Today we're having a few more cognacs and armagnacs just for fun


June 15, 2025

Today we're having a few more cognacs and armagnacs just for fun

In short, a cheerful mix of grape-based drinks, starting with an old cognac as an apéritif, since we’d really enjoyed the Rémy Martin Centaure last Sunday. And then we’ll have a bunch of malternatives...
By the way, since more and more people are now using the term 'malternative', I’d like to remind everyone that originally, Michael Jackson—followed by the Malt Maniacs and thus Whiskyfun—used it to describe aged spirits of sufficient quality to rival top Scottish malts. It was never meant to refer to just any cognac, armagnac, rum or tequila!

Camus ‘Grand V.S.O.P.’ (40%, OB, La Grande Marque, cognac, +/-1980)

This expression was said to be 100% Borderies, although such a claim is nowhere to be found on this old square-shouldered bottle. On its website, the still-independent house boldly declares, ‘We produce the finest cognac in the world, for those who savour the most refined things in life.’ We’re more than happy to take their word for it.
Colour: deep gold.
Nose: it’s certainly charming, rather natural too so no egregious adulteration, with a pleasant trio of soft apples, oranges and peaches, rounded off with the expected raisins and some rather fetching honeyed touches. It’s genuinely fresh and appealing, and it has held its own splendidly in glass these past 45 years.
Mouth:: a very faint caramelly note this time, along with more raisins than on the nose, a slightly syrupy corn sweetness, hints of coffee and orange liqueurs… Still quite attractive but it does seem a tad ‘boosted’. Who knows…
Finish: rather long yet still carried by caramel and those liqueur-like tones. A little aftertaste of pear lingering in the distance.
Comments: Perhaps a touch ‘too much’ by today’s standards, but it’s still genuinely good.
SGP:641 - 78 points.

While we're at it...

Camus ‘V.S. de Luxe’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2005)

Camus ‘V.S. de Luxe’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-2000)

A blend of Borderies and Fins Bois this time around. Despite the ‘De Luxe’ moniker, it was more of an entry-level offering, so expectations remain modest.
Colour: gold.
Nose: well, this isn’t bad at all, more on the herbaceous side, somewhat akin to a marc or grappa, with a marked vivacity leaning towards lemon and orange. Quite nice!
Mouth: the mysteries of old bottles! I actually prefer this one, it’s livelier and tauter, still on lovely citrus notes, a few touches of lime blossom, green tea, and even a slightly mineral edge. And it does feel distinctly stronger than the stated 40%.
Finish: rather long, almost a touch aggressive, would you believe. A bit chalky and still pleasantly grassy in the aftertaste.
Comments: a charming little surprise.
SGP:551 - 80 points.

Let’s get back to our usual malternatives…

Maison Prunier 1992/2024 (56.4%, Art Malts, The Vintage Reserve, bons bois)

What’s featured on the label bears more than a passing resemblance to a McLaren F1 from the same year—here’s hoping this little Bons Bois neither veers off track nor breaks down (S.!).
Colour: gold.
Nose: lovely tension straight away, varnish, lemon juice, cider, white peaches, with a faintly mashy yet curiously minty edge… With water: oh, the glorious medley of all kinds of mint…
Mouth (neat): I’m smitten! A flawless combination of strong liquorice, cider apples and grapefruit, with a bit of white nougat in the background adding a touch of softness. A superb Bons Bois. With water: truly magnificent, still with that vibrant tension, now on dainty, precious citrus fruits. Precious indeed…
Finish: long and just right, almost refreshing, which makes this little number all the more dangerous if you’re not careful (like that F1 I suppose). A return of varnish, even a touch of old kirsch in the aftertaste.
Comments: but crikey, only 36 bottles? Life can be terribly unfair…
SGP:561 - 91 points.

Garreau 32 yo 1992/2025 (52.6%, Liquid Treasures, Bas-armagnac, Collection du Chai Doré, Bar Arrangé 5th Anniversary, Korea)

Splendid label, most soothing in these turbulent times (truly).
Colour: deep gold.
Nose: oh bother, we’re flying very, very high again, with splendid varnishes and oil paint right off the bat, then an orchestration of peaches and apricots to make the botanical gardens of any European capital turn green with envy. Sort of. Well, you get the picture. Deeper down, faint notes of game and woodland mushrooms with a splash of balsamic remind us we are indeed in armagnac territory. With water: we drift towards manzanilla-like notes, quite incredible.
Mouth (neat): the oak is very pronounced but most glorious, assuming you’ve no quarrel with tobacco, buds, leaves, nuts, citrus peel, even a few salty touches. With water: what structure!
Finish: long and gently pastry-like. Butter cream with walnuts, and always that gorgeous old oak.
Comments: we bow down, this is eminently and thoroughly malternative.
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Jean-Luc Pasquet 29 yo (49.9%, OB for Balkan Whisky Club, 28 bottles)

The joy of micro-bottlings. We do come across quite a few JL Pasquets in our cognac sessions, but as I often say, there are quite a few Porsches at Le Mans too. Oh, never mind… (and never drink and drive). I’m told this is a Fine Champagne.
Colour: deep gold.
Nose: rather oily on the nose, more elegant than showy, starting with sesame and grape seed oil, then unfolding into a fairly protracted fruity expansion—small apples first, then the expected apricots and peaches, followed by fresh almonds, orgeat, stone kernels and so on.
Mouth (neat): an amusing start on pear and rowanberry eau-de-vie, even something like undiluted marc de gewurz, before it shifts towards something a touch more honeyed and waxier. It hasn’t quite shed its youthful vigour. With water (just to see): a light touch of Swiss apricotine, still with that persistent stone kernel note. Beware apricot stones! (we digress) …
Finish: rather long, still quite ‘eau-de-vie’, which of course is a virtue if you’re Alsatian.
Comments: superb once again, just a tad more restrained.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Domaine de Mouréou 1988/2025 (45.8%, Authentic Spirits, Bas-armagnac)

100% Baco. We previously encountered a young and rather funky Mouréou 2011 from Authentic Spirits that was nothing short of a firecracker (WF 88). This one should—could—be a little more civilised.
Colour: amber.
Nose: I don’t mean to go all bargain-bin poetic on you, but the entire landscape fairly leaps out at you. Hay, mushrooms, pine, bark, the odd hedgerow fruit, especially plums… And then there’s a faint echo of rustic local white wine, the sort one downs by the hectolitre every evening in South-Western cafés—even in the capital.
Mouth: a proper country armagnac, rough-hewn, robust, almost tart (but delightfully so), still close to the grape despite all these years, and brimming with orchard fruits straight from the Gers. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine anything more ‘authentic’.
Finish: amusingly, it’s here that it starts to mellow out a touch, with even a few notes of vanilla and soft liquorice, beneath the thick plum jam. Buds and sprigs lingering in the aftertaste.
Comments: the extra 23 years make no difference—it stands shoulder to shoulder with last year’s 2011 at the same (very high) level.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Marquestau 25 yo 1998/2024 (51.7%, Grape of the Art, Bas-armagnac, cask #225, 310 bottles)

Marquestau 25 yo 1998/2024 (51.7%, Grape of the Art, Bas-armagnac, cask #225, 310 bottles)
100% Baco once again, and yet another domaine new to me (though I remain an eternal newcomer). They’re based in Hontanx, Landes.
Colour: amber.
Nose: it’s rich and woody, in a proper traditional style, what one might call ‘restaurant armagnac’. There’s a vinous edge to it, almost Pauillac-like in some respects, and heaps of prunes with little earthy touches throughout. Pine forest after the rain. With water: damp soil, woodland, pinecones, humus. And honestly, how could one be against any of that?
Mouth (neat): still rich, powerful, woody and traditional, very close to pipe tobacco, orange marmalade and coffee. You’d swear there were even garlicky cèpes in there. With water: a miracle! The clouds part and suddenly you’re handed a fantastical cocktail of chartreuse, Bénédictine and Verveine du Velay.
Finish: long, aromatic and herbal (with water).
Comments: the impact of just a few drops of water here is both maximal and spectacular.
SGP:461 - 90 points (only 87 without water, so do try it with!)

Hontambère 45 yo 1980/2025 (45.4%, OB, Selected by RAC Spirits, Ténarèze, cask #A10, 80 bottles)

A Pouchégu 100% Ugni Blanc with textbook ageing—starting in new Limousin oak before moving to ‘roux’ or ‘red’ oak, meaning refill. Exactly what our friends in whisky ought to be doing as well, rather than the other way round. I know, I know, here I go again…
Colour: dark red amber.
Nose: sublime balsamic notes, tinned prunes, black truffle, ripe banana and pipe tobacco. A marvel of compactness and coherence (indeed, even the ripe banana), not much else to add at this stage.
Mouth: ah, the old Ténarèze when they decide to seize control of your palate and your tastebuds! The oak is prominent again, but bolstered by soy sauce, crème de menthe glaciale, of course fir sap and bud, before it ventures into the realms of old oloroso, ancient madeira, mature Catalan rancio and even those very powerful black teas. This is all fairly explosive and we do advise a ‘drop by drop’ approach to tasting. Thank me later.
Finish: long, dry, concentrated on tea tannins and bitter chocolate, but rounded out with a splendid minty liquorice and a little orange marmalade to sign off.
Comments: a proper time machine, straight back to the days of The Stranglers, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Pere Ubu, and since we’re in France, Gainsbourg and Bashung… Excessive and completely mad!
SGP:571 - 91 points.

It's time to bring this celestial ride to an end (wait, what?).

Aurian 1930 (42.5%, OB, selected by Spheric Spirits, bonbonne #D8)

Aurian 1930 (42.5%, OB, selected by Spheric Spirits, armagnac, bonbonne #D8)
It goes without saying how moving it is to taste such an old Armagnac.
Colour: reddish amber.
Nose: sheer delicacy from the outset, all on stewed fruits, medlars, apples, quinces, plums of every persuasion, peaches too, interwoven with old sweet wines, Marsala, Port, honeys and gentle resins, followed by faint yet elegant inklings of ham and mushrooms, though always with decorum and gentleness.
Mouth: I dare say whoever decided to house this venerable Armagnac in glass demijohns knew exactly what they were doing. It had begun to whisper somewhat, with a fruitiness leaning towards herbs, broths, a touch of hay, ancient waxes, the faintest suggestion of brine, and just a wisp of paper and cardboard… Yet it remains thoroughly beautiful, with an increasing profusion of raisins of all kinds, as though it were stirring anew after its long slumber.
Finish: not exactly protracted, but rather exotic nonetheless, reminiscent perhaps of a Thai broth laced with fruit. One even detects a little coriander and Thai basil.
Comments:: these very old spirits become utterly charming as age takes its rightful hold. Quite moving indeed… By the way this baby spent 70 years in wood and 23 years in a demi-john.
SGP:451 - 88 points.