Behold... (finally!)... Apple Sponge! A multi-vintage blend of two casks of Calvados Pays d’Auge from Christian Drouin. We selected an equal mix of mature Calvados from 1988 and 1991, these were married together and bottled at 32 years of age and natural strength of 48.6%, with a small run of just 120 bottles.
This is probably the only ‘Apple Sponge’ we’ll ever do, so we decided to make it extra special and bottle this one in our hand-blown cognac glass.
This is an exquisite old Calvados and we advise you to sip it reverentially in an orchard on a glowing summer night while clad in a tastefully revealing silk gown and reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream aloud to your friends the apple trees.
TASTING NOTES
Nose: we’re closer to the fruits here. Boxes full of apples, with stewed pears, sour apple syrup from Limburg, and apple crumble. A nice balance between honey sweetness and fruity acidity. Slightly greener and slightly tighter than the 1964 but nonetheless closely related. Nicely aromatic too.
Mouth: slightly darker now, with some figs and raisins balancing the apple sourness. A little brown sugar, along with cedar wood and hints of pepper. Cloves and herbal honey, with hints of toffee. Always keeping the middle between sourness, sweetness and spice. Just a subtle grassy note along with some thyme.
Finish: long, with some floral touches, old oak and baked apples.
48.6% ABV
70cl
