Brandy Archives - Page 10 of 15

Category: Brandy

Shane

Somerset Two Year Old Cask Strength Spirit in Somerset Oak 69.97%

Nose: Holy shit, I can’t believe this is a 2 year old spirit. This smells like a perfect love child between cognac and calvados. Black pepper. Celery. Old Bay Spice. Browned butter. Apple butter, spiced apple sauce. Nutty. Subtle rancio. Intense brown sugar. With water, more vanilla comes out.

Palate: This is super fun, I can’t wait to see how this evolves with time. Leather, tobacco, high notes from the apple. Light molasses. Surprisingly drinkable at nearly 70% 😛 There is some rum ester / funk vibe here. Rose hips. With water this comes to life. I rarely water down but this needs it.

Rating: 5 / 10 – this 5 is totally temporary as I think it will definitely increase with a bit more maturation. I look forward to buying a bottle.

Tasting Note

Shane

L’Encantada Domaine Du Pin 2009 / Dec 2022 Cask #18 ?ABV

Nose: Kale chips, or perhaps rainbow chard blanched for 5 seconds. Dry pine leaves with a sprinkling of resin. Mom’s blueberry bushes. They smell so enticing as the summer progresses. And yet for all the health inducing vegetal notes, a layer of dense fruit concentrate. Like reduced plum butter with a splash of red wine. The oak props this up

Palate: Oh that is … bitter? Sour? Tannic? Mouth cringingly tart. Even for me, and I love that element lately, it’s too much. But it passes and the dark stone fruits punch through while saliva cascades from my mouth like a Saint Bernard puppy happy to see you. Damn so juicy. Dusting of pie spices.

Rating: 4 / 10 – this has a lot of promise, but is a bit too hard to drink at the moment. Let’s round out the profile without losing the concentrated goodness or going any further down the herbal route.

Tasting Note

Shane

Capreolus Black Currant EDV 2019 43%

Nose: I didn’t expect the first draw to take me to childhood. We had a California pepper tree on the back of my parents’ orchard. Beautiful, but a giant pain in the ass given my job to mow and trim. Its fern-like branches would hang down, heavy with the bright pink berries. A sweet spicy aroma would drift into the house when the warm santa ana winds would blow. The aroma is both brightly cloying and yet earthy. Juicy currants and sun ripened blackberries. Wet forest moss.

Palate: Incredibly elegant. Bright pops of cassis on the tongue and then a slow faaaaade … nope still going. Each time I open my mouth to breathe the flavors surge once again. Warm with a touch of spicy, the pepperiness coming through on a bigger draw. Reminiscent of a stick tea I fell in love with many years ago that I have not been able to source or name to my great chagrin.

Rating: 7 / 10 – I love that it is so perfectly clear that at first Julie didn’t believe there was anything in the glass. I have a Nusbaumer cassis cordial I bought Julie a few weeks ago and poured a side-by-side. While they share DNA, these could not be more different approaches to the same fruit. Capreolus is an elegant perfume. Nusbaumer a dessert lolly, which my wife mixes with champagne to a fabulous result. I would easily reach for the EDV and yes, I kinda wish I could try it at 48% to see what happens, but only out of curiosity.

Tasting Note

Shane

Chateau de Millet 2000/2025 Cask Sample 76 47.9%

Nose: Grosielle, light oak notes

Palate: Cloves, black pepper, licorice, groseille, leather

Rating: 6 / 10 – very enjoyable, doesn’t stand out as a ground shaker but zero complains.

Tasting Note

Shane

Chateau de Millet 2002/2025 Cask Sample 13 49.3%

Nose: Like listening to vivaldi drum and base. Decadent, elegant with kick. Maple syrup, super ripe cantaloupe, browned butter, seared and caramelized peaches, touch of funk

Palate: Salty, warm maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, flan… decadent without being heavily oaked.

Rating: 7 / 10 – what a lovely pour.

Tasting Note

Shane

Chateau de Millet 2005/2025 Cask Sample GTR5 53.1%

Nose: Buttery, brown sugar, werthers originals.

Palate: Lightly salty, dulce de leche, biscoff, touch of hierba huerto, had a slightly astringent finish

Rating: 6 / 10 – sweet and enjoyable…. Lacks complexity but solid. But the slightly challenging finish takes the pour from from heck yeah to just yeah.

Tasting Note

Shane

Aurian 1974/2025 Cask Sample #8 for 49.4%

Nose: Big oak and concentrated cherry cola and cloves.

Palate: Surprisingly light initially on the palate given the nose but explodes with life on a bigger sip. Cola cubes, raspberry licorice ropes. Not terribly complex but quite drinkable for those who like a lick of oak without getting to tannic.

Rating: 7 / 10 – I would easily drink this without over-thinking it. I probably would only buy a bottle if it was priced right but it’s a very nice pour. Might be closer to a 6 than 7 on some days.

Tasting Note

Shane

Aurian 2000/2025 Cask Sample #20 for 47.9%

Nose: A cross between citrus and apricot… maybe loquat. White tea. I can smell the alcohol, which gives it a young feel. After sitting a bit it becomes lightly floral leaning towards lavender.

Palate: Very fruity and bright. kumquat and vibrant notes with hints of wood on the after path. Something lightly chalky, like after sucking on tums. The alcohol is oddly present for the abv. My tongue tingles. The finish is pleasant but not very pronounced.

Rating: 6 / 10 – a summer pour, cheerful but with character.

Tasting Note

Shane

Aurian 2002/2025 Cask Sample #26 49%

Nose: An earthy apricot or persimmon, creme brûlée, something mildly astringent

Palate: Peach white tea, raw almonds, wafers, white pepper

Rating: 5 / 10 – a super interesting pour but not something I would seek out

Tasting Note

Shane

Aurian 2003/2025 Cask Sample #66 48%

Nose: Strong floral and mountain pine needle notes – potpourri, white peach, ripe apricots, kumquat, a hint of farm funk – like hugging a sheep in the sun, with slightly astringent pine cleaner note.

Palate: A lovely light peach fragrance, even peach gummy on the long finish, with hints of warm spices. Incredibly balanced between fruit and wood. The pine / astringent note is present. This is delicious but that astringence is quite strange.

Rating: 5 / 10 – What a strange set of conflicts. The fruitiness is amazing. The astringence bizarre. I don’t know what to do with this.

Tasting Note

Shane

Pouteou 1978/2025 Cask Sample #55 46.2%

Nose: Concentrated, crab apple, allspice, cloves.

Palate: Apple shrub dominates but more approachable than its siblings. For those who arent familiar, shrubs are old timey vinegar sodas from American history. Quite sour on the finish.

Rating: 6 / 10 – fun for a pour

Tasting Note

Shane

Pouteou 2005/2025 FB Cask Sample #178 47.5%

Nose: Rich unctuous, sweet wood, black cherry syrup, pommegranite.

Palate: Sweet, complex, cola, cherries, without any tannic bitterness

Rating: 7 / 10 – the bourbonites will like this

Tasting Note

Shane

Gaston Legrand Tenereze (Lheraud) 1974 45.3%

Nose: Not terribly complex but pleasant. Oaky, floral with astringent undertones.

Palate: Oaky elements with a tannic kick. With a bigger sip a potpourri floral layer kicks in. Surprisingly hot with a larger sip given the abv.

Rating: 5 / 10 – happy to drink it but nothing special

Tasting Note

Shane

Aurian 1974 Cask R8 49.4%

Nose: Clove flowers, lime zest, old timey rootbeer barrel candy.

Palate: Chicory, clove, kaffir lime leaves, mild grape vinegar, lime peel

Rating: 6 / 10 – this is solid

Tasting Note

Shane

Gaston Legrand Bas Armagnac (Lheraud) 1975 44%

Nose: Old wool sweater my grandfather wore when he had been smoking pipe tobacco. Mexican dark chocolate, incredibly rich

Palate: Incredible start. The first impact is lovely but the middle is missing something. Floral, sweet, spices. Beautiful but needs some oomph. Sorry for the vague notes today.

Rating: 6 / 10 – beautiful but missing a kick