Professional reviews
Serge Valentin (86)
This brandy was bottled in Scotland and was ‘early landed – late bottled’, which will prevent it from being labelled as ‘cognac’ – provided it’s cognac indeed. No cognac that wasn’t fully matured in the region can be called cognac these days, I believe only Hine were still benefitting from a temporary derogation. Have to work on this… Colour: amber. Nose: wait, it does not quite smell like cognac. Rather armagnac, or maybe even Spanish brandy, with these rather huge coffee notes. Or Armenian brandy? Tobacco, chocolate, coffee, Bovril, metal polish… With water: chocolate, mint, Maggi, pu-her, dried porcinis. Mouth (neat): could be cognac on the palate, really. More fruits, peaches, maple syrup, black nougat, sultanas, pinesap… I’m absolutely not an expert but I think this is quite in the style of some ‘extreme’ cognac makers, such as Bouju or Forgeron. With water: I’m not sure. Probably cognac, but a rather mentholy one. Icy mint and dark chocolate, or some crazy stuff by Starbucks. Finish: long, rather all on chocolate and tobacco. You rather have to fight it. A drop of bervea or even genepy liqueur in the aftertaste. Comments: you could almost call this a liquid cigar. I kind of thought it was a Jerezian on the nose, but the palate’s way too dry for that. We might never know…
Words of Whisky (86)
Nose: Quite rustic, almost Armagnac-like. Big notes of mocha, cappuccino and other coffee related aromas. Slivers of cigar boxes and tobacco, but also some gentler chocolate notes, soy sauce and mushrooms. Only a sliver of plums, raisins and dates in the background.
Taste: Somewhat dry and not subtle in the slightest. Hints of nougat, black tea leaves and tinned peaches, but also some burnt toast, aniseed, menthol and liquorice root. Maybe some plums, but definitely dark chocolate and resin.
Finish: Long. Lots of mentholated notes, as well as chocolate, juniper and tobacco leaf.
CONCLUSION
Almost overwhelming, in a similar way I remember some of the Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask releases to be. That’s not to say it isn’t good. It really is, just maybe not suited for the faint-hearted.
BOW (92)
This brandy was bottled in Scotland and was ‘early landed – late bottled’, which will prevent it from being labelled as ‘cognac’.
Malt Fascination (90)
Malt Fascination:
Sniff:
Lots of fruit and oak, with a crisp herbaceous note. A whiff of chocolate, mocha, old fruit. Grapes and raisins, overripe, fallen off the branches. There’s very mature ‘armchair and a fireplace’ feel to this. Dried plums, later on.
Sip:
Quite dry with a bit of a corky texture, old oak. Some black pepper and raisins, grapes. Mocha, milk chocolate, some pastry cream. The dried plums are here too, and they bring a little plum stone bitterness with them.
Swallow:
A warming finish with lots of raisins, old oak and a dry texture. The finish is long and slightly less sweet. Still with raisins, but towards the end the oak takes the upper hand, but there are still notes of dried plums.
Generally I’m not too big on cognac, but it seems that the whisky bottlers are also finding casks of this to bottle. When things get to 50-something years old the prices are still quite reasonable compared to whisky, but when it can’t be bottled as Cognac, it seems to push prices down a little bit, like with this one. A 27 year old single cask for € 80 is quite a steal.
And is it worth it? Hell yes it is! I absolutely loved every drop of this and am strongly considering getting myself another bottle before they’re all gone. I’m also hoping this is part of a parcel and not just a single cask. That way there might be more in the future.
Anyway, it’s quite different to whisky, obviously. But I certainly loved the combination of fruit, chocolate and herbs. The general feel of the armchair and a fireplace is awesome too. So both great in flavor and in experience. I love it!
90/100? Honestly, I don’t think I have too much to compare it to.
