Orangerie

Orangerie

Blended whisky liqueur
46% ABV
Amber

Nose: Orange, vanilla, cloves, lemons, palm sugar, rosemary.
Mouthfeel: Medium, watery, loosens quickly.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Oranges, lemons, cloves, demerara sugar.
Finish: Short. Cloves, oranges, lemons, hints of pears.

Comments:

Blended grain and malt whisky infused with oranges and cassia. Very light and appealing, an ideal aperitif. I tasted this at a Compass Box retrospective tasting, and this was a perfect way to round off an evening of great whisky. Great with ice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Chateau de Laubade 1992

Chateau de Laubade 1992

Single distillery armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gers)
40% ABV
Amber red

Nose: Raisins, blueberries, strawberries, honey, peaches, vanilla, hints of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, hot, thickens.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Raisins, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, honey, orange peel.
Finish: Medium. Walnuts, camphor, honey, blueberries.

Comments:

Sweet on the tongue, and very, very fruity. Lots of spice and honey in the nose. This is completely different from the Chateau de Laubade XO 15 ans, except for the wave of orange peel that hits the tongue. A sure sign that I haven't properly calibrated my armagnac palate!

Verdict:

I like this.

Marquis de Puységur 1966

Marquis de Puységur 1966

Blended armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gerland)
40% ABV
Pale amber

Nose: White pepper, chocolate, raspberry jam, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Butter, oranges, oak, white pepper, cinnamon, cherries.
Finish: Medium, astringent, orange peel, peanuts.

Comments:

An old armagnac that did its duty as a digestif, but would have been so much better as an aperitif. There are certain spicy notes in here that make the mouth water - cinnamon, pepper, and orange peel. I would have loved this before the meal!

Verdict:

I like this.

This armagnac is distilled and bottled by a cooperative. Cooperatives generally do not grow their own grapes, but instead buy grapes from farmers in the region, making and aging armagnac from the purchased produce.

In this case, the cooperative is the Cave Coopérative de Villeneuve de Marsan, located in Gerland. Marquis de Puységur is the marque for all the armagnacs bottled by this cooperative. This armagnac is generally available in XO or VSOP expressions, with many vintages also available (though not every year). Apparently the quality of each vintage is somewhat variable. I guess that's only to be expected, since the provenance of the grapes varies from year to year, adding one more variable to the uncertain art of armagnac-making.

Pampero Aniversario

Pampero Aniversario

Single distillery rum - Venezuela
40% ABV
Dark muddy brown

Nose: Brown paper, raisins, honey, butter, golden syrup, rubber bands.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loosens, cool.
Tasting: Sweet. Brown paper, raisins, honey, orange peel, rubber bands, chillies, hints of dried apricots.
Finish: Medium. Chillies, rubber bands, brown paper, honey.

Comments:

Lovely. Sweet, light, but very brandy-like. Also quite spicy, actually burning the tongue, despite the lowish ABV.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

This rum, blended from spirit aged between 2 to 8 years in oak casks, is distilled by Industrias Pampero, a distillery in Venezuela. The distillery was founded in 1938, by one Alejandro Hernandez. It is located on Hacienda La Guadalupe, a 19th century farm in Miranda state, on the llanos of Venezuela.

Other expressions include Pampero Especial, Pampero Selección 1938, and Pampero Oro. In addition to these aged rums (añejo), there's also a white rum, Pampero Blanco.

Bundaberg Rum (Under Proof)

Bundaberg Rum (Under Proof)

Single distillery rum - Australia
37% ABV
Yellow gold

Nose: Toffee, new plastic, grass, rubber, sage, palm sugar, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Light body, oily, loosens.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Toffee, palm sugar, rubber, grass, hints of raisins, hints of apples.
Finish: Short. Palm sugar, apples, grass.

Comments:

Not too strong at all, but this falls into what I consider to be "harsh" rums. This still has the slightly acrid feel of white rum, despite the aging and the light body. For all that, there are pleasant elements of palm sugar and grass, evoking the tropics.

Verdict:

I like this.

Bundaberg is an Australian distillery, founded in 1885 in Queensland, Australia. The distillery is located near sugar plantations, and rum was first distilled in 1888 as a way of using up spare molasses from the sugar mill. This particular expression is aged between 2 and 3 years.

Other expressions include an overproof version (57.7% ABV) and aged versions (8 years) as well as a rum liqueur and ready-mixed rum and mixers in cans!

Chateau de Laubade XO 15 yo

Image from Au Panier Gourmand

Chateau de Laubade XO 15 yo

Single distillery armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gers)
40% ABV
Amber red

Nose: Orange peel, soy sauce, strawberries, black pepper, roast ham, menthol.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens in the mouth, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Orange peel, strawberries, menthol, marmalade.
Finish: Medium. Strawberries, roses.

Comments:

Very salty and strong in the nose, with a sharp bite of menthol. Once tasted however, this armagnac becomes a different creature - sweet on the tongue, with a little teasing hint of mint as a reminder of the robust salty tangy nose. The finish is also quite gentle, although it would be hard to top that first whiff from the lip of the glass!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

This is supposed to be a very good producer (3rd rank), and I certainly enjoyed the armagnac. I found it to be an experience full of surprises.

The chateau has been owned by Jean-Jacques Lesgourgues since 1974, and he makes a lot of armagnac. I mean, 9 warehouses?! In addition to the XO, there's a VSOP, an Hors d'Age, vintages and pure grape vintages (i.e. Bacco 1984, say). The last are bottled at a higher strength than 40%.

Vineyard size: 105 hectares
Chai: 9 warehouse shaped structures, organised, cement floors.
Soil: sables fauves, boulbenes (iron rich sand, sand with clay pieces).
Barrels: Gascon and Limousin.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (50%), Bacco (25%), Columbard (17%), Folle Blanche (13%).

- from Armagnac by Charles Neal

Chateau de Lassalle Hors d'Age

Chateau de Lassalle Hors d'Age

Single distillery armagnac - Ténarèze (Gondrin)
44% ABV
Amber rose

Nose: Mint, rose, white grape, brown paper, hints of white wine.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, butter, smoked ham, hints of apple.
Finish: Short. Caramel, earl grey tea, chocolate.

Comments:

Light and a little drying on the tongue, with intense meaty, oily notes. This armagnac is in no way heavy, but it's got some strong, robust flavours. All this merges into a light finish which is slightly citrusy.

Verdict:

I like this a lot

This one gave me a little bit of trouble, and I'm not sure if I've correctly identified the producer. In Armagnac, by Charles Neal, the property Marquisat, run by the Mao family, is identified as owning the Lassalle distillery and distilling under the name Lassalle of Gondrin. This is as close as I can get - there isn't a producer listed as Chateau de Lassalle. Anyway, Marquisat is located in the town of Gondrin, as is the Domaine des Cassagnoles, and the current proprietor, Corentin Mao, has been bottling his own armagnacs since 1969.

There isn't a great deal of information about this producer. Besides the Hors d'Age (minimum age is 10 years old for this designation), they also produce several vintages. There's definitely a 1979, and my reference books say that there's also 1977, 1976 and 1972.

Vineyard size: 50 hectares
Chai: Organised, cement floor, dry.
Soil: sables, boulbenes (sand, sand with clay pieces).
Barrels: Gascon.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (60%), Columbard (40%).

- from Armagnac by Charles Neal

Excerpt and revision of a post on an old blog.

Chateau de Lacquy "Reference" XO 15 yo

Chateau de Lacquy "Reference" XO 15 yo

Single distillery armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Lacquy)
42% ABV
Amber rose

Nose: Mint, prunes, Japanese ume, hints of coffee.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly syrupy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Oaky, white grapes, white pepper, raisins, chocolate, orange peel, hints of coffee.
Finish: Long. Honey, raisins, kiwi fruit.

Comments:

Complex and interesting. Although it is salty and sour on the nose, with great hints of preserved fruit (preserved several different ways!), there is a bitter punch on the tongue, albeit wreathed in the same salty fruity flavour spectrum. I enjoyed this.

Verdict:

I like this.

This is supposed to be a "great" producer, and the XO "Reference" expression is certainly very interesting and complex. There are quite a lot of flavours here, and I must say that it's a lot easier to find the fruit in armagnac than in whisky.

The vineyard is located in the town of Lacquy, in the Bas Armagnac producing region, and is run by the de Boisseson family. They do 4 main expressions, a VSOP 6 yo (which I couldn't try), a Hors d'Age 12 yo, this "Reference" XO 15 yo and a Reserve Exceptionelle (20-25 yo). This vineyard has been producing armagnac for centuries.

Vineyard size: 15 hectares
Chai: Well-organised, humid barn, dirt floor.
Soil: sables limoneux, sables fauves (sand and iron-rich sand, with some ocean sediment).
Barrels: Gascon, Limousin.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (50%), Bacco (50%).

- from Armagnac, by Charles Neal.

Extract and revision of a post from an old blog.

Baron de Sigognac 10 yo

Part of the pleasure of drinking brandy is that I've usually done no research beforehand When I drink whisky I usually know a little about the distillery style, the bottler and what to expect. With brandy it's a voyage of discovery - I just note down the name of the brandy and the colour, write the tasting note and fill in the details later using the internet. Quite often I discover new and interesting things - like the fact that this particular armagnac is sometimes a blend, and sometimes a single producer armagnac bottled under the negociant's label. In all probability though, this one is blended.

Baron de Sigognac 10 yo

Blended armagnac - Bas Armagnac
40% ABV
Dark gold

Nose: Brown paper, vanilla, orange peel, orange blossom.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sour. Lemon, grapefruit, vanilla, prunes, butter, cream.
Finish: Long. Vanilla, cream, walnut skins.

Comments:

Milky, but not too sweet. There's not enough fruit for my taste in this armagnac, and the slight bitter edge to the finish takes something away from it. It's really quite tart as well. Not what I expected to find when I started delving into the world of armagnac.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Baron de Sigognac is a blended brand sold by ADEX, a firm that also owns the producer Chateau de Bordeneuve. Some of the vintages under these brands are entirely from the Chateau de Bordeneuve vineyard. However, I believe (but can't confirm) that the 10 yo is a blend from more than one vineyard. Tasty nonetheless, although I think it suffers from being diluted to 40%.

Excerpt and revision of a post on an old blog.

Domaine des Cassagnoles 5 yo

Domaine des Cassagnoles 5 yo

Single distillery armagnac - Ténarèze (Gondrin)
41% ABV
Red brown

Nose: Chocolate cake, white grape, salt caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, clingy like a good port.
Tasting: Sweet. Limes, green tea, prunes, apricots.
Finish: Medium length. Lime peel, orange blossom.

Comments:

Smells great, with strong chocolatey, slightly savoury, very sweet notes. But it's a whole different story in the mouth. The brandy is tart and slightly astringent, a little mouth-puckering. Not as sweet on the tongue as some other armagnacs, but fragrant, with strong floral notes and a great mouthfeel. This is really quite enjoyable, with some surprises to boot.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Producer

My trusty reference book (Armagnac, by Charles Neal) rates Domaine des Cassagnoles as a "average producer", and their 5 year old expression as "commercially correct". Talk about damning with faint praise. I suppose that this could well be true when rating it in comparison to great armagnacs, but on its own merits it's quite enjoyable.

The producer, Domaine des Cassagnoles, is in a small town called Gondrin in the Ténarèze producing region. It's run by Janine and Gilles Baumann, who've been making armagnac since 1974. The sole grape used is Ugni Blanc, the same grape they use to make Cotes des Gascogne white wine, their vineyard's main produce. On their website, they list 4 armagnacs available - 5 years, 10 years, Hors d'Age (20 years) and a "blanche" eau de vie, for cocktails.

Vineyard size: 65 hectares
Chai: Organised, cement and dirt floor, humid.
Soil: argilo-calcaires (clay with a high proportion of limestone).
Barrels: Gascon, Vosges, Limousin.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (100%)

- from Armagnac, by Charles Neal.

Extract and revision of a post from an old blog.

High spirits!

So, I've got a blog on whisky, where I lay out my tasting notes and thoughts on distillery characteristics for the world to see (well, the 30 or so people who stop by every day, at any rate).

Whisky's a passion, and is going to remain my primary focus for a long time, maybe forever. But, occasionally, I try another spirit so good that it's worth tasting formally, recording my impressions so that in the future I can look back and remember what it brought to my sensorium. Call it a hobby.

Anything (except whisky) is fair game here, as long as it's distilled with love, care and craftsmanship. I'll try any spirit once, or even five times, if it's good.

The road goes ever on and on...