The Spirit Journal: Whiskey, Wine, Beer, Cocktail Reviews and Stories.

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Tasting Notes

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©2008 F. Paul Pacult
The following brandy reviews first appeared in the September 2007 issue of F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal.

NEW BRANDY REVIEWS

UNFLAVORED AND FLAVORED COGNAC - FRANCE

Camus Elegance VS Cognac
(France; AV Imports, Inc., Columbia, MD)
40% abv, $24.
Pale gold/flax/straw color; unblemished clarity. Initial whiffs pick up delectable and fresh yellow fruits, especially green apple and Bosc pear; aeration stimulates deeper scents including poppy seed, parchment, apricot, and new leather. Entry is surprisingly composed, honeyed, dry, and luscious for what I have to think is a young cognac; the taste profile at midpalate displays many delicious flavors, such as honey, vanilla bean, pork sausage, cinnamon and nutmeg. Finishes with oodles of finesse, elegance, and component integration. The best VS out there, period. A superior value.
Highly Recommended
Camus Elegance VSOP Cognac
(France; AV Imports, Inc., Columbia, MD)
40% abv, $34.
Light amber/topaz hue; perfect purity. Opening nose is strikingly similar to the VS in terms of the clear evidence of yellow fruit; further air contact releases nuances of wood resin, white pepper, and toasted honeywheat bread. Entry taste is assertively oaky, off-dry, and spicy (baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg); the midpalate flavor profile turns up the oak/wood volume even more and thereby drowns a bit of the fruit and spice elements. Aftertaste is off-dry, calmer than the midpalate and simultaneously leathery, pruny, with a hint of baked apple. The toasty/roasted meat quality is intriguing.
Recommended

Camus Elegance XO Cognac
(France; AV Imports, Inc., Columbia, MD)
40% abv, $99.
Gorgeous auburn/old copper penny color; flawless purity. As in the VS and the VSOP, the yellow fruit comes through early on (green apple and pear) but there's also a mature toasted bread, buttery fragrance that underpins the bouquet; aeration brings out baked apple and pear pastry, cinnamon and nutmeg, and delicate notes of old, worn leather, pipe tobacco, cigar wrapper, and burnt sugar. Moderate sweetness greets the taste buds at entry, then the profile turns more serious at midpalate as flavors of vanilla, toffee, dried cherry, and lanolin vie for dominance. Finishes elegantly and tightly, as the buttery oak supports the baked fruit and spice tastes.
Highly Recommended

Jacques Cardin VSOP Cognac
(France; Sidney Frank Importing Co. Inc., New Rochelle, NY)
40% abv, $18.
Bronze/burnished orange color; ideal clarity. Offers pleasing first scents of white raisins, baked pineapple, and new leather; aeration stimulates additional aromatic notes including marshmallow, orange peel, and orange marmalade. Entry is tart yet bittersweet at the same time, emitting well-balanced tastes of citrus, sweet oak, and nougat; the midpalate is firm, nicely acidic and woody enough to warrant kudos, but what's lacking is genuine depth and layering in the mouth. Concludes off-dry and savory. Good value and pleasing as long as you aren't expecting greatness or profundity.
Recommended

Jacques Cardin Apple Flavored Cognac
(France; Sidney Frank Importing Co. Inc., New Rochelle, NY)
40% abv, $18.
Burnt orange color; superb purity. The apple meat perfume is immediate and pointed in the first nosings after the pour; following additional aeration time, the aroma leans more to dried apple peel than apple meat making for tarter, more austere aromatics. Entry tastes include apple butter, apple sauce, and spice; the midpalate stage features sweet, ripe apple with supplemental tastes of oak, almond butter, and paraffin. Ends on a high note as the apple peel flavor accents the cinnamon/nutmeg spiciness in a graceful manner.
Recommended

Jacques Cardin Jasmine Flavored Cognac
(France; Sidney Frank Importing Co. Inc., New Rochelle, NY)
40% abv, $18.
New copper new/auburn color; impeccable clarity. The very Asian-like, floral/vegetal/perfumed scent of jasmine dominates the opening whiffs; additional time in the glass changes little on the aromatic front, except for the jasmine turning gently sweeter and nearly grapy. Entry is decidedly floral and leafy, but off-dry; the taste profile by midpalate seems a little adrift and unfocused as the jasmine becomes all that you taste, leaving all sense of the cognac base behind. Finishes more liqueur-like than brandy-like in its flowery/grapy sweetness. Wasn't as intriguing as I'd hoped.
Not Recommended

Pages Vedrenne "Forgotten Casks" Vat 54 Rare Cognac
(France; Preiss Imports, Ramona, CA)
40% abv, $157.
Chestnut brown color; superb purity. The aroma upfront takes some patience and deep inhalations to gain some traction, but once the scent starts coming it's woody and leathery, with a soft hint of cocoa; even with another seven minutes of air contact, this aroma remains reluctant and muted by typical cognac standards; light touches of cola and egg cream are noted at the last moment. Entry tastes include cocoa butter, honey, treacle, marzipan, and nougat; by midpalate the taste profile leans towards fudge and cake frosting. Finishes intensely sweet and chocolaty. Highly stylistic and admittedly lush in the mouth, but for the steep price I want a more complete package, one that harmonizes appearance (winner), aroma (loser), taste (winner with caveat attached due to concentrated sweetness), and aftertaste (winner).
Recommended

Pages Vedrenne "Forgotten Casks" Vat 48 Rare Cognac
(France; Preiss Imports, Ramona, CA)
43% abv, $238.
Mahogany/cola/auburn color; excellent clarity. Dark chocolate malt, old oak, and old wood-paneled library aromas make for mildly interesting early-on sniffing; like the Vat 54, the aroma just doesn't develop well in the glass and therefore subtracts from the whole experience because aroma is pivotal to total enjoyment. Entry is very sweet and intensely honeyed, yet the taste displays ample acidity to carry off the sweetness; at midpalate the flavor profile goes in a decidedly chocolate/cocoa direction that is mildly reminiscent of Pedro Ximenez sherry. Ends up buttery/creamy and pruny/raisiny sweet. The code blue, Brandy de Jerez-like sweetness will not be to every cognac lover's liking and therefore the audience potential is niche only.
Recommended
Pages Vedrenne "Forgotten Casks" Vat 49 Rare Cognac
(France; Preiss Imports, Ramona, CA)
45% abv, $279.
Pretty chestnut brown/mahogany color; flawless clarity. Offers notes of egg cream, very old leather, and molasses in the opening round of sniffing; aeration releases baked/oven roasted scents of brown sugar, honeywheat toast, prune Danish, and figs. The flavor intensity at entry is highlighted by the honeyed, cream sherry-like flavor, in which brown sugar and cane syrup are in complete charge; the midpalate stage features a sugar-sweet taste that unfolds in the finish with waves of oak, honey, cocoa, and coffee. While lacking in acidity, the over-the-top vanilla cream nectar flavor challenges the Cognac Establishment like few other cognacs I know of. I'm giving this one an extra nod for its intrepid attitude, something that's sorely lacking in cognac these days.
Highly Recommended

Pages Vedrenne "Forgotten Casks" Vat 91001 Rare Cognac
(France; Preiss Imports, Ramona, CA)
46% abv, $298.
Auburn/henna/cream sherry brown color; unblemished purity. Curiously weird first aromas are almost fennel- and licorice-like, as well as like paraffin and floor wax; additional air contact does little to counter the waxiness that comes to dominate the whole aromatic stage. Entry is drier and leaner than the Vats 54, 48 and 49, but there's an unwelcome metallic/tinny taste that undercuts the first sampling; the midpalate taste goes waywardly bitter and unpleasantly sharp, almost like coffee grounds. This may be the reason why this is a "Forgotten Cask". Should have been "Long Forgotten".
Not Recommended

ARMAGNAC - FRANCE

Chauffe-Coeur VSOP Armagnac
(France; Christine Cooney, Lakeville, MA)
40% abv, $33.
Ochre/dark amber/chestnut brown color; impeccable purity. Right off the crack of the bat the aroma is waxy/paraffin-like, fiber/flax-like, concentrated in oak, and, to my giddy delight, slightly burnt/charred; further aeration stimulates other layers of aroma, most notably, buttered almond, caramelized onion, and buttered popcorn; an aromatic tour de force. Entry is caramel-like, honeyed, rich, assertive, and luscious; taste profile adds sautéed butter, treacle, nougat, marzipan, and baked pineapple at the midpalate. Finishes clean, intensely honeyed, oaky, slightly too resiny, and burnt. The equal of several top dog XO armagnacs costing two to three times as much. To buy it is to love it.
Highly Recommended

Chauffe-Coeur Hors d'Age Armagnac
(France; Christine Cooney, Lakeville, MA)
40% abv, $45.
Old Madeira/mahogany/cola color; flawless clarity. First whiffs are treated to butterscotch and tobacco leaf notes that are deep and buttery/oily; additional air contact releases mature, cigar wrapper scents of prune, fig, and date; burning leaves, and tar. Rich right from the start and nutty to the max at entry; at midpalate the old-oak vanillin leaps to the forefront, then in a moment gets eclipsed by dark chocolate/cocoa bean, then that gets overshadowed by pipe tobacco and honey; there is evidence of cheese-like rancio and butter fat at the very tail end of midpalate that overlaps with the aftertaste. Finish is pruny, cheese-like, and textured. Wow and all this for only $45? Buy at least two bottles of this rogue.
Highest Recommendation

Armagnac de Montal VS Armagnac
(France: A. Hardy USA, Des Plaines, IL)
40% abv, $33.
Deep straw/bronze color; perfect purity. Initial whiffs detect aggressive alcohol that over-rides all other scents, except for a baked banana fragrance; time in the glass improves the aroma considerably, allowing for fruity, ripe aromas of banana, nectarine, peach, and date to emerge. Entry is decidedly sweet and slightly smoky; the flavor at midpalate is more sugar sweet than honey sweet and is laden with chunky wood aspects that wipe out all fruit elements. Aftertaste is simple and one-dimensional. Certainly drinkable, but it can't hide its flaws of imbalance and youthful awkwardness behind the veil of vigorous spirit.
Not Recommended

Armagnac de Montal VSOP Armagnac
(France: A. Hardy USA, Des Plaines, IL)
40% abv, $42.
Burnished copper color; excellent purity. At first, there's a delicate yellow fruit perfume and then that turns grapy and slightly ash-like after a minute or two; light touches of oak, black pepper, and damp straw enter the picture following the seven minute aeration period; I had hoped for more aromatic depth from this VSOP, but didn't get it. Intensely sweet at entry, the flavor is off-balance due to the top-heaviness of the candied sweetness; the midpalate point is a flat-out sweet-a-thon that's cloying, ridiculously fat, and completely stupid. Finishes as a clunky, chunky mess that's worse than I remembered from 1996 when I first evaluated it. Zero finesse due to off-the-charts sweetness/glycerin level. Not for me, thanks.
Not Recommended

Armagnac de Montal XO Armagnac
(France: A. Hardy USA, Des Plaines, IL)
40% abv, $126.
Dark copper/henna color; ideal clarity; seriously attractive. Initial nosings detect fey aromas of oak, light spice, and raisins; with extra time, the spice note accelerates and, in the process, nicely accentuates the grapiness; there's also a pleasant leathery quality at the very end of the aromatic evaluation. Entry is borderline fat with bacon rind and butter cream, but likewise shows enough acidity to counter the hefty sweetness; the midpalate stage is marked by tobacco leaf, leather, light toffee, cinnamon, and oaky resin. Aftertaste is almost too heavy for its own good, but it nonetheless displays enough core depth to retain the recommendation. The de Montals represent an old-fashioned style of armagnac (think: Larressingle, Samalens) that's typically husky and sweet. Perhaps it's time to rethink that game plan.
Recommended

CALVADOS - FRANCE

Chauffe-Coeur VSOP Calvados
(France; Christine Cooney, Lakeville, MA)
43% abv, $30.
Caramel brown/old gold color; ideal purity. Initial whiffs detect buttery/creamy scents that lie on top of the baked apple and wood structural aromas; further aeration adds enticing nuances of nutmeg, apple peel, flowers, and earth; a dazzlingly straightforward bouquet that could be nothing other than calvados. Entry taste is austere at first, then it explodes on the tip of the tongue in assertive waves of apple pastry, mineral/stone, and oaky vanilla; the midpalate underscores all that's enjoyed at entry, but adds a layer of honey/light toffee that nearly makes me swoon. Finish is dusty dry to off-dry, wonderfully toffee-like, and elegant. A world-class brandy for $30 that I'd be happy to serve to anyone at anytime.
Highly Recommended

Chauffe-Coeur Hors d'Age Calvados
(France; Christine Cooney, Lakeville, MA)
43% abv, $40.
Dark amber/saffron hue; flawless clarity. Opening inhalations encounter very toasty, baked apple, pie crust/pastry notes that are long, deep, and inviting; additional time allows spicy and resiny/rancio-like notes to emerge as well as walnut meat, butterscotch, and hard cheese; a complex bouquet that keeps unfolding long after the nosing stage is completed. Taste at entry is like caramel-covered apple, baked apple with cinnamon, and honey; the sweetness level rises at midpalate as the flavor profile grows more succulent, plump, and creamy/buttery. There are even hints of rancio in the finish, at which I find myself literally smacking my lips. Outstanding selection by Christine Cooney, whose palate never ceases to amaze me. A textbook hors d'age calvados.
Highest Recommendation

BRANDY - GERMANY

Editor's note: The Asbach Cellarmaster Collection is available as a 3-100 ml. bottle gift pack for $100. 750 ml. bottles will be available for single purchase in early 2008.

Asbach 8 Year Old
(Germany; Duggans Distillers, Blauvelt, NY)
38% abv.
Lovely copper/burnt orange hue; superb clarity. Smells of autumn leaves, maple, and fudge in the opening sniffs; displays more of a winey/grapy personality after seven minutes of aeration, leaving some of the sweetness behind. Entry is sweet, mildly woody, and a bit lacking in charm and dimension; the taste profile at midpalate doesn't change all that much as the emphasis remains on candied sweetness and wood. Finishes as it started out: predictably sweet and woody. What it sorely lacks is a fruit aspect. It's not terrible but it just tastes like wood-aged spirit and that flat, dull spirit could be anything, including neutral grain spirit.
Not Recommended

Asbach 15 Year Old
(Germany; Duggans Distillers, Blauvelt, NY)
38% abv.
Saffron/amber color; impeccable purity. This aroma is waxy and leathery, with distant scents of yellow fruits, especially nectarine in the first go-round; further air contact doesn't stimulate much more in the way of aromatic deepening or layering and while clean, the aroma seems to be running-in-place. Entry flavor is ripe, candied, and semisweet; by midpalate the wood aspect comes into play, but once again there's a dearth of base material presence. Drinkable, but without any clear character or direction.
Not Recommended

Asbach 21 Year Old
(Germany; Duggans Distillers, Blauvelt, NY)
38% abv.
The attractive color here is henna/old copper/auburn; perfect clarity. This aroma focuses on wood resin, cheese, and dried fruits, such as raisins, apricot, and quince; aeration features the spirit as much as the dried fruit, even a little nuttiness at the tail end of the sniffing phase. Entry is smooth, silky, and pleasantly sweet, with a resiny touch of wood; the taste profile at midpalate suffers from the identical problem as the 8 and 15 year old versions and that is a general deficit of base material evidence which can give a brandy direction and charm; this is merely wood and indefinable spirit. It doesn't taste bad and therefore is drinkable, but the consuming pleasure is limited because the base spirit is so painfully neutral.
Not Recommended

KIRSCH EAU-DE-VIE - SWITZERLAND

Editor's note: The Dettling Kirsh Gift Set is available as a 3-100 ml. gift set only. Gift set price is $90.

Dettling Kirsch Gift Set
Dettling Réserve
(Switzerland; Duggans Distillers, Blauvelt, NY)
41% abv.
Shimmering clarity; silver color. First nosings encounter dry cherry pit stoniness and clean, crisp, leather-like spirit; the leather/vinyl aspect leaps ahead of the fruit stone with aeration. Entry is semisweet, a bit syrupy and sugary, but still keenly cherry-like; the taste profile at midpalate features the ripe sweetness of the fruit as the texture goes very silky. Ends up smooth, a bit brambly, and warming in the throat. Very nice.
Recommended

Dettling Cuvée Schwarze Bergkirschen
(Switzerland; Duggans Distillers, Blauvelt, NY)
40% abv.
Pure as rainwater. The cherry element in this eau-de-vie is markedly juice-like and ripe, especially black cherry juice in the initial sniffs; the amiable juiciness makes for delightful sniffing after further air contact and, though one-dimensional, this semisweet and tangy bouquet is disarming and compelling. Entry flavor highlights the innate juiciness but comes off drier in the mouth than in the nasal cavity; midpalate flavor is slightly mineral- and stone-like, but with plenty of dried cherry fruit to make its point with a high degree of elegance. Finishes sleek, clean, off-dry, and ripe.
Highly Recommended

Dettling Wildkirsche 2000
(Switzerland; Duggans Distillers, Blauvelt, NY)
40% abv.
Spring water crystalline and pure. Cherry pit/mineral scent all the way in the opening whiffs of this eau-de-vie; aeration dramatically alters the personality of this bouquet as the cherry pit fades, leaving behind full-throttle fresh cherry fruit ripeness with a hint of spice; my favorite bouquet of the three Dettling kirsches; gorgeous fragrance. Entry flavor is fully ripe, gently sweet, with enough acidity and stony fruit pit to keep it fresh and ultra-clean; by midpalate the cherry juice/fruit taste is in full flight, cleansing the palate while also scintillating the taste buds with authentic cherry taste. Concludes satiny smooth, nearly creamy, and real-deal cherry-like.
Highly Recommended

© F. Paul Pacult
All rights reserved.

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