John G.

14 reviews · avg 78/100

On the nose: I immediately get candied and stewed fruits enveloped by a passive but rough wood texture. The fruits I get are light, round and messy aromas of apricots, peaches, strawberries, honey, raspberries, cherries and pears. After that are just as light but shorter notes of cacao, dark chocolate with nuts, caramel and cappuccino. The wood’s intensity is consistent all the way. It makes me think of oak, leather, cinnamon, leather and sandalwood. Surprising aromas of orange peel oil and a rubbery plastic funk appears at the very end.

In the mouth: Initially not as round as the nose but it gets there. The rough texture is still here. Stewed and candied fruit notes are still upfront and dominant. I get light tastes of dried apricot, peaches, pears, white grapefruit, honey and raspberries. Just as light tastes of caramel, chocolate-covered-nuts, toffee, cinnamon syrup and cappuccino immediately take over after the fruits. The wood notes are less expressive here. But I still get tinges of sandalwood, oak and leather.

As it opens up more, the fruit and confectionery notes come together. I can liken the sensation to eating a less sweet Snickers bar with an assortment of dry fruits.

Conclusion: I love that this is more distillate-forward than the other Cognac Expert samples which have been more wood-forward.

It also feels like this was crafted to be a mysterious and intriguing blend. Like a lady you’re interested in. She only gives you just enough motivation to learn more about her. But it’s at a snail’s pace. You feel like you’re being toyed with but another part of you thinks the reward/s will be really worthwhile. (Oh it’s worth it.)

The rough texture in the mouth reminds me of when I drink most worm tub condensed single malts like Mortlach and Edradour. Note that all Cognacs stills are pot and (Charente stills) use worm tub condensers. As mentioned above, I didn’t really get the worm tub texture in the other samples. But it’s really obvious here. I guess the grapes and terroir are the larger factor this time? This is also just as aged or even younger than the samples sent to me.

I’m not sure when this was bottled. But I’m sure it was bottled recently. If this was bottled in 2021, then this would be at least 28 years old if it bore an age statement. An aged spirit this old at this price and quality is a steal.