PRIntegra; and Frank Kämmer, a master sommelier.
The judges were told that the spirits included Cognacs and Chinese brandy, but were given no other information. They were asked to mark each expression out of 100 and share their insights.
Koya XO secured the most consistent high marks across the panel and received the highest overall mark.
“This is an incredibly characterful spirit, with a distinctive and interesting personality. It’s natural and is not overly sweet or oaky – it’s a balanced spirit with a range of interesting flavours that play together harmoniously,” said Hopkins.
She continued: “This exercise was completely objective and yielded some fascinating insights.”
To see the full write-up of the tasting, see the April 2019 editions of the drinks business and The Spirits Business magazines.