Armagnac Castarede 1968

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.