A couple more cognacs


April 12, 2026

A couple more cognacs

We’re simply carrying on as before, beginning this new session with the traditional ‘old-style’ apéritif, from a house that seems to be relatively little known…

Castillon ‘Le Choix de la Maison V.S.O.P.’ (40%, OB, Fine Champagne, 1960s)

A brand that had been absorbed by Renault cognacs in the 1960s, which was later acquired by Pernod Ricard via Bisquit in 1991, before being transferred to new Finnish owners. As such, Castillon, aka Pinet Castillon, disappeared in the 1970s. Let us taste it. Colour: copper. Nose: a charming nose, very traditional, between sultanas, iris, a touch of black earth and the familiar well-ripened peach. Very slight menthol. Hardly any OBE here, it has remained lively like a dace, or almost. Mouth: same impressions, rather full-bodied, with light bitterness that remains fairly noticeable, a faint pine resin side that could be typical of a ‘taste of glass’, yet the base of fruitcake, raisins and orange zest has stayed firmly in place. Finish: long and curiously peppery. Comments: there is no doubt a touch of Old Bottle Effect, yet it has remained truly charming and nicely full-bodied, should you ever come across a bottle at auction… Besides you can indeed find very old vintages of Castillon, 19th century and so forth.
SGP:451 - 80 points.

Shall we move on to the moderns?

Larsen ‘VS’ (40%, OB, Single Grape, +/-2025)

Pure ugni blanc. All distillers in the world do love to use the word ‘single’ at the slightest opportunity, do they not? Colour: gold. Nose: this is very gentle, soft as a lamb, or rather like acacia honey enriched with a little natural vanilla, before apricot and wafts of broom come along to join the party. Very light touches of eucalyptus, most pleasant. Mouth: no one could object to this light, fresh, floral palate, though it then moves more towards slightly burnt nuts and black tea. The somewhat feinty and spirity side suggests that this is nonetheless a very young cognac. Finish: rather short, softer again, with fruit juices, apple and then pear, for instance. A touch of quince eau-de-vie as a signature. Comments: we rather like these very young cognacs that are probably more often enjoyed in cocktails. Truly, we do like this.
SGP:541 - 80 points.

A. de Fussigny ‘Sélection’ (40%, OB, Fine Cognac, +/-2026)

A young blend from several crus, described as summery on the brand’s website. We should therefore be in territory close to that of the previous one. Colour: full gold. Nose: indeed, this remains on the light side, yet the whole leans more towards flowers and small herbs, before moving on to yellow melon and, above all, woodruff and honeysuckle. Little touches of freshly cut hay, right in the middle of summer indeed. Mouth: closer to the previous one, soft, very slightly sweet, with orange liqueur and heather honey. It is fresh and cheerful, the raisins behaving with commendable restraint. Finish: of medium length, still very slightly liqueur-like, rather marked by orange blossom and pink pepper. Williams pear liqueur and a light touch of anise thereafter. Comments: we are beginning to wonder whether, overall, we might not prefer the cheerful freshness of a good VS to the slightly more ‘caramel’ side of many VSOPs. But let us move on…
SGP:641 - 82 points.

So, let’s move straight to their XO (we’ll skip the VSOPs for now) …

A. de Fussigny ‘XO’ (40%, OB, Fine Champagne, +/-2026)

A blend of Petite and Grande Champagne aged between 10 and 25 years. The flat, square decanter is very, very handsome, we do rather think it may never find its way to the recycling bins, ha. Not joking here. Colour: copper amber. Nose: it is not easy following a charming VS, for by contrast the roasted hazelnuts, nougat, tobaccos and dried figs are almost, let us say, rather boisterous. Still, after a few minutes of adjustment, everything settles into place, fresh praline takes control, accompanied by jasmine and oolong tea. Very light wafts of dunnage. Mouth: something of a bridge between the floral and fruity freshness of a young cognac and the tobaccos of older versions. A slightly oriental side, with cedarwood, bidis, then liquorice and above all plenty of teas, for instance Earl Grey with bergamot. A most surprising saline edge, it must come from some wandering ‘triggering’ molecule. Finish: fairly long, more kind of matte, on oak, chocolate and tobacco, with a fine clarity, while the Williams pear from the VS returns to bid us farewell at the very end. Comments: we might almost add one point for the handsome decanter, but we do not indulge in that sort of thing at WF HQ, of course.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Let’s move on to the older vintages…

Marie Foucher ‘Lot 19.79 Le Prullepie’ (54.1%, Malternative Belgium, Fins Bois, 366 bottles)

We have absolutely no idea what a prullepie might be, in any case, in French it is neither a bird nor an accordion. But let us move on… Colour: full gold. Nose: admirably taut, yet also admirably fruity, as if it were a blend of small plums just on the verge of reaching maturity. A few chalky touches in the background, in the style of a very good champagne (the sparkling wine, that is). Very light green pepper. With water: cut grass, fruit skins, almond milk, before pink grapefruit comes bursting through. Mouth (neat): one could call it frank, direct, honest and straight at this strength, in any case it is more marked by yellow citrus than many cognacs. Between ourselves, a cognac at 53% behaves on the palate like a malt whisky at 63%, honestly. So… With water: gentler, yet it remains taut, with a marked rustic side. Touches of bitter beer and flint. Finish: long and truly very beautiful, it is almost the best part, with citrus of superb freshness. Comments: very much malternative, and at times also rather close to an old marc (from the Jura, for instance). We do love this.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Prunier 1979 (53.7%, Ferrer, Collection Dame Jeanne, Petite Champagne, +/-2026)

We do find Ferrer’s labels eminently soothing, and never do we wonder which AI was used for a token costing €0.03. What class! Their rums that we have already tasted were really rather very good as well. Colour: amber gold. Nose: do forget it, this is top Prunier. Fruit in a pure, clean-lined style, chiselled, on peaches and old-varietal pears, then mango and guava. It is not complicated, yet in this context all the better, a thousand times better. With water: peanut, pistachio and sesame oils to complete and round the whole a little. It works perfectly. Mouth (neat): dash it, how good this is! A cocktail of exotic fruits, including citrus, with a few peppermint leaves. In short, a Charentais daiquiri. With water: let us give up, we are defeated, it is magnificent on every level. Finish: even the sublimely herbaceous and lemony signature is of interstellar level. Comments: in the end, this is a fairly simple cognac, almost ‘pop’, yet not a single molecule has gone astray.
SGP:661 - 92 points.

Well, we love this Prunier and really ought to stop there. But this is Whiskyfun, after all…

Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘L79’ (49.1%, Swell de Spirits, Wild Card #6, Petite Champagne, 2025)

Apparently, this baby was sold alongside a Monymusk, rather as if a London record shop had put together bundles of LPs with a Beatles and a Stones around 1969, would it not? Or a bundle of books, D.J. Trump + S. Kierkegaard. With our belated apologies to Søren Kierkegaard. Colour: full gold. Nose: somewhat the opposite of the Prunier from the same year, in that it is more oily, more herbaceous, almost waxy like a Springbank, rather than simply joyously fruity. As a result, it is far more intellectual, like one of the authors we have just mentioned (do guess which). Yet those wafts of syrup and almost Sicilian pistachio oil are sublime as well. Mouth: forget everything we have just told you, we are much closer to the Prunier on the palate, with explosive fruitiness, just a shade more on old apples, even farmhouse cider. Finish: very long and incredibly marked by pink peppers, especially Timut pepper. Comments: just a shade less ‘easy’ than the previous one, but we are truly splitting hairs. Another rather extraordinary Pasquet, though that was to be expected.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

Hang on, we’ve just mentioned the Stones (have you seen they’ve got a new LP???) and the Beatles, as well as the year 1969, so we might as well strike while the iron is hot, quick as you like…

Prunier 1969 (49.7%, Ferrer, Collection Dame Jeanne, Grande Champagne, +/-2026)

No chit-chat, let us taste it straight away… Well, alright then, a very handsome red label, is this a bottling for our very dear Chinese friends? (whom we love, whom we adore…) Colour: amber copper. Nose: here we are more in the realm of polishes, old waxes, apple juice with honey, putty and oil paint, English cigarettes, you even find a Darjeeling side. It is very beautiful, though perhaps somewhat less, let us say, boisterous, extroverted and expansive than the 1979s. Mouth: a massive arrival of apples in all their forms. In juice, in jelly, flattened as they do in the Loire Valley (pommes tapées), dried, in cider, in liqueur, in eau-de-vie as in Rochelt’s… In short, you see what we mean. We then remain within this universe, with just the arrival of touches of orange and grape. After all, it is grape that we have in our glass. Finish: long, rather straight, a little herbaceous which is perfectly normal, and ending on fruity peppers. Comments: quite magnificent, though perhaps we ought to have stopped after the very extravagant 1979s. Our apologies.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

More cognac coming very soon on WF, including considerably older vintages, pre-rock and roll, and even pre-jazz.

Check the index of all cognacs we've tasted