A few anthological old Cognacs for this Sunday


February 9, 2025

A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace!

A few anthological old Cognacs for this Sunday

A wild aperitif, followed by just two or three (or four) old Cognacs... Then, next Sunday, we'll return to rums, which are quite literally taking over WF Towerz.

Remembering Albert Ayler
1936-1970

Reminder: our scores for Cognacs and Armagnacs may appear very high, but unlike our approach to whiskies and rums, we focus solely on the very best bottles, which inevitably raises the average scores significantly. Apologies, but we simply do not have the time and energy to taste average Cognacs or Armagnacs.

Prunier ‘Rare Blended Cognac’ (52.9%, Swell de Spirits, 450 bottles, 2024)

Unusual and intriguing, this blend comprises 10% Fins Bois pure Colombard 2012, 25% Petite Champagne pure Folignan 2014, and 65% Folle Blanche from Fins Bois 2011. If you’re wondering what Folignan is, I wasn’t familiar with it until just now either. A quick dive into DeepSeek suggests it’s ‘a synthetic compound that acts as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABA_A receptor.’ Hmm, well, let’s leave that aside. ChatGPT, alongside Grok, informs us that Folignan is actually a hybrid created in 1964 by crossing Ugni Blanc with Folle Blanche, officially recognised within the Cognac appellation since 2005 but limited to a maximum of 10% of a vineyard's varieties. That seems to check out… Colour: gold. Nose: a rather fat and slightly earthy profile, opening with surprising wafts of sea breeze and fresh rubber (new trainers), before developing into richer organic tones—potting soil, seaweed, damp leaves, tobacco, pistachio oil, and peanut oil. This feels like a Cognac made for the outdoors. With water: the same profile persists but adds notes of metal polish and old silverware. Mouth (neat): rough, peppery, and bone-dry at first, but soon tamed by fruit peelings—peach, melon, apple—before evolving into the fruits themselves, now mingled with a touch of liquorice extract. It grows increasingly salty and even spicy. With water: more fruit-forward, though all green and white fruits now, including crisp little green pears. Finish: long and saline, still very dry, though riper peach and softer liquorice lend a touch of refinement and poise. Comments: could it be the Folignan that imparts this ultra-dry quality, reminiscent of Manzanilla? Or is it the Fins Bois terroir? This gets remarkably close to certain coastal Scottish malts.
SGP:361 - 87 points.

Marie Foucher ‘Lot 75 – L’esprit Nomade’ (50.18%, Malternative Belgium, Fins Bois, 324 bottles)

This takes us to the village of Foussignac. On the Malternative Belgium website, you’ll find the stories behind each bottling and each character, often quite moving and reminiscent of Grosperrin’s style. After all, great spirits are largely about great characters. Colour: deep gold. Nose: initially a touch shy, but the fruits slowly rise to the surface—yellow peaches, honey, sultanas, and ripe bananas. You can tell water will work wonders here; in my opinion, Cognac seems to react about 10% less than malt to dilution. By which I mean that a 50% Cognac feels akin to a 60% malt—a purely personal observation. With water: damp leaves, roasted chestnuts, lanolin, sesame oil, and even shoe polish. Another little enchantment. Mouth (neat): forget it, it’s perfect. Astonishingly fruity, partially exotic, with figs galore—figs, figs, and more figs. With water: peaches, apples, and pears burst forward like Mbappé charging into the box. Looks like a goal is inevitable. Finish: not eternal, but who cares? The arrival of liquorice and powerful honey wraps it all up beautifully. Comments: what can I say? This is perfect. Once again, beware the dangerously high drinkability index. You might want to ask your better half to hide the bottle.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

We’re starting off too high, once more. I mean, the scores are too high, right.

François Voyer ‘Lot 77 – Monsieur Doute’ (48.7%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 214 bottles)

Holy Suzy, 1977, that’s Talking Heads! Colour: amber gold. Nose: an avalanche of raisins—every grape variety, every origin, every stage of ripeness. I’m aware that such a description might seem partial or simplistic, but I couldn’t care less (S., please behave). Mouth: as I’ve already mentioned, our Belgian friends are starting to annoy us (just joking, we adore them—Alsatians are basically Belgians who never made it to Switzerland). But here we go again with another absolutely glorious Grande Champagne they’ve unearthed. Stunning toasted notes, alongside that cascade of raisins and ripe peaches of every imaginable variety. A sturdy, lightly salted liquorice steps in to restore order, and not a moment too soon. Finish: more of the same. Comments: an old Cognac that’s retained a remarkable amount of vigour—much like David Byrne. By the way, did you know David Byrne was born in Dumbarton, Scotland?
SGP:641 - 91 points.

We're still too high.

Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Lot n°73’ (50.8%, Spirit of the Day x Spirit Gallery, Grande Champagne, 197 bottles, 2024)

Bravo S., choosing a Pasquet isn’t exactly going to cool things down, is it? Colour: amber. Nose: sharper and livelier, with green apple, young pineapple, and a touch of patchouli, in a style reminiscent of certain Fins Bois. Gorgeous notes of Iberian ham, a hint of maritime tar, green bananas, and a hefty 500g pack of liquorice straight from Schiphol. Saying that because we don’t find those in France. With water: water smooths it out nicely, bringing it closer to gently honeyed apple compote with faint yeasty touches, à la Springbank (yes, really). A hint of metal polish makes a reappearance too. Mouth (neat): firm and even fruitier. This time, exotic fruits arrive in droves, always underlined by a streak of pepper and chilli, reminiscent of Réunion cuisine (rougail). With water: honey, mead, raisins, stewed fruits, and very dark chocolate, with maybe two or three coffee beans sneaking in. Finish: good length, beautifully oily, slightly more herbal as is often the case (and a touch of grape skins), with hints of old wood and humus at the end. Comments: a lovely journey with plenty of twists and turns—it’s no motorway. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention a hint of salinity in the aftertaste.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Grosperrin – Bertandeau ‘Lot 71 – La Bonne cause’ (52.9%, Malternative Belgium, Petite Champagne, 323 bottles, 2023)

Allez, let’s pick up the pace. Colour: gold. Nose: here we’re entering the territory of varnish and old tree stumps, with wild mushrooms (not trying to sound clever, I promise, but I’m reminded of coral fungi, which pairs nicely with the tree stumps), then pinecones and a faint rubbery touch. This is followed by green and black teas, a hint of ham fat, and finally whole oranges making a bold entrance. With water: beautiful! Figs, sultanas, and vineyard peaches emerge, everything becoming more classic and approachable. Mouth (neat): an old bourbon-like vibe at first, with plenty of power and a marked rye character, followed by roasted pineapple and black pepper. With water: oh yes, water works wonders here! A straightforward exotic fruit jam, but don’t add too much water, as it might release too much tannicity. Finish: fairly long, with a light muscat-like note beyond the usual fruit combination. The aftertaste turns noticeably earthier and woodier, with a leather and tobacco edge. Comments: there’s also a lovely story behind this cask, which I’ll leave you to discover on the appropriate websites (not Disney’s, mind you).
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Paul Beau ‘Lot 70 – En Danseuse’ (43.11%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 290 bottles, 2024)

The official Paul Beau bottlings we tasted a good few years ago didn’t blow us away, but the context here is quite different… Colour: golden gold (seriously, what?). Nose: there’s a lot of elegance here—delicate waxes, little yellow fruits, tiny herbs, fruity oils (olive, peanut, sesame, sunflower), followed by toasted nuts, shall we say. Pecan, macadamia, peanut, hazelnut… The whole ensemble nearly leads to that infamous spread that’s been tormenting mums for decades. It then finishes with vineyard peach, as is so often the case. Mouth: this baby is quite astonishing, reminiscent of malts distilled in similar years (think Glen Grant, Glenlivet, or even Bushmills), with honey, pollen, ripe peach, blackberry, and sweet wines from southwestern France (200 kilometres south of Cognac)—like Monbazillac, Sauternes, Jurançon doux, Cérons (love Cérons), or Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh doux, among others. Oh, and some old Pineau, if you prefer. Finish: of medium length but with gorgeous softness, featuring ripe fruits and honey. A beautiful citric signature, with a tiny touch of salinity and liquorice at the end. Comments: 1970! Best enjoyed while listening to Hendrix, Joplin… or Albert Ayler. A magnificent old Cognac full of gentleness.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

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