GRRRRRRR!!! Okay, too angry and mobile to decide which forum this goes in.
The trivia question that got us on round three:
In accordance with congac, V.S.O.P. stands for what?
We put Very Special Old Pale. The answer was Very Superior Old Pale and we lost many points.
On research, I find dicionary.com says BOTH are acceptable and so does Kim Jong Il’s favorite website, hennessy.com
Which is really correct, or can it be both??
Please help us on this, Dopers.
Well, I don’t think you’ll get any more “official” answer than the one at hennessy.com, right?
Joe
Wikipedia says that either is fine, but Special is more common.
I’d’ve said “…Superior…”, tho’ I forget where I got it from.
I’ve also always known it as very superior old pale.
I have a bottle on my shelf that explicitly states, “Very Special Old Pale”. Don’t know the brand, but I can look when I get home.
Many years back when I worked in a liquor store, there was no question but that it stood for “special.”
And in this case, Wikipedia is wrong. Very Special Old Pale is not an official aging designation recognized by the BNIC.
Very Superior Old Pale is the official designation meaning the youngest blend in the Cognac has been aged at least 4 years.
Ah, now I see. The question could have been worded differently, maybe mentioning the BNIC.
Guess you can tell I’m a vodka drinker. 
Who cares what it means? Let’s crack out the snifters and enjoy!
I’ve only got XO. Can I play?
It’s XO from Azerbaijan - wish me luck
Heh. I don’t think the question need mention the BNIC, I think the ‘in accordance with cognac’ was enough. Cognac production and marketing is governed by French law, the BNIC is just the private association that ensures standards are met.
What would VSOP be in French? If it would be different initials, why are they not used instead?
I don’t speak French so I can’t answer the first part of your question. But as for the latter, brandies sold in England and Ireland were ranked using those or similar terms at the time and Cognac became a popular one thanks to Dutch And English shipping merchants. Most Cognac is exported to this day, something like 90% of it.