Armagnac Castarede 1968
Brandy: Armagnac
From: Bas Armagnac
House: Castarede
Style: Single vintage
Colour: Amber gold
ABV: 40%
N: Fresh baked bread, toast, honey, ink, prunes, orange zest, hints of apples.
M: Light body, loose, airy, slightly sticky.
T: Bitter sweet. Honey, prunes, fresh baked bread, vanilla ice cream, black tea, hints of apples.
F: Medium. Apples, vanilla ice cream, prunes, fresh baked bread, hints of ink.
Comments:
When I decided to have an armagnac, I was looking for something rich and sweet, that would smack me in the mouth and kill my palate for the evening. Oh, a 1968 you say? Old and rich, exactly right.
Only, it wasn't really. I gather this negociant is not known for powerful robust armagnacs. Instead, it was gentle and complex, light, bright and airy. It was mostly cereally, with huge layers of bread and toast, with the prune notes relegated to the background. And on the tongue, a little surprise - creamy vanilla ice cream.
I would say it isn't a recent bottle, this armagnac. The bottle and label styles look older, rougher than the current branding. At a pinch I would say early 2000s or even late 90s. The rusticity in the marketing was popular back then, and there isn't a great deal of old bottle effect. I've had to go on a little detective search, and in doing so realised how much I've come to rely on the whisky databases when I'm drinking whisky, and how little information there is on brandy in comparison.
Verdict:
I like this.
Wednesday 30 October 2019
Adrien Camut 18yo Privilege
Adrien Camut 18yo Privilege
Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Adrien Camut
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Copper
ABV: 41%
N: honey, orange blossom, dried apples, peach cobbler, damson jam, hints of lemon zest.
M: light body, slippery, loose, turns watery.
T: Bitter sweet. Honey, cinnamon, dried apples, oak staves, damson jam, hints of lemon zest.
F: Short. Oak staves, orange blossom, cinnamon, hints of lemon zest.
Comments:
Well now, this one is not too much like its older sibling. There is but the merest hint of smoke, and there are huge jammy notes spread over old oak wood. The dried apples are there, although I sort of associate that with old Calvados in general rather than this house in particular. The only other points of commonality are the orange blossom and lemon zest.
That doesn't mean that it isn't good, in fact it's lovely and smooth. Plenty of floral and woody notes spar with the fruit, making for a style of Calvados I like - not too sweet, and multi-layered.
Cursory research on the internet suggests that this house uses old barrels exclusively, rather than new oak, with an average barrel age of near 50 years. Interestingly, the oak notes do taste old, gentle, hardly imparting any vanillin. There's also a dusty flavour to the oak, almost gritty, if gritty were a taste rather than a texture. Maybe that last bit sounds like BS - but well, all tasting notes are personal.
Verdict:
I like this.
Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Adrien Camut
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Copper
ABV: 41%
N: honey, orange blossom, dried apples, peach cobbler, damson jam, hints of lemon zest.
M: light body, slippery, loose, turns watery.
T: Bitter sweet. Honey, cinnamon, dried apples, oak staves, damson jam, hints of lemon zest.
F: Short. Oak staves, orange blossom, cinnamon, hints of lemon zest.
Comments:
Well now, this one is not too much like its older sibling. There is but the merest hint of smoke, and there are huge jammy notes spread over old oak wood. The dried apples are there, although I sort of associate that with old Calvados in general rather than this house in particular. The only other points of commonality are the orange blossom and lemon zest.
That doesn't mean that it isn't good, in fact it's lovely and smooth. Plenty of floral and woody notes spar with the fruit, making for a style of Calvados I like - not too sweet, and multi-layered.
Cursory research on the internet suggests that this house uses old barrels exclusively, rather than new oak, with an average barrel age of near 50 years. Interestingly, the oak notes do taste old, gentle, hardly imparting any vanillin. There's also a dusty flavour to the oak, almost gritty, if gritty were a taste rather than a texture. Maybe that last bit sounds like BS - but well, all tasting notes are personal.
Verdict:
I like this.
Friday 18 October 2019
Adrien Camut Reserve de Semainville
Adrien Camut Reserve de Semainville
Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Adrien Camut
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber brown
ABV: 40%
N: Pear drops, dried apples, honey, chantilly cream, orange blossom, hints of leather, hints of prunes.
M: Heavy body, tingly, oily, astringent
T: Sweet. Dried apples, jasmine, honey, green tea, leather, cedar, hints of smoke
F: Long. Jasmine, dried apples, cedar, vanilla.
Comments:
I couldn't leave the Calvados alone. After the last couple of tasting notes, I was very intrigued, so I went back and tried another. This time I chose an Adrien Camut, a relatively famous producer that even this novice has heard of, a nice old one, blended from eaux-de-vie of between 20 and 25 years of age.
The legs of this spirit were huge and prominent, and the tasting did not disappoint. There's a depth of flavour, not really intensity, but a feeling of many layers to this spirit. Like peeling an onion, you get the impression that there's more to find, and it rewards sipping slowly and nosing the glass from a few different angles. There's apples of course, mostly dried now, but also zingy pear drops, floral notes such as orange blossom, and plenty of woody notes as well.
I wonder, what would cask strength Calvados taste like? The complexity here certainly would be more obvious at a higher ABV, and that might help improve the clarity of the flavours. Cursory research online suggests however that most Calvados is bottled around 40% and higher strength bottlings are few and far between.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Adrien Camut
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber brown
ABV: 40%
N: Pear drops, dried apples, honey, chantilly cream, orange blossom, hints of leather, hints of prunes.
M: Heavy body, tingly, oily, astringent
T: Sweet. Dried apples, jasmine, honey, green tea, leather, cedar, hints of smoke
F: Long. Jasmine, dried apples, cedar, vanilla.
Comments:
I couldn't leave the Calvados alone. After the last couple of tasting notes, I was very intrigued, so I went back and tried another. This time I chose an Adrien Camut, a relatively famous producer that even this novice has heard of, a nice old one, blended from eaux-de-vie of between 20 and 25 years of age.
The legs of this spirit were huge and prominent, and the tasting did not disappoint. There's a depth of flavour, not really intensity, but a feeling of many layers to this spirit. Like peeling an onion, you get the impression that there's more to find, and it rewards sipping slowly and nosing the glass from a few different angles. There's apples of course, mostly dried now, but also zingy pear drops, floral notes such as orange blossom, and plenty of woody notes as well.
I wonder, what would cask strength Calvados taste like? The complexity here certainly would be more obvious at a higher ABV, and that might help improve the clarity of the flavours. Cursory research online suggests however that most Calvados is bottled around 40% and higher strength bottlings are few and far between.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Friday 11 October 2019
Calvados Domfrontais Pacory 20yo
Calvados Domfrontais Pacory 20yo
Brandy: Calvados
From: Domfrontais
House: Pacory
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Polished oak
ABV: 40%
N: Red grapes, dried pears, pear drops, tinned peaches, sandalwood, hints of linseed oil.
M: Light body, loose, tingly, mouth coating.
T: Sweet. Pear drops, apple sauce, oak, vanilla sponge, lemon curd, hints of thyme, hints of bacon.
F: Short. Vanilla sponge, apple sauce, black tea, lemon curd, hints of white wine.
Comments:
This is calvados from Domfrontais, which means that it has pears as well as apples. This one is around 70% pear, 30% apple. The flavours are more intense, less soft. Despite the weak strength (compared to what I usually drink, anyway), the legs are prominent, and thick. That augurs well for the taste in my experience.
Yes, you can taste both pear and apple, and the pear flavours are surprisingly deep and layered. There's pear drops, dried pears, maybe some fresh Comice pear too, although that's fleeting and faint. There's also something oily, even meaty, and heaps of spice as well. This is very sweet stuff. The finish doesn't let up in terms of intensity, although it fades to astringent bitterness quite quickly.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Brandy: Calvados
From: Domfrontais
House: Pacory
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Polished oak
ABV: 40%
N: Red grapes, dried pears, pear drops, tinned peaches, sandalwood, hints of linseed oil.
M: Light body, loose, tingly, mouth coating.
T: Sweet. Pear drops, apple sauce, oak, vanilla sponge, lemon curd, hints of thyme, hints of bacon.
F: Short. Vanilla sponge, apple sauce, black tea, lemon curd, hints of white wine.
Comments:
This is calvados from Domfrontais, which means that it has pears as well as apples. This one is around 70% pear, 30% apple. The flavours are more intense, less soft. Despite the weak strength (compared to what I usually drink, anyway), the legs are prominent, and thick. That augurs well for the taste in my experience.
Yes, you can taste both pear and apple, and the pear flavours are surprisingly deep and layered. There's pear drops, dried pears, maybe some fresh Comice pear too, although that's fleeting and faint. There's also something oily, even meaty, and heaps of spice as well. This is very sweet stuff. The finish doesn't let up in terms of intensity, although it fades to astringent bitterness quite quickly.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Roger Groult Venerable
Roger Groult Venerable
Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Roger Groult
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Copper
ABV: 41%
N: dried apples, white grapes, cinnamon, toffee, chocolate, hints of fresh butter.
M: Light body, round, cool, slightly tingly.
T: Sweet salty. Cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh butter, milk toffee, bubble gum, hints of milk chocolate, hints of coffee.
F: Long. Kiwi fruit, milk toffee, dried apples, coffee
Comments:
So, we finally get to tasting Calvados. It's not a spirit that I've had a lot of experience with, but I've always enjoyed what I've tasted. Whisky tastes of grain, but that's normally buried under some layers of other flavours. Cognac tastes of raisins, mostly, whilst armagnac tastes of prunes, mostly. Calvados however, always tastes of apples, true to the original fruit.
For the first Calvados on Adventures in Brandy, I thought I would go for something fairly old. This one is more than 18 years old, and is aged in older casks. That shows of course - not much vanilla or tannins, instead there's heaps of fruit, making the flavour profile bright, and young. There's something salty here, think fresh Charentes butter, only married to spices, and something slightly bitter (yet fragrant) in the finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, my only niggle was the spirit's thin body. It sloshes around the mouth very well, but slips down quickly. The intensity fades, but the finish drags on and on. Very nice indeed.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
Brandy: Calvados
From: Pays d'Auge
House: Roger Groult
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Copper
ABV: 41%
N: dried apples, white grapes, cinnamon, toffee, chocolate, hints of fresh butter.
M: Light body, round, cool, slightly tingly.
T: Sweet salty. Cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh butter, milk toffee, bubble gum, hints of milk chocolate, hints of coffee.
F: Long. Kiwi fruit, milk toffee, dried apples, coffee
Comments:
So, we finally get to tasting Calvados. It's not a spirit that I've had a lot of experience with, but I've always enjoyed what I've tasted. Whisky tastes of grain, but that's normally buried under some layers of other flavours. Cognac tastes of raisins, mostly, whilst armagnac tastes of prunes, mostly. Calvados however, always tastes of apples, true to the original fruit.
For the first Calvados on Adventures in Brandy, I thought I would go for something fairly old. This one is more than 18 years old, and is aged in older casks. That shows of course - not much vanilla or tannins, instead there's heaps of fruit, making the flavour profile bright, and young. There's something salty here, think fresh Charentes butter, only married to spices, and something slightly bitter (yet fragrant) in the finish.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, my only niggle was the spirit's thin body. It sloshes around the mouth very well, but slips down quickly. The intensity fades, but the finish drags on and on. Very nice indeed.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
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