Updated April 2026.
“Under $200” is a sticker, not a BNIC age grade. Cognac is a French brandy GI: wine distilled in the delimited zone, aged in oak, bottled at ≥40% ABV. VS is at least 2 years, VSOP 4, XO 10 (the 2018 floor). Typical US VS/VSOP/XO tiles print 40% when the brand page omits ABV. A 1.5-ounce 40% pour is one NIAAA drink. We will not invent a 2026 ranking or MSRP.
Related: what cognac is made from, XO for the money, brandy brands.
Age grade vs price
| Grade | Youngest eau-de-vie | Typical US ABV |
|---|---|---|
| VS | ≥2 years | Often 40% |
| VSOP | ≥4 years | Often 40% |
| XO | ≥10 years (since 2018) | Often 40% |
| 1.5 oz at 40% | 1.00 drink | 750 mL ~17 drinks |
Four 40% pours are four drinks. Price is not a grade. Pour math: Hennessy drinks.
Sources
- BNIC age grades: VS 2 / VSOP 4 / XO 10 (2018). Cognac ≥40% vol. Ugni Blanc is the usual grape (see made from).
- Typical US 40% brand tiles when the page omits ABV. 27 CFR 5.145. NIAAA December 2025.