It is the cultivation of these memories that have been captured in the eaux-de-vie of each year and seamlessly blended together that makes this Cognac so special. A collection of precious moments in life that can be shared and appreciated for their rich aromas and flavors.

Jacques himself talked us through the degustation of this wonderful Cognac:

On the eye, it is a warm yellow shade that could be likened to that of a very ripe apricot, as it reveals reflections of red against the yellow hue.

On the nose, you can detect a certain vigor that comes from eaux-de-vie with an ABV of 44,3 %. There is a dominating aroma of pronounced rancio which is characterized by a mix of apricots, matured plums, and a hint of vanilla. Under the surface of the nose, we can smell rich aromas of chocolate, leather, jasmine, and old oak.

Jacques highlighted the importance of using a tulip glass when first tasting Cognac, as after the initial impressions on the nose we turn our attention to the walls of the glass that have been soaked in the spirit and here we can detect slight aromas of citrus.

In order to encourage the more subtle scents to be released, the next stage in degustation requires us to swirl the Cognac in the glass and this enhances the less volatile aromas of leather and jasmine.

On the palate, we can instantly taste that this eaux-de-vie is not reduced and is a Brut de Fût containing no artificial additives. The initial attack is slightly aggressive, which perhaps comes from the year 1988 which was a rather dry year and produced more complex eaux-de-vie.

Flavors of vanilla and some coffee are present on the palate and you can also detect the taste of leather that was found on the nose. The strength of the Cognac is very obvious to begin with, for the first five or so minutes, and then it begins to soften but remains persistent. The taste itself is not too full but develops and leaves a long-lasting impression for up to an hour.