Sunday 30 November 2014

Armagnac Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche

Another little discovery that I somehow managed to forget to mention.  Armagnac Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche is distilled from ripe vines of  Folle Blance, exclusively from the Bas Armagnac appellation.  

It is interesting, that this was one of the very few varieties that survived the deadly wave of Phylloxera in the 70s of the 19th century. It is now very rare and only grown on a small area in France. 

Armagnac has a strong fruity character, complemented by light vanilla, dried fruits and tobacco undertones. I personally can taste hazelnuts.  Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche distillate matured for 15 years in oak casks before bottling. 

Clos Martin XO Folle Blanche

Wednesday 26 November 2014

The joys of Cognac: Bache Gabrielsen VSOP Fine Cognac

They say Brno is a boring place. Hard to say. This time, Brno pleasantly surprised me. My latest catch for a “quiet evening on the porch” is called Bache Gabrielsen VSOP Fine Cognac.

Eau-de-vie, distillate used in blending, comes from the regions of Fins Bois and Petite Champagne. It is made solely from the grapes of the Ugni Blanc variety. The blend matured in casks for 7 to 10 years. I was able to get a litre of this in Brno for just 900 CZK (45 USD)!


Bache Gabrielsen VSOP Fine Cognac
Tasting

Cognac has amber colour. It gives off an aroma of vanilla and wood. Taste is slightly on the sweet side, with fruity undertones.

Interesting points about Bache Gabrielsen

Thomas Bache Gabrielsen came to France from Norway at the beginning of the 20th century, to try his luck. He ended up settling down (cherchez la femme) and he joined the company of Peter Anton Rustad.

The company always had a strong position within the market of the northern countries. During the time of the Spanish flu however, alcohol was banned and could not be sold in shops in Norway. One doctor in the city of Homestrand prescribed three things for the flu – some pills, camphor and a bottle of cognac. This is where the name of the Bach Gabrielsen cognac  “tr kors”, meaning three crosses, comes from, and it used to have three red crosses printed on the label. This trick also helped the export of the cognac from France to Norway. We will never know, whether the remedy really helped the patients though… 


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Sunday 23 November 2014

Rum from Guatemala: Botran Anějo Reserva

A friend of mine is a good old honest man. He returned my bag with my Botran Anějo Reserva rum, with the fragrant tasty liquid almost at the same level as before. And you can trust me it must have been hard to resist! The rum is exquisite, with caramel, candied fruit, black coffee, cloves and vanilla undertones. 


Botran Anějo Reserva rum
Guatemalan rum produced by the Casa Botran Company are distilled from fermented virgin sugar cane syrup. They use the solera system for maturing the rum in the altitude of 2333 m in white oak casks that used to contain bourbon and sherry.  

However, the fact that in Miami airport the rum costs 19 dollars, while at home it is sold for 700 CZK (40 USD) leaves a bitter aftertaste. Other than that, I truly recommend it.


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Wednesday 19 November 2014

New pieces for my collection: cognac Godet 1981 and AE Dor XO Carafe Nolly

After a long time I decided to get a little something for myself, and I bought some new bottles for my collection. The first one is Godet, year 1981. I must say I like these old brands in plain bottles and wooden boxes, without unnecessary decorations and trinkets.  

That’s right; the content of the bottle is as old as I am. One could say we will mature nicely together. But the opposite is true. Cognac does not mature in a glass bottle, it does not develop with time and so the only one changing with time will be me. Truth is I had to reach deep into my wallet this time, but I believe the money is well invested. 




Godet cognac is one of the most defined brands. Grapes come from a single region, a single vineyard and for the whole period of maturing the cognac was barrelled in a single cask. Every cognac is thus specific not only according to the region and vine variety, but according to the year of harvest too. 


The second bottle I bought was AE Dor XO Carafe Nolly Cognac. I took it at a spur of a moment for a good price. I think Flaviar sometimes tries to get rid of unopened bottles that they make up their sets of, and they had this extra bottle left. The only disadvantage is that it has no box. But I can still drink it with friends, right? 


Saturday 15 November 2014

Two kinds of rum: Plantation rum Grande reserva from Barbados and Lemon Hart Original from British Guayana

For a little help to my friend I got rewarded two interesting rum samples, which I would like to recommend. The first one is Plantation rum Grande reserva form Barbados. When tasting this rum, I remembered the typical taste of rum pralines! I am well aware of the fact, that the producer would not be over excited about this, but that is exactly what I can taste in it – and I mean it in a good way. 


Plantation rum Grande reserva
Plantation rum Grande reserva is very subtle, light and easy to drink with pleasant and sweet finish. Taste is full, with undertones of tropical fruit. This rum also has an interesting journey – it starts with maturing in old bourbon casks on the island of Barbados. Than it travels to France, the Cognac region, where it is blended and matured for another year in casks previously used for Pierre Ferrand XO Grande Champagne cognac. Isn’t that a lovely journey with the perfect ending? 

The second type of rum that I tasted accepted Darth Vaders invitation and passed on to the dark side. Lemon Hart Original is very dark with a distinctive taste. Because of this strong taste, I would recommend it only to experienced seamen.  By the way, the founder of the distillery – Mr. Lemon Hart – was the first official rum supplier for British royal navy.  

Lemon Hart Original

Monday 10 November 2014

Daniel Bouju Sélection Spéciale Grande Champagne Cognac

I did myself a favour and bought some samples of cognac at MasterOfMalt. 3 cl samples have an advantage – you can taste a wide variety of spirits and you can choose those that you want to order in a bigger bottle for drinking or for your collection. 

When it comes to more expensive drinks, it is nice that you can taste real rare distillates and you won’t spend your yearly bonuses doing so (if you happen to have any). To sum it up – you don’t buy a pig in a poke, you can experience new tastes and you won’t pay an arm and a leg while doing so. 

The first sample I tasted was Daniel Bouju Sélection Spéciale Grande Champagne Cognac. Bouju is a family company from a little village called Saint Preuil. As we can suspect from its name, it was produced solely from the grapes of the Grande Champagne region. Eau de vie was made from Ugni Blanc variety. Cognac matured in Limousin Oak casks. 

Tasting notes:

Colour is pale, slightly amber.
Taste is non aggressive. Pleasant undertones of wood and flowers. 


Daniel Bouju Sélection Spéciale
Grande Champagne Cognac
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Thursday 6 November 2014

Gift idea: Dos Maderas P.X.5+5 10YO, Ron Añejo Superior Reserve

It’s my brother’s birthday and I decided to give him some Dos Maderas (P.X.5+5 10YO, Ron Añejo Superior Reserve) rum, from Barbados. 

The interesting thing about this rum is the way it is produced. The maturing of this Caribbean cane rum is divided into three phases. First, the rum is left to mature for 5 years in oak casks in Caribbean and then it is sent to Spain, where it spends another 3 years in oak casks in the cellars of  Williams & Humbert. Finally, it spends two years in casks used for 20 years of maturing of sweet Pedro Ximenes sherry.

Thanks to all this travelling and maturing the rum has a harmonious taste with the touch of raisins and figs. Taste is very delicate, complex and warming. It makes a great digestive and an interesting alternative for cognac or brandy.  



The only disadvantage of this rum is, that if you give it as a birthday gift, the one you give it to will not want to share it with you. My father and I had to involve a bit of pressure to get my brother to spare another glassful. 

Awards:

Rum XP International Tasting Competition Miami 2013: golden medal in the „Special Cask“ category 
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2013: Silver Medal
Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2011 – 95 points in March evaluation – extraordinary quality and recommendation

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Cognac Daniel Bouju – Très Vieux Cognac and VSOP Grande Champagne Cognac
Two types of cognac from one house: Cognac Leyrat Lot 50 Chai Ancestral and ABK6 VSOP Grand Cru Cognac
Cognac Audry Exception

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Monday 3 November 2014

Cognac Audry Exception


The scorching temperatures outside made me wonder, if I should begin the tasting of my recent delivery of cognac. Around 10 pm, when the heat became a bit more bearable, I opened one of the samples - Cognac Audry Exception.

I have read that this cognac sent its little producer up among the well renowned brands in a Time article. As of today, the producer still uses the short article, but mainly the text: “But the best Cognac you have never heard of is A. Edmund Audry...” to his advantage. 


Cognac Audry Exception
Truth is, that Cognac Audry Exception really is a thing of beauty. It is produced by blending of eau de vie from two regions – Grande a Petites Champagne, in 80 to 20 ratio, where the youngest components are 30 to 35 years old and the oldest ones come from 1928, or even 1922(!). This cognac is slightly more alcoholic (43 %).

Tasting notes: 

Colour: darker 
Aroma: very rich, oaky smell 
Taste: strong, aromatic, explosion of taste, we perceive almonds, marzipan  
Finish: very distinctive, spicy and pleasantly lingering  

Recommendation 

If you want to make someone very happy, get them some Audry Exception for a present. I personally am a non-smoker, but I have a suspicion it night be particularly pleasing for cigar lovers. The price is a bit high (250 Euro and up), but the experience is worth it.