Adelphi 25yo 1994/2021

Adelphi 25yo 1994/2021

Brandy: Armagnac 

From: Bas Armagnac

House: Unknown

Style: Single distillery, single vintage 

Colour: Dark amber

ABV: 55%

N: Toffee apples, cornflakes, vanilla, raisins, cherry brandy. With water, raisins, brown paper, red grapes. 

M: Medium body, thickens, hot, tingly. 

T: Bitter sweet. Cherry brandy, cornflakes, orange peel, toffee apples, butterscotch, raisins. With water, toffee apples, brown paper, red grapes, black pepper. 

F: Medium. Butterscotch, coffee, orange peel, vanilla.

Comments:

Cask AM2/20. Unknown armagnac, bottled by Adelphi, a bottler that normally bottles whiskies. It’s cask strength, which was what drew me to it. You don’t normally get brandies at above 42% in strength. 

It’s sweet and luscious, lots of toffee apples and cherries. It’s almost Calvados like at cask strength, with some heavy cereal notes. With water it opens up, becoming more like Armagnac. It fades nicely to a spicy finish. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.  

Victor Gontier 2003 Vieille Reserve

Victor Gontier 2003 Vieille Reserve 

Brandy: Calvados

From: Domfrontais

House: Victor Gontier

Style: Single distillery, single vintage

Colour: Golden

ABV: 40%

N: Honey, raisins, apples, pears, hints of liquorice. 

M: Light body, loose, cool, slightly tingly. 

T: Sweet. Raisins, pears, hay, dried apples, liquorice, blackcurrant. 

F: Long. Bittersweet, black tea, saffron, hay, pears. 

Comments:

I like Domfrontais Calvados, as I really enjoy the way the apple and pear notes offset each other and bring some complexity. This 2003 vintage expression has way more than that, lots of raisins (in fact it’s rather cognac like) and liquorice. I love the complexity. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Avallen Calvados

Avallen Calvados

Brandy: Calvados

From: AOC Calvados

House: Domaine du Coquerel, bottled by Avallen

Style: Single distillery 

Colour: Bright gold

ABV: 40%

N: Apples, ink, sea salt, iron filings, fresh baked bread, vanilla. 

M: Medium body, astringent, cool, tingly. 

T: Bitter salty. Vanilla, apples, sea salt, apricots, white grapes, hints of sandalwood. 

F: Short. Walnut skins, black tea, apricots, sea salt. 

Comments:

Independently bottled brandy is a rarity. Avallen is a company, who, having sourced Calvados from Domaine du Coquerel, a small distillery in Normandy, have bottled it under their own brand. It’s great - not too sweet, but with plenty of fruit and tannic notes. Highly enjoyable and at a good price too. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Michel Huard Vieux Calvados

Michel Huard Vieux Calvados

Brandy: Calvados

From: AOC Calvados

House: Michel Huard

Style: Single distillery

Colour: Dark gold, tinge of green 

ABV: 40%

N: Butterscotch, toffee, baked apples, fresh baked bread, sea salt, hints of smoke. 

M: Heavy body, thickens, mouth coating, oily. 

T: Sweet sour. Honey, toffee, baked apples, fresh baked bread, vanilla, hints of fig jam. 

F: Long. Menthol, fig jam, fresh baked bread, honey. 

Comments:

Excellent Calvados. I really enjoyed this, silky, heavy, pleasant on on the tongue, with matching complexity in terms of layers of flavour. This is almost sherried, with lots of cooked fruit and honey. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Sullivan’s Cove Single Cask Brandy

Sullivan’s Cove Single Cask Brandy

Brandy: Australian Brandy

From: Tasmania

House: Sullivan’s Cove 

Style: Single distillery, single vintage 

Colour: Pale amber

ABV: 50.5%

N: Chocolate, toffee, orange, salt caramel, butterscotch, cashews, hints of smoke. 

M: Light body, warm, tingly, loosens slightly. 

T: Salty sweet. Toffee, salt caramel, chocolate, orange peel, butterscotch, hints of tobacco leaf. 

F: Long. Molasses, butterscotch, salt caramel, chocolate, hints of orange peel. 

Comments:

Barrel TDB009. The master distiller at Sullivan’s Cove has a background in wine, and this brandy is one of the things she makes that harks back to her roots. It’s very good, fragrant and fruity, with a savoury edge. It’s not like the whisky at all, which is, oddly, sweeter than the brandy. It’s is lip smacking though. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Hine Antique XO

Hine Antique XO

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

House: Hine

Style: Blend

Colour: Amber gold

ABV: 40%

N: red grapes, honey, raisins, sesame, pears, hints of chocolate. 

M: light body, cool, loose, slippery. 

T: Sweet. Cherries, honey, chocolate, raisins, fresh baked bread, pears, raspberries. 

F: Medium. Mint, fresh baked bread, cherries, chocolate. 

Comments:

Hine is rapidly becoming one of my favourite cognac houses, along with NAUD. I find Hine cognacs sweet and gentle, but with layers of flavours. This one has cherries and chocolate, and is absolutely delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Somerset Cider Brandy 10yo

Somerset Cider Brandy 10yo

Brandy: Cider Brandy

From: Somerset

Style: Single distillery 

House: Somerset Cider Brandy

Colour: Dark gold

ABV: 42%

N: Apples, vanilla fudge, black tea, cinnamon, caramel. 

M: Heavy body, slippery, warm, tingly. 

T: Bitter sweet. Apples, vanilla fudge, walnuts, fresh baked bread, shortcrust pastry, hints of cinnamon. 

F: medium. Black tea, vanilla fudge, walnuts, cinnamon. 

Comments:

Brandy ages differently, I think, from whisky, and different fruit spirits age differently from each other too. Whisky develops complexity, gains sweet flavours from the wood, whilst brandy, already sweet to begin with, gains accents, by which I mean certain flavours are emphasised. Does the wood contribute flavour notes? Probably, but I find that I can’t discern them as easily in brandy as I can in whisky. 

Anyway, this is luscious and bittersweet stuff, very appley, but also redolent with walnuts and tea. It’s perhaps the brandy version of a sherried whisky. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

NAUD XO

NAUD XO

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

Style: Single distillery

House: NAUD

Colour: Walnut

ABV: 40%

N: Dried figs, raisins, black pepper, chocolate, coffee, sea salt. 

T: Light body, cool, slightly astringent, tingly. 

M: Bitter sweet. Cloves, dried figs, black pepper, olive oil, sea salt, chocolate. 

F: Medium. Black pepper, coffee, sea salt, olive oil, walnut skins. 

Comments:

I really do like NAUD cognac. It’s spicy and sweet, with lots of lovely dried fig notes and a dry tannic bitterness. I gather that the expressions aren’t that old either, to the lower end of the age ranges for each designation. Despite that, they’re complex and subtle, while packing a huge amount of sweetness.

This one also has an oily, slightly salty character to it, which goes very well with chocolate. I nibbled on some dark chocolate with the dregs of my brandy, it offset the complexity of the spirit very well indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations

 Pierre Ferrand 10 Generations

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

Style: Single distillery

House: Pierre Ferrand

Colour: Bright gold

ABV: 46%

N: tobacco leaf, hazelnuts, sultanas, pineapples, hints of pears, hints of fresh baked bread 

M: heavy body, syrupy, thickens, sticky

T: bitter sweet. Pineapples, fresh baked bread, sultanas, vanilla, honey, peaches

F: long. Fresh baked bread, cinnamon, honey, peaches, hints of tobacco leaf

Comments:

A cognac available only once in 10 generations, as the marketing spiel would have it. It’s not half bad, almost luscious in its mouth feel. Not too many raisins in here, there’s some nutty, slightly woody notes, and a herbal hit of tobacco. Lovely stuff. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Frapin VSOP

Frapin VSOP

Brandy: Cognac

From: Grande Champagne

Style: Blend

House: Frapin

Colour: Amber

ABV: 40%

N: prunes, raisins, cinnamon, honey, hints of red grapes. 

M: medium body, cool, slippery, loosens

T: Sweet. Menthol, blackcurrant cordial, honey, cinnamon, red grapes, hints of rolled oats. 

F: Medium. Menthol, blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, cinnamon. 

Comments:

A blended Frapin, but one that displays the same grapey, fruity flavours as the XO I had recently. Hopefully this is the house character. I’m very keen to try more expressions from this house. 

Are there house characters in cognac, just as there are distillery characters with whisky? I don’t know for sure but there seems to be a house style for some brandies. There are relatively few independent expressions of course, so the houses can blend distillate to create a certain style without indies coming in and mucking up their branding. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Uno et Mil Solera Gran Reserva

Uno et Mil Solera Gran Reserva

Brandy: Brandy de Jerez
From: Jerez
Style: Single distillery
House: Sanchez Romate
Colour: Amber
ABV: 40%

N: Raisins, vanilla, honey, coffee, walnuts, hints of dark chocolate.

M: light body, loose, warm, astringent.

T: Bitter. Honey, dark chocolate, date honey, coffee, hints of iron filings.

F: medium. Honey, dark chocolate, coffee, black tea, hints of orange peel.

Comments:

“One in a million”, this is Sanchez Romate’s entry-level expression of Jerez brandy. It’s lighter than the older expressions, with just a little hint of rancio, presenting as a slightly metallic note on the tongue. It’s quite complex, lots of bittersweet notes, lots of fragrant, almost herbal flavours. 

A solera aging tends to produce this style in whisky, that is, a blend of ‘older’ flavour notes - like rancio and tobacco - as well as ‘younger’ flavour notes - like fruit and nuts. I do enjoy it when I can find it, but it’s relatively rare, for both whisky and brandy. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Hermitage 20yo

Hermitage 20yo

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
Style: Single distillery
House: Hermitage
Colour: Amber red
ABV: 42%

N: Raisins, leather, tobacco leaf, tonka bean, black pepper.

M: Heavy body, slippery, syrupy, slightly chewy.

T: Bitter. Cherry, lemon zest, raisins, tonka bean, tobacco leaf, hints of watermelon.

F: Long. Cherry, raisins, tobacco leaf, leather, hints of watermelon.

Comments:

A rather medicinal tasting cognac, with a lush vanilla-like flavour note that I liken to tonka bean. There's also some intense cherry notes on the tongue and the finish, rather like cherry-flavoured court medicine, and some light rancio, presenting as tobacco leaf and leather. It's not quite as delicious as the 45yo Segonzac, but it's very good indeed.

Turns out 20yo cognac is indeed delicious. Well of course it is - time is always a friend of a spirit. As long as you age it properly, in wood, and it has to be good wood.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

NAUD VSOP

NAUD VSOP

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
Style: Single distillery
House: NAUD
Colour: Dark amber
ABV: 40%

N: Dried figs, almonds, vanilla, honey, peaches

M: light body, cools, slippery, thickens slightly

T: Sweet salty. Damson jam, dried figs, sea salt, olives, honey, fresh baked bread.

F: Medium. Fresh baked bread, olives, black tea, peaches.

Comments:

This is the best 'young' cognac that I've tried so far. It's around 4 years old, and I must say that it has reinvigorated my interest in young cognacs. I was not overly enamoured with VS and VSOP spirits, because I felt they were harsh, and one dimensional, without the complexity that I like so much. This one though, is very good indeed - lots of fruit, but with an undertone of savouriness, olive brine perhaps, that fades to a bready, sweet-savoury finish.

The house is family-owned, with its own vineyards, and this is of their own make. The quality of the spirit is evidence in the column of owning your own spirit from fruit to bottle, where the master can control all the variables to his or her liking.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

H by Hine VSOP

H by Hine VSOP

Brandy: Cognac
From: All
House: Hine
Style: Blend
Colour: Amber gold
ABV: 40%

N: cinnamon, cloves, apple blossom, lilies, peaches, merlot grapes.

M: Light body, cool, slightly astringent, loose.

T: Sweet. Peaches, apple blossom, fresh baked bread, honey, lilies, hints of cloves.

F: Short. Green tea, merlot grapes, orange peel, hints of raisins.

Comments:

An introductory expression from one of the four great cognac houses, one that I found very impressive. It's touted as one of the most floral of Hine's cognacs, and it's not just floral, it's spiced as well - heavily so. Lots of cinnamon and cloves, fruit and even the most intense note of lilies.

I must say, as far as introductory expressions go, this is extremely good. It's a mystery to me why some of the cheaper cognacs are lacklustre, after all they're meant to entice people to drink more cognac, and more expensive cognac to boot. If one is apathetic about the drink as a whole it's hardly going to make one buy more.

Anyway, here's to Hine and Frapin, two houses with extremely interesting introductory expressions. Yes, I will certainly concentrate on those in the future.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Ragnaud Sabourin VSOP

Ragnaud Sabourin VSOP

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Ragnaud Sabourin
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber rose
ABV: 41%

N: Camphor, raisins, black tea, butter, hints of peach.

M: Medium body, cool, astringent, thickens slightly.

T: Bitter sweet. Raisins, butter, blueberries, peaches, camphor, hints of cinnamon.

F: Medium. Peaches, raisins, cinnamon, hints of sea salt.

Comments:

My first cognac from this rather small house, with exclusive vineyards in the Grande Champagne region. All very exciting!

This cognac is rather herbal, with big bass notes of camphor, alongside buttery fruit. The camphor is almost acrid in its intensity, but in a good way. It's bittersweet, intense and flavourful, fading to a spicy, salty finish. Excellent stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Frapin Chateau de Fontpinot XO

Frapin Chateau de Fontpinot XO

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Frapin
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber, red highlights
ABV: 41%

N: raisins, figs, dried apricots, dried orange peel, cinnamon, dark chocolate.

M: light body, slippery, loose, tingly.

T: Bitter sweet. Raisins, figs, almonds, elderflower, orange peel, hints of coffee.

F: Medium. Figs, elderflower, cinnamon, coffee, hints of dark chocolate.

Comments:

This is my first Frapin, a very first taste of what the smallest of the great cognac houses can do. Rather surprisingly, it's superb. This is an XO, but it's not a particularly premium one. Yet it's intense and rounded, yet refreshing and light. There is a gigantic wedge of dried fruit, shoved into my mouth, but it's offset with some floral, spicy notes, even some slightly bitter top-notes reminiscent of coffee and dark chocolate.

This brandy has something I prize very much - complexity allied to intensity. There are many interesting dimensions to explore, and I very much enjoyed sitting contemplatively with the glass in my hand. The pleasure I derived from nosing, tasting and thinking this beauty was immense. I look forward to trying more brandies from this house.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Hermitage 2005 Chez Richon

Hermitage 2005 Chez Richon

Brandy: Cognac
From: Grande Champagne
House: Hermitage
Style: Single vintage
Colour: Amber red
ABV: 40%

N: Red grapes, black tea, soy sauce, tangerines, hints of coffee.

M: Light body, loosens, slippery, slightly tingly.

T: Sweet salty. Toffee, red grapes, peaches, black tea, coffee, hints of chocolate.

F: Medium. Chocolate, black tea, tangerines, hints of soy sauce.

Comments:

In the whisky world, the role played by a blender is somewhat underappreciated, because most blends that people encounter tend to be aimed at the casual drinker rather than the enthusiast, and therefore are priced at a relatively low point. And because one gets what one pays for, they taste accordingly. But there are some amazing blends out there, because the blender's skill is to showcase a certain style of whisky by combining alright, good, and spectacular distillates in such a way that the result is delicious.

In the brandy world, I have less intuition for the role a negociant plays, but I understood a little more after tasting this brandy. It's really very good indeed. It's young, I wouldn't say it's XO, but it's got a deep richness of flavour with savoury umami notes that burst on the tongue. There's also some bitter complexity in the finish that I enjoyed very much.

Must find some more expressions from Hermitage - older ones, if the young brandies are anything to go by. The oldies must be truly spectacular.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Maltbarn Lot 86 no 137 (Vallein Tercinier 32yo 1986/2019)

Maltbarn Lot 86 no 137 (Vallein Tercinier 32yo 1986/2019)

Brandy: Cognac
From: Bons Bois
House: Vallein Tercinier
Style: Single distillery, single vintage
Colour: Dark gold
ABV: 44.5%

N: Raisins, leather, sea salt, Roquefort cheese, rancio, peach cobbler

M: Light body, slippery, cool, tingly.

T: Sweet. Raisins, prunes, peach cobbler, marmalade, rancio, leather.

F: Long. Black pepper, black tea, leather, marmalade.

Comments:

This is something slightly different, and maybe more what I'm used to. It's brandy, bottled by a whisky specialist. Maltbarn is a German independent bottler, and this is their first brandy that I've tasted. I gather they partner with Vallein Tercinier, a cognac house that is both a negociant and a distiller with their own vineyards. This particular expression is, like single cask whiskies, bottled from the Vallein Tercinier vineyards in the Bon Bois region, of a single year's vintage, with a specific age statement.

It's also the strongest brandy that I've sampled so far (if only just), and I have to say that the additional couple of percent of strength does make a difference. The flavours are rounder, starker, and more intense. No water required either, for me, although I know that this is probably personal to me, and a legacy of years of killing my taste buds with cask strength whisky.

The 32 years of aging stands out, there's a lovely leathery note, with a rather strong and fragrant blue cheese note on the nose. This is very well-defined rancio. Alongside, there are heaps of jammy, fruity notes, with perhaps a smattering of floral flavours as well.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Chateau de Laubade XO 15yo

Chateau de Laubade XO 15yo

Brandy: Armagnac
From: Bas Armagnac
House: Chateau de Laubade
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Amber red
ABV: 40%

N: Orange peel, soy sauce, strawberries, black pepper, roast ham, menthol.

M: Light body, thickens in the mouth, slightly oily.

T: Sweet sour. Orange peel, strawberries, menthol, marmalade.

F: Medium. Strawberries, roses.

Comments:

I drank this brandy a decade ago. I don't know exactly where, but it was probably a restaurant somewhere in London. My tasting notes are slightly odd:

" Very salty and strong in the nose, with a sharp bite of menthol. Once tasted however, this armagnac becomes a different creature - sweet on the tongue, with a little teasing hints of mint as a reminder of the robust, salty, tangy nose. The finish is also quite gentle, although it would be hard to top that first whiff from the lip of the glass!"

It's interesting to see how much my palate has changed. I feel I understand layers better, and I have more patience, simply sipping and letting the flavours develop in my mouth. It would be interesting to taste this brandy again to see what I would record, but I believe it has been discontinued, more's the pity.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Vecchia Romagna 25yo Riserva

Vecchia Romagna 25yo Riserva

Brandy: Stravecchio
From: Emilia Romagna
House: Vecchia Romagna
Style: Single distillery
Colour: Oolong tea
ABV: 40%

N: Raisins, red grapes, dark chocolate, orange zest, vanilla, pear drops, hints of rose.

M: Medium body, slippery, tingly, warm.

T: Bitter sweet. Dark chocolate, orange zest, oolong tea, hints of coffee, hints of leather.

F: Long. Orange zest, butterscotch, leather, oolong tea, coffee.

Comments:

Oddly, for a country with a long and storied brandy making tradition, Italy does not seem to have an accepted term for grape brandy. Pomace brandy, is, of course, grappa, but brandy distilled from grape wine within the borders of Italy seems to be known by the brand of the producer. However, there are a couple of sources that seem to use 'stravecchio' as a term for grape brandy, so that's what I shall use. It's also a brand of brandy, Stravecchio Branca, made by the famous Fratelli Branca distillers, who also make Fernet Branca.

This stravecchio brandy comes from Emilia Romagna, from a winery that makes its spirit Cognac-style, aging it in French oak. The result of 25 years in wood is stunning. The spirit itself is robust, and stands up to all that aging, with notes of orange, tea, and coffee, over a subtle hint of leather. It's rather in the style of aged whiskies that I, a brandy novice, find familiar, comforting and enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.