It's grand and grander Cognac Sunday at WF


September 15, 2024

It's grand and grander Cognac Sunday at WF

We’ll try to avoid a vertical tasting this time, even though we rarely manage it, but let’s give it a go at random. Well, when I say ‘at random’, we’ll still focus on the ‘good small producers’ and, as usual, steer clear of the mainstream. In any case, the mainstream isn’t that keen, its scouts rarely make it to Château Whiskyfun, and you certainly won’t catch me going off to track them down here or there. Besides, remember that our main goal is to find ‘malternatives’.

Heather honey
(Domaine Apicole de Chezelles)

Frapin ‘Extra’ (40%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2024)

A venerable cognac, entirely from their own estate, distilled on its lees. The 40% ABV and old-school presentation certainly lean into the 'retro' aesthetic, but it’s rumoured this grand old bottle contains spirits up to forty or fifty years old, though nothing is explicitly stated. Let's enjoy it. Colour: deep gold. Nose: we're quite close to the vine here, with a honeyed side and a whiff of Sémillon. The usual suspects of tinned peaches and apricots are present, followed by sultanas and a bag of liquorice allsorts, with some cedarwood and a touch of incense rounding it off. Delicate and elegant, if a tad traditional and, indeed, a little retro. Mouth: very soft, delicate, without much oomph or zing, but this smoothness is rather charming. It’s all about raisins, peach, sweet dessert wine, and a hint of tobacco. Alas, it fades a bit too quickly, at least for a malt enthusiast. Finish: very short, slightly resinous with oak, and a bit frustrating. Some apricots, sultanas, a touch of caramel, and a few orange zests. Comments: at least they didn’t finish it in mizunara. Seriously, it’s really good, even very good, just… a touch frustrating.
SGP: 6541 - 85 points.

Famille Cabanne ‘Lot no.100’ (46.2%, The Whisky Jury, 100th release, Grande Champagne, 199 bottles)

All rijks, I mean, all right! (not very funny, S.) The spirits from The Whisky Jury never fail to impress, and this 100th release promises to be even more so, as it seems to hold a cognac from Cabanne that is 100 years old or more. We're not entirely sure if it spent all those years in wood—perhaps some time in demi-johns, but perhaps not. Maybe we’ll find out, but in the meantime... Colour: reddish amber. Nose: good heavens, what a nose! Incredibly aromatic yet without a trace of vulgarity—quite the opposite—with a hint of old Sauternes, broom flowers, honeysuckle, and dozens of different kinds of honey. Then, finally, a little spoonful of apricot jam, like a diamond nestled in a golden diadem (getting carried away, am I?). A few more humble pine needles round off the nose. Mouth: the magic of time. There’s still firmness, with those slightly resinous notes that come with great age, but also a cascade of dried and cooked fruits, led by sultanas and, as often, peach liqueur and apricot jam. Magnificent notes of small dried figs, with a touch of argan oil adding structure in the background. Finish: medium length but firm, always with that sublime balance of pine and sultanas. Perfectly ripe yellow peach and a little coffee bring up the rear with flair. Comments: I was tempted to give this 100-year-old a perfect 100 points for the 100th anniversary, and let’s say I symbolically do, but strictly speaking, we’re closer to a very high...
SGP: 661 - 92 points.

I find it quite amusing that, for example, for the price of one bottle of a 58 year-old, pretty dispensable family-owned old Speyside malt, you could treat yourself to exactly 100 (one hundred) bottles of the 1965 we’re about to taste.

Les Grandes Jouberteries 'Lot 65' (49.5%, Authentic Spirits, Fins Bois, +/-2024)

We're in Val des Vignes, and this Fins Bois is 100% ugni blanc. Colour: deep gold. Nose: magnificent, with more focus on fruit skins, liquorice wood, ripe apple, and chestnut honey. There's even a faint whiff of sea air, which is curious given we're a hundred kilometres from the ocean. Perfect, in its sublime simplicity. Mouth: it certainly doesn't feel its fifty years. There's a wonderful tension here, with oranges, apples, and peaches at the forefront, and not a single raisin in sight. Instead, we get those dried and preserved apricots we all adore—oh, and in jam form too. I also sense tiny saline notes mingling with liquorice and just a hint of lavender liqueur. Only a touch, though. Finish: long, fresh, and almost a bit malty. Cinnamon biscuits. Comments: a dram of great elegance, with perfect tension and a hint of acidity akin to a fine white wine. You could almost drink it with oysters—Arcachon, naturally.
SGP:661 - 91 points.

Another Fins Bois (and I promise we won’t talk about pushy old malts any more today) …

Marie Foucher ‘La Découverte Lot 77’ (51.74%, Malternative Belgium, Fins Bois, 396 bottles, 2024)

This time we find ourselves in Foussignac, while 1977 recalls none other than Talking Heads, and in France, Cerrone (gasp…). Colour: deep gold. Nose: a compact affair at first, all about almond croissants dripping in honey, then a splash of orange liqueur. A drop of water should liven things up a bit... With Water: yes, indeed, more layers of honey emerge, alongside roasted peanuts and cashews, praline, a hint of orange blossom, dried pear, and figs. Mouth (neat): very precise and incredibly fresh, brimming with citrus. Orange liqueur dominates, with a subtle nod to elderflower liqueur (though the elderflower stays in check, thankfully). With Water: a touch of oak peeks through, followed by herbal teas, black tea, and a faint tannic edge. Finish: long, with various citrus zests, while black tea lingers boldly in the aftertaste. Comments: Cognac and water aren’t always the easiest pair, but this is a truly excellent cognac regardless.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Laurichesse ‘Les Jeux de Fruits Lot 75’ (46.8%, Malternative Belgium and Maltopedia China, Grande Champagne, 528 bottles, 2024)

A clever play on words between ‘jus de fruits’ (fruit juice) and ‘jeux de fruits’ (fruit games). Colour: amber. Nose: it’s a slow build, not immediate, it takes its time, starting off charmingly fruity (peaches) and then becoming far more complex while staying compact. In any case, coherent – if that makes sense? So, peaches, guava, orange blossom, North African pastries, then blood oranges, hints of mango, and even a touch of agricole rum in the style of J.M. – I promise you. Mouth: pencils down, sermon over. Peaches, mangos, old Bushmills, old Littlemill, old Lochside, old Balblair (S., didn’t we say no more malt talk today?). It’s as if this fruit bomb had spent a bit of time in new American oak, though we highly doubt it. Either way, it’s simply unbeatable, nothing to be done but bow down. Finish: the same. Fresh, with liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: ‘Jeux de Fruits,’ indeed! A truly adorable cognac, at the very top. Only one flaw – you already know everything from its name; no need to even taste it. Just kidding.
SGP:751 - 92 points.

Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Lot 73’ (48.3%, OB for WhiskyJace, Grande Champagne, 2024)

The house of J-L Pasquet continues to grace the world with its marvellous cognacs, either directly or through independent bottlers across the globe who are highly discerning in their selections (end of the advert; price: a small glass of chilled pineau, please). Colour: amber. Nose: this one feels a touch riper than the others, leaning towards overripe apple, medlar, and even some frozen service tree fruit, giving it a subtle old Meursault vibe, which is, of course, high praise. Hints of orange zest, orgeat, and almond milk follow. Mouth: similar to the previous with just a tad more oak, which translates into Earl Grey and chamomile. Otherwise, the familiar guava, apple, mango, liquorice, fir bud liqueur, and a drop of muscat make their appearance. Finish: rather long, a bit more peppery, with possible hints of quinine. Orange peels and pine needles march along in the aftertaste. Comments: just a tiny bit more wood in the aftertaste, but still a greatly excellent cognac.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Mauxion 1960/2024 (42%, OB for Passion for Whisky, Fins Bois, 78 bottles)

A small outturn, but from a grand vintage, mine. Indeed, that silly joke everyone’s always doing. Colour: deep gold. Nose: meadow honey, peaches in syrup, hints of rosewood, a faint touch of beeswax polish, a whisper of beech smoke, and some beeswax. The balance is perfect, almost deceptively simple due to its flawlessness. Mouth: teas and pink peppercorns, citrus peel, peach skin, followed by fig wine, arrack, herbal teas, and mullein syrup... This lot has turned ever so slightly lighter, perhaps missing a bit of kick, but the profile remains absolutely wonderful. Finish: medium length, very much focused on herbal teas. Verbena, raisins, hints of strawberry, with just a touch of tea and cardboard in the aftertaste. Comments: it feels as though it’s bidding us farewell on the palate, which is rather moving. I think it was captured at just the right moment. Still sublime, like a great actress in her twilight years (you know what I mean).
SGP:541 - 89 points.

Shall we try some really old ones again? Let's say, to celebrate the approach of autumn.

Tiffon 'T.V.RES.' (43.6%, Malternative Belgium for The Antelope Macau and Kanpaikai Japan, Grande Champagne, 2023)

We could try to guess what 'TV RES' stands for, but we won’t bother – the names Tiffon and Malternative Belgium are enough to go by. All right, maybe 'Très Vieille Réserve'? The sort of phrase that rarely means much but is always endearing. Colour: glowing amber. Nose: it comes across as lightly jammy, with sultanas, mirabelle plum and damson jam, then a delicate touch of menthol and earthy tones. A bit of pipe tobacco, damp potting soil, prunes… I’d even dare to say there’s a hint of old Armagnac, but of course, that’s impossible. Mouth: similar feelings. Notes of old wood, tobacco, a leathery quality, dark chocolate, menthol, countryside black tea, and liquorice wood… It’s beautiful, very different from the others, and perhaps quite ancient. A hint of very old pu-ehr tea begins to emerge. Finish: medium in length but with a splendid earthy quality. Chocolate, prunes, and peppermint lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: yes, it does feel very old. It’s superbly, superbly good, in a style quite distinct from all the others, perhaps more classic.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Mauxion ‘Lot 36’ (43.2%, OB for Passion for Whisky, Borderies, 2024)

Well, here we are, skipping right over the Second World War, and we find ourselves in the Borderies – the 'frontiers'. Eighty years in cask, followed by just a few years in a demijohn to enjoy a well-earned paradise. I must say, it’s always a moving experience to taste cognacs that ‘could have been sipped without a second thought during the war, yet narrowly escaped that fate’. Colour: gold. Really not dark. Nose: oh, how lovely this is! Moss, ferns, mushrooms, mint, camphor, melon, overripe apples, and those everlasting honeys… did you know honey is the best-preserved organic product of all? Mouth: quite incredible how fresh it is after 80 years in cask. The honeys and ripe fruits are staggeringly vibrant—apples, melons, peaches of course—followed by earth, tobacco, verbena, mint, anise, gentian, bergamot, a touch of mead, and even, for fun, a drop of Buckfast tonic wine. Really. Finish: beautifully long, without the slightest hint of misplaced wood. Roasted and caramelised pecans in the aftertaste. Comments: astonishingly fresh and precise after all these years. The successive cellar masters who oversaw this cask did a top-notch job, unless it’s all down to luck. If so, hooray for luck! Let’s not forget the ultimate rule everyone’s overlooked: when it comes to maturation, the best method is often ‘to do nothing at all’ as old managers used to claim, though that’s become hardly modern. Long live the passing of time!
SGP:651 - 93 points.

It all comes down to one last one...

Vallein Tercinier 1935/2024 (47%, OB for Kirsch Import, Petite Champagne)

Now, this charming drop was transferred to demijohns in 1990, so technically speaking, it spent 55 years in wood hence is a 55 years old. Personally, I’d consider time in glass as well, never fully sealed (for glass containers can't be entirely sealed, unless you're in some sort of vacuum chamber at a constant temperature). Let’s say, it counts for roughly twenty percent of the time in wood, just a wild guess. So, 55 years + (34*0.20) gives us around 62 years, give or take. Open to debate, naturally. Colour: amber (Baltic variety). Nose: old waxes, beeswax polish, a vintage library with cedarwood, fir, yew, and a good deal of thuja. Orchard apples, and the interior of an old Jag (a proper Jag, mind you), then we get some mint, eucalyptus, Tiger Balm, and even a whiff of old Ardbeg – and I’m not joking (think early 1970s). Of course, a few raisins sneak in too. Mouth: resins, pine needles, and a lot of liquorice wood start to take over a bit, which makes it clear why some very clever soul decided to move this nectar into glass in 1990 – just imagine, that was before Oasis even formed! The fruit has been beautifully preserved, leaning more towards liqueurs, sweet wines, orange liqueur, and even a touch of calvados. There's some verbena in there as well. Finish: long and almost refreshing with all that menthol, liquorice, and indeed, the verbena too. Comments: this is a true journey across multiple temporal dimensions. A magnificent cognac that highlights why quick-fix flavouring with any kind of thing (no names mentioned) simply doesn’t cut it. The whisky world should catch on to that again soon enough.
SGP: 661 - 92 points.

Serge from cognacfun.com signing off.

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