Nine superb Armagnacs to lift our spirits


February 15, 2026

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!

Nine superb Armagnacs to lift our spirits

And I promise you it won’t just be the effect of the alcohol. In any case, it’s always a great pleasure to taste Armagnacs after Cognacs, even if the slightly more ‘modern’ styles currently in vogue in both regions – a little closer to malt whiskies, in fact – seem to have brought them somewhat closer together in recent years, at least to my mind. In short, fewer notes of raisins, flowers and stewed apricots in the Cognacs, and less pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and prunes in the Armagnacs.
There is also the growing use of batch distillation in Armagnac, or so it seems to me… although I’ve just read that it still accounts for less than 5% of production. In any case, between a Cognac Folle Blanche and an Armagnac Folle Blanche, both distilled in batches, there is no longer all that much difference. Well then, it’s time to taste a few Armagnacs, with quite a number of young ones this time.

This adorable little Alsatian girl stands guard
at Château Saint-Aubin. At least they didn’t put up a giant bretzel. (Saint-Aubin)

Château Saint-Aubin 4 yo (âge 4) (43%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, 2025)

An estate of 55 hectares, 36 of which are devoted to Armagnac, owned by an Alsatian family, just imagine! There we are, five extra points (wink). The house is located in Réans, in the Eauze area, right in the heart of the Gers. In any case, this Saint-Aubin has absolutely nothing to do with the famous Burgundies. This 4-year-old is a blend of ugni blanc and colombard. Colour: deep gold. Nose: notes of eucalyptus, mint, pine sap and camphor bustle at the gate to begin with, before allowing plenty of cracked pepper and liquorice wood to come through, while the fruitiness, though clearly present, remains slightly in the background. I find the overall effect rather splendid, truth be told. Mouth: this time it is the fruits that take the leading roles, especially mandarins and oranges, which quickly combine with notes of that Italian drink with the provocatively red colour that begins with the letter C. Then we have touches of fresh oak and ginger-flavoured toffee. It is very modern, and I find it very good indeed. Finish: long, with fairly spicy oak in command, followed by bitter orange that comes along to bring everyone into agreement. Comments: hopla geiss! (that’s meant to be Alsatian).
SGP:461 - 86 points.

Château de Millet 5 yo ‘VSOP’ (42%, OB, Bas Armagnac, +/-2025)

Armagnac remains a rather free territory, you see sometimes they write Bas-Armagnac, sometimes Bas-armagnac, and sometimes Bas Armagnac without a hyphen, as here. In any case we are once again in Eauze and here we have pure baco. Colour: full gold. Nose: here we find a completely different style, much more on black nougat, fudge, caramel, praline, but also wood varnish and liquorice. The touches of Williams pear that arrive thereafter render it rather irresistible, one could happily dive straight in. Mouth: once again less marked by the wood, thus with more reddish (roux) casks I imagine, bringing it closer to candied fruits, cassata, panettone and even the proverbial prunes. It is therefore less modern but frankly, I adore it. Finish: long, more liquorice-led as is often the case, with a very slight mentholated touch thereafter. Aniseed emerges in the aftertaste, for a very end of palate that is fresh as a daisy. Comments: a very young armagnac of great beauty but do be careful, it slips down rather easily.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

In short, a truly striking contrast in style, one to recommend to beginners who think these brandies are all much the same… Let’s carry on…

Cloud & Clet ‘XO’ (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, +/-2025)

A 10-year-old pure baco and a fairly recent brand it would seem, proclaiming “the renewal of Armagnac”, as indeed they all tend to do whenever a new generation takes up the torch. And that is all very well. Here we are on a 100-hectare estate in Mauléon-d’Armagnac, the only thing that strikes us as slightly odd, for a ‘modern’ armagnac, being the bottling strength of 40% vol., especially for an XO. Colour: full gold. Nose: this one is much rounder, much fruitier, much more jammy, much more aromatic, yet without any heaviness. One might almost think of gewurztraminer marc aged in oak and topped up with orange liqueur, although that impression soon evaporates to make way for stewed peaches and sultanas. If the palate is not overly syrupy, we once again have a superb young Bas-Armagnac. Mouth: well no, I mean yes, we most certainly still have a very fine armagnac, fresh and joyful, brimming with fruit, peaches, apples, pears, mirabelles, apricots, and many more besides. Light honey. Finish: not even short, and tending somewhat, I assure you, towards young Macallan from the 1970s. Indeed, indeed. Comments: I must confess the design of the bottle had worried me slightly, but the armagnac inside swiftly made up for that first impression.
SGP:641 - 87 points.

Do note, this is a Haut-Armagnac, which is not all that common…

Château Arton 2015/2026 ‘La Flamme’ (47.6%, OB, Haut-Armagnac)

Here we have a blend of ugni blanc and colombard, thus a rather Cognac-like composition if I am not mistaken, bottled this year at cask strength. I rather like the statement on the back label: “This is NOT brandy”. We shall endeavour to remember that, guilty as charged. In any case, we are here in Lectoure, with the Montal-Montesquiou family. The estate is in biodynamic conversion, though that of course does not yet apply to this 2015. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one is far more pâtissier than the others to begin with, on almond cake, buttery croissants, custard… Notes of white wine then arrive (chardonnay matured in oak), but also raisins, with a few touches of PX from Jerez. Stewed quince then comes along to gather it all together. A dessert armagnac? Mouth: it starts straight away on apple, whether stewed or distilled, with a slightly green and taut tannicity that then leads towards lemon zest. I had feared, once again, an excess of roundness, but not at all, I was wrong yet again. I also confess to finding notes of single malt with a northern Highlands side and there, I assure you, I am quite right. Indeed. Finish: long, with very ripe and caramelised apple returning with some force, accompanied by its companion pear. Comments: it is excellent.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

A fairly tight cluster for now, but that’s only to be expected: the BNIA had, in a way, preselected these four very fine young Armagnacs for me. They’re good at the BNIA (Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac) – very good indeed… Right then, if we’re tasting the very young VS that follows after the others, it’s because of its considerably higher bottling strength…

Domaine d’Espérance ‘VS’ (52.5%, OB, Bas Armagnac, 2024)

This is the estate of the delightful Countess Claire de Montesquiou, a descendant, so I am told, of the genuine d’Artagnan, Musketeer of the King. The back label is in fact a veritable novel, from which we learn that this small VS is a blend of five casks, one folle blanche 2022 #250, two baco 2022 #291 & 154, and two baco 2020, #332 & 336. And if that interests you, the latter two were 500 litre casks, whereas the others were 200 litre ones. The still is fitted with 8 plates, so that should purify things rather well. It is also at natural cask strength, and for the sake of completeness, I have absolutely adored the Espérances I have previously tasted, though they were all much older than this modest VS. Modest? Let us see about that… Colour: full gold. Nose: purified? Well no, we are propelled straight into Sutherland, somewhere between Brora and Wick, more or less, with a pronounced fatness, more beeswax than in a hive, and a compote of apple, pear and quince softened with heather honey. And a very slight sea breeze. With water: the water works wonders, bringing out both more fruits and some earth. Mouth (neat): a formidable sharpness, allied to that oily side we cherish so much. A swordsman as fine as its musketeer ancestor, with orchard fruits as pointed as his famous blade. But let us keep things simple: greengage, apple, gooseberry and small green pear. With water: and here come the roots, liquorice, gentian, celeriac, even raw turnip. And the wines. Finish: long and taut, now very much on the vegetables. And the earth… Comments: if I dared, I would use one of those terrifying barbarisms of which we at WF HQ have the secret: it is a true maltagnac. I know, it is dreadful, I willingly offer my apologies.
SGP:461 - 88 points.

We need a Ténarèze, don’t we? … And now we’ll move on to some older Armagnacs…

Château Le Courréjot 2005/2024 (55%, Hootch, Ténarèze, cask #64, 98 bottles)

Pure ugni blanc from Condom-en-Armagnac and from a single cask. Cask strength, naturally. Colour: gold. Nose: tonnes of marzipan steeped in eau-de-vie, that is what strikes first. Then come the natural, rustic notes, fresh hay, sautéed mushrooms, forest honey, followed by an improbable yet magnificent combination of dill and fir needles. The whole is beautifully balanced and far more complex than it first appears. With water: it does not move an inch, you may simply add a small touch of fresh putty. Mouth (neat): this is simply too good! An explosion of orange blossom honey and fir bud liqueur, with almost a hint of old Sauternes about it. With water: it remains as immovable as a Norman wardrobe, as we say, this time with just a little liquorice joining the festivities. Finish: and it carries on; it is a rock. Orange honey continues to take the leading role for quite some time. An aniseed touch in the aftertaste, as so often, which neatly loops back to the dill on the nose. Comments: a Ténarèze as stubborn as a native of the Gers. I allow myself to say so as I have family in the Gers. Magnificent beast.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Hmm, how to respond? Perhaps with this…

Domaine d’Espérance 2006/2025 ’Folle Blanche’ (50.5%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, cask #51)

Colour: golden amber. Nose: whereas the VS was nervous and modern, here we are faced with an armagnac in the old style, marked by Darjeeling, a cabinetmaker’s workshop, dark chocolate, dried ceps or morels?), and even a few mentholated and terpenic wafts. I would add that it is very beautiful, almost Grand Siècle in style. With water (just a wee drop): touches of crushed slate and mosses, though this is merely decorative, the whole scarcely changes. Mouth (neat): but how close it is to the previous Ténarèze! The same vigorous honeys, orange blossom water, menthol and liquorice, light varnish notes… With water: sour cherry bursts forth, along with its companion kirsch, yet without the slightest vulgarity naturally. Finish: long, with that tension so appreciable in the finest French, err, brandies. Apologies. A very slight chouchen side, though then it would be the finest chouchen in Brittany, thus in the world. Perhaps a hint of olive oil in the far aftertaste. Comments: as we sometimes say, we would require a double magnum of each to manage to decide between the previous one and this one. We agree, that would not be reasonable.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Domaine de Danis 39 yo 1985/2025 (47.1%, Armagnac.de, Ténarèze, cask #40, 2026)

Folle blanche, as always at Danis, distilled in a travelling still (alambic ambulant). I should add that many producers in Armagnac still do just that. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: at this age the wood plays a greater role and it shows, with a whole assortment of fruitwoods, cherrywood for instance, or rather wild cherry. Quite naturally there then arise kirsch-like notes, marzipan, followed by eucalyptus wood on a very hot summer’s day (only joking) and dried fruits, especially figs. A very fine example of a nose that ‘converges’, according to the theory that old spirits, whatever their raw materials may have been, tend increasingly to resemble one another with age. Mouth: the fruits put up some resistance, though in a more candied, almost ultra-ripe guise. Figs again, also dates and, above all, Corinth raisins. And Cointreau. And a little fir liqueur… Finish: much the same, with the oak gathering strength once more, on black tea and bitter chocolate. Comments: we are approaching a tipping point here, and it is as moving as an ageing Hollywood actress who still has plenty to say. Well, you see what I mean… Superb in any case.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

It may be time to bring this gallop to an end; in any case, we’ll soon have plenty more Armagnacs to come…

Bas-Armagnac 1963/2025 (45.8%, The Antelope, cask #DB1021, 73 bottles)

A somewhat mysterious bottling, does ‘DB’ stand for Domaine de Baraillon? Pure speculation, do not dwell on it, in any case it has been a long time since we last saw any Baraillon pass our way, I do hope they are well as we adored their armagnacs in the highest degree. Colour: deep red amber. Nose: superb and even compact, with compotes rather than jams, peaches in syrup, dried figs, chestnut honey, plus those light old-fashioned metallic touches, the sort one finds in grandmother’s ancient copper cauldron. Gentle wafts of moss and mushrooms as well. A touch of liquorice plays the part of the sheepdog here, ensuring the whole flock remains neatly together. A very, very beautiful nose. Mouth: we cross a threshold here, it is sublime with mint, olives, liquorice, tobacco… Above all, the small herbs insinuate themselves, verbena, wormwood, genepy, all under the watchful eye of the liquorice, just as on the nose. It is simply extraordinary. Finish: only now do touches of old oak step forward proudly, yet never causing the slightest disturbance. Thin mints, strongly infused mint tea, dark chocolate… Only the aftertaste shows a faint tannic edge, which is more than normal. Comments: this is deeply impressive and even if I do not know whether this baby spent those 62 or 63 years in cask or finished its life in demijohn, it is truly an ode to the passing of time. Remember, the number one ingredient, the most sacred of all, remains time. Incredible Bas-Armagnac. And so, what is it exactly?
SGP:661 - 92 points.

We’ll stop there, and although all these Armagnacs were ‘selected’ in one way or another, and we took great care to avoid the run-of-the-mill, we are nonetheless very impressed by the overall standard.
See you soon – stay tuned.

Check the index of all Armagnacs we've tasted