Cognac or some other brandies


October 14, 2023

Cognac or some other brandies?
Eenie meenie…

Cognac! Awesome cognacs for the planet!

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, French photographer and environmentalist, did and signed the label for the magnum of VT 1946 1/1 that will be auctioned soon for his GoodPlanet Foundation (Futura Sciences)

L'Organic Pedro Ximenez 2006/2022 (50%, Jean-Luc Pasquet, Experimental Series Vol.1, grande champagne)

Finishing some brandy in a wine that was fortified with brandy in the first place, that sounds a tad pleonasmic or tautological to me, but why not. Grape and grain doesn't always work, but grape and grape… well let's see. Colour: gold. Nose: stems, skins and stalk, really, white peaches, no stuffy PX this far, a little fresh mint and coriander leaves, green/blue Wulong tea, then some rather amazing little notes of liquorice wood, fennels seeds, wild carrots… With water: oh, a little shoe polish and some heather honey. Mouth (neat): raisins, as expected, but once again it's not cloying at all, even if we're finding touches of late-harvest gewurz or even muscat. But indeed we're sure there's neither gewurz nor muscat in there. A little bit sweet. With water: still a little sweet, but the freshness was preserved. Sultanas with touches of liquorice. Finish: medium, on the same flavours. Comments: we've tried a natural version of these 2006s before, it was rather more to my liking (WF 86), but that's me. If you like them sweet…
SGP:751 - 85 points.

Fins Bois 'Heritage N.88' (48.8, Cognac Sponge, Vallein Tercinier, 250 bottles)

I wonder if it's not malt enthusiasts, who are now adding the grand cognacs from certain houses to their collections, that have made Fins and Bons Bois popular. Honestly, just a few years ago, very few of them were offered as 'single cru.' But that's great! Colour: bright gold. Nose: a very refreshing cognac, starting with wildflowers (woodruff once more, honeysuckle too) on the nose, and going on with our beloved quinces, mirabelles, bergamots and peaches. Pretty delicate, very lovely. In the old days, we would have added 'a little feminine', just to give you some historical perspective. Right. Mouth: perfect, chiseled simplicity. Acacia honey, quince syrup, tangerines, mangos, tiny touch of mint. Incredible – and dangerous – drinkability. Finish: calling for more, that's the problem. In Alsatian, we would say it is very 'süffig'. Comments: if you'd like to recreate this, just blend 1/3 Littlemill, 1/3 Rosebank and 1/3 Balvenie. But between us, it would be much cheaper and quicker to just buy a bottle or three of this dazzling petit Fins Bois by our friend l'éponge.
SGP:641 - 91 points.

Once more, we're too high already (hey, figuratively). Now to be honest, only the best are coming our way, and we shan't complain.

Sir 'Type 72' (47.8%, Fanny Fougerat, Hors-Série, petite champagne, 768 bottles, 2023)

That's right, possibly the year of Bowie, Lou Reed, Zappa, Gainsbourg (after all this is cognac), the Osmonds (I'm joking now)... From a single refill cask and 100% ugni blanc. Colour: gold. Nose: more delicate yet, absolutely not 'old', rather on moderately aromatic herbs, leaves, root vegetables, apples, jujubes, green pears, gooseberries… A tiny bit of paraffin, candles, something very delicately garage-y and almost a little malty (old engine oil, garage floor, old tyres, even used brake pads…) It is extremely intriguing, delicate indeed, complex... Mouth: fast-backwards, it is much fruitier on the palate, almost zesty, rather full of citrus (tangerines) and papayas. Touch of custard, tarte tatin, quince jelly, more bergamotes, Dutch kumquats (joking), sweet borage flowers, honeysuckle, those white clover flowers that we used to suck on when we were kids… And just a tiny hint of coffee. Moving old cognac still full of youth, rather an enchantment. Finish: medium, a little more on crème brûlée, perhaps. Even a small feeling of rhum agricole, and a little earth in the aftertaste. Comments: take your time with this one. But no one should be in a rush while savouring this kind of cognac. It's not H******y and we are not rappers, are we? Superb…
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Jean Fillioux 'n°60/65' (45.5%, Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch Import, grande champagne, Germany, 330 bottles, 2023)

All right, this is old cognac. In fact, I am in the process of creating the Association For Those Who Want To Prevent the Belgians, the Germans, and the Scots From Grabbing All Our Best Cognacs. For now, there are three members: me and the two official cats at Whiskyfun Towers. Colour: bright amber. Nose: a bellini made with Bollinger and the coolest crushed peaches. And peach liqueur, peach syrup, peach jam… and just ripe peaches. I'm not sure bees harvest peach nectar and that beekeepers could produce single-flower peach blossom honey, but if you find any, please advise. Alternatively, there is this grande champagne by Jean Fillioux... Mouth: it's not complex but it is exceptionally full of anything 'peaches' and 'honeys'. More complexity could almost be considered a flaw in this context, if you see what I mean. High precision cognac, a true marksman, I would say, even though military references have become quite commonplace lately. Finish: rather long, exceptionally honeyed and still full of ripe peaches of all kinds. The aftertaste is a little jammy, but that would be peach jam cooked with candy sugar only. Comments: this one's so evident. You have to like them a little sweet though. I do.
SGP:741 - 91 points.

This session is starting to become a bit frightening.

Vallein Tercinier 'Lot 52' (43.9%, OB, La Maison du Whisky, grande champagne, cask #666, 60 bottles, 2023)

First matured for a few months in new oak in a dry warehouse, it was then transferred to refill wood stored in a damp/wet warehouse, and then to a demijohn in the year 2010. So I suppose you could say this is a 58 years old, but remember we believe in bottle maturation. Only the angels could tell, in truth, so let's try to be angels (that's perhaps a little presumptuous, S.) Colour: amber with copper tones. Nose: always this freshness, always this very careful handling of oak. Dazzling notes of black nougat, honeys, Corinth currants, the expected peaches (it's peach day at WF, really!) plus roasted peanuts, toasts and just salty praline (which is another utter sin). Perhaps summer truffles. Mouth: oh. You would almost believe they had distilled sémillon and petit manseng wines. Extraordinary tiny herbs, parsley, drop of absinth, touches od cedarwood, peaches 'of course', small roots, wild carrots, gentian… Finish: imagine some peach jam flavoured with some mint, liquorice, and a little tobacco (which wouldn't make any sense, but there). Comments: all these cognacs are top dancers, but this one's a danseur étoile.
SGP:651 - 92 points.

Vallein Tercinier 'Lot 46' (44%, OB, Vente Solidaire WLP, magnum, 1/1 bottle, 2023)

This incredible magnum will be auctioned at LMDW's Fine Spirits Auction during or around Whisky Live Paris for Yann Arthus-Bertrand's GoodPlanet Foundation. It is a unique magnum bearing a label done by Yann Arthus-Bertrand himself. ***I officially guarantee that I will say exactly what I think, even if it's a bottle sold for a good cause*** (of come on, S.) Colour: deep amber. Nose: house style. Ripe peaches and mangos, stewed in light honey, then poached in Yquem, then delicately smoked over some precious oak fire. Nargileh smoke. It's also good to know that a magnum like this will keep for at least three centuries, better warn your offspring. Mouth: peaches once more, a feeling of incense and cedarwood, some incredible old raisins, a stunning mentholy earthiness, plus some of those late-season mushrooms that are so fantastic (but late this year because of the hot weather). I think you call them wood blewit. Finish: pretty long, getting empyreumatic. Toasts, menthol, drops of old chartreuse, honey, chutneys. Perhaps apricot. Caramel cream in the aftertaste, that's the last nail. Comments: some might say that all of this makes no sense since there's only one bottle. Think again; I'm sure many friends will chip in to buy it together, and that there will be dozens sharing it. Oh yes!
SGP:651 - 93 points.

One last one while we're at it.

Tesseron 'Lot N°29 X.O Exception' (40%, OB, Cognac, grande champagne, +/-2022)

Aged by three generations, they say. But is this a 1929 indeed? What's sure is that Lot N°53 had already been quite sublime two or three weeks ago (WF 90). And never mind those 40% ABV, which are really out of fashion and have become quite devalued. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it's probably a little difficult after the Valleins, we're actually closer to some very old calvados here, it rather whispers and sighs, being a little herbal beyond some ripe apples and peaches that, having said that, keep expressing themselves after so many years. Affabile and con tenerezza. Mouth: more action than I had thought, but we remain far from the others – and far from Tesseron Lot N°53. Some sweetness, syrups, Nescafé (I know), a little pancake sauce, mead… Finish: shortish, on herbal teas, chamomile, stewed peaches… Some candy sugar in the aftertaste. Comments: I know I tend to be rather kind towards very old spirits, and of course, this cognac from the roaring twenties remains as nostalgic as an old Bugatti, but I believe that here the engine has lost a little horsepower. Still very good.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Check the index of all cognacs we've tasted so far