Darroze Armagnac 1968
$289.99
Francis Darroze started his business in 1974, as a producer and trader of fine Armagnac. Here's a fantastic and very rare example, from 1985. Here's what Robert Parker has to say about him: "One has never really tried an Armagnac until trying those of Francis Darroze!" One for every serious fan of French spirits. All the Darroze Armagnacs are aged in their own barrels, and no caramel or other coloring agents are ever added. And to be sure they keep their true character, they are never blended. Rare, hand-crafted, original.
D'Eaubonne VSOP Brandy 375ml
$15.99
375 mL bottle.
D'Eaubonne VSOP is a French Brandy that has been shiipped in bulk containers and then bottled in Canada.
VSOP stands for ".Very Superior Old Pale", which means the Brandy / eau de vie has been aged for at least 4 years in casks before bottling.
Calvados Adrien Camut 6 YO
$109.99
The Adrien Camut 6-year-old Calvados is a perfect aperitif to serve on ice or pour on top of a French vanilla ice cream. It's like apple-scented Cognac and would also provide the perfect end to a great meal.
About Adrien Camut
Adrien Camut is a family producer of Calvados, a type of brandy made from apples in Pays d'Auge AOC. The firm dates to the 1800s and has been passed down from father to son over the generations.
Details below from calvadosonline.com:
About the Apples: "About 25 different varieties of apples are grown on the 110 acres property of the Camut family and all of them are going into the making of Calvados Camut. The upkeep of the grass under the apple trees is traditionally and exclusively performed by the cows who also bring the necessary fertilizer. No chemical product is used, the farm is run biologically. Only the oldest and most rustic types of apples are grown, they have been selected for their quality, not their profitability. The Camut family have their own tree nursery, allowing them to perfectly control the varieties of apples grown and to replant apple trees every year in March."
About the Distillation: "The distillation The apples are mashed and the juice is stored in a tank so that the fermenting process begins and the sugar changes into alcohol, slowly and naturally of course. The cider obtained from this fermenting process rests in oak barrels for ten months before being distilled in September, as wanted by the Norman tradition since centuries, whereas some other calvados producers distill their cider only a few weeks after the apples are harvested... During the first two years, the eau-de-vie is going from one oak barrel to another, so that oxidation and elimination of volatile alcohols can happen. The oak barrels used are about 50 years old and help the calvados to gain body, complexity and a wonderful colour. After two years, the now called "Calvados Pays d'Auge" is transferred into larger wooden tuns filled up to 2/3 to leave room for oxygen. The cellar has no insulation, the temperature range is good for the aging process. About 5% of the calvados will evaporate every year, the famous Angel's share..."
The Maturation: "During the first two years, the eau-de-vie is going from one oak barrel to another, so that oxidation and elimination of volatile alcohols can happen. The oak barrels used are about 50 years old and help the calvados to gain body, complexity and a wonderful colour. After two years, the now called "Calvados Pays d'Auge" is transferred into larger wooden tuns filled up to 2/3 to leave room for oxygen. The cellar has no insulation, the temperature range is good for the aging process. About 5% of the calvados will evaporate every year, the famous Angel's share... When it's time to bottle the Calvados Camut, no sugar or artificial colouring is used, there is no filtration either, the calvados is directly bottled and labelled by hand."
Darroze 1989 Barigos
$161.99
An incredibly special Armagnac from a fascinating family in France! "Francis Darroze mastered the talent for discovering individual estate Armagnacs, travelling all over the famous Bas-Armagnac terroir with his knowledgeable and exacting wine loving father and tasting hidden treasures in little, out of reach, unknown estates," according to Darroze. "These first discoveries date back to the 50s and 60s, then intensified from 1970 with the construction of a cellar specifically dedicated to ageing. His son Marc, a trained oenologist, joined his father to follow in his footsteps in 1996."
Bodegas Alvear Brandy 25 Year
$64.99
From the prestigious and well-respected Bodegas Alvear comes this 25 year old Spanish Brandy. It was aged using the Solera method in American Oak casks and bottled at 40% ABV.
Lepanto Gran Reserva Brandy
$64.99
Distilled by Gonzalez Byass in Jerez from Palomino grapes, This sherry from Lepanto is aged using a solara system that utilizes American Oak casks that previoiusly held sherry. After this, the brandy is finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks. The minimum age of brandy in this bottle is 12 years old.
Old Herold Slivovica Plum Brandy
$43.99
Old Herold Slivovica is a brandy/eau de vie made from plums harvested in Slovakia. Botted at 52% ABV
Lustau Brandy Solera Gran Reserva Finest
$64.99
The Lustau Gran Reserva is aged for 10 years in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks made from American Oak. Bottled at 40%.
Lustau Brandy Solera Reserva
$39.99
This Brandy De Jerez is aged for three years in a traditional Solera System using casks that once held Amontillado Sherry. 40% ABV.