Top Calvados Picks

This Calvados is made from 80% bittersweet apples and 20% acidic apples that are harvested between September and November. The Vielle Reserve is doubled-distilled 6 months after fermentation and is aged for a minimum of 4 years in toasted 88-gallon barrels, 25% of which are new.

The Château du Breuil was built in the 16th and 17th centuries in what is now Lower Normandy. The distillery itself, however, wasn't built until 1954. This Fine Calvados is aged minimally for 2 years in oak barrels.

Manoir de Montreuil is a collaboration between legendary importer Charles Neal and veteran calvados producer Patrice Giard. The project uses apples from Giard's beautiful, cow-filled orchards in the Pays d'Auge which are distilled twice using a traditional Alembic still. Older varieties of apples are favored because of their complexity despite the fact that they don't produce as much juice -- it's truly a labor of love.

The Lemorton estate is located in Calvados' Domfrontais in the southern part of the region. As opposed to the neighboring orchards to the north, the pear tree plays a significant role here in the brandies and ciders. This is their "entry-level" bottling, but don't let that fool you -- Lemorton's Reserve is a great representation of the Domfrontais and a fascinating contrast to Calvados made only of apples.

Roger Groult distills Calvados in the Pays d'Auge region of France, in Saint-Cyr-du-Ronceray. The cider base is comprised entirely of apples and aged for one year prior to distillation in copper pot-stills. After two distillations, it is aged in old Limousin oak barrels for a minimum of three years, with some older Calvados blended in as well.

Berneroy Calvados allows the freshly pressed apple juice to spontaneously ferment using only the ‘wild’ yeasts present on the apple skins. The cider is fermented over a period of about four weeks to complete dryness. The dry cider is distilled only once using an antique copper-column still. It is aged exclusively in older, ‘seasoned’ (aka used) barrels for a minimum of 4 years for the VSOP as required by law. The Berneroy Master Blender then combines the barrels of various ages and characteristics to create the house style.

For their XO product, Drouin incorporates a portion of ex-cognac casks into the usual mix, otherwise dominated by ex-Bordeaux barrels. The youngest spirit in this bottle is eight years old, but it includes some far older stocks as well.

In 1860, Pierre Groult first distilled his cider and aged the eau de vie in oak barrels, starting a five generation tradition of producing in the village of Saint-Cyr du Ronceray in Normandy. Now overseen by Jean-Roger Groult, their Calvados is still double-distilled in pots over wood fires. Their cider, using 30 apple varieties, ferments and rests on the lees for a full year before the first distillation. After the final distillation, the eau de vie ages in large barrels most of which are more than 100 years old which are never fully emptied. Bottling is done on the estate without chill filtration.

Christian Drouin, père, began distilling Calvados in 1960 after purchasing a farmhouse and surrounding orchards, only to find little demand for his apples. Luckily a family friend with his portable still came to the rescue. The mobile stills built in 1947 are still in use at the Drouin estate, where they found their permanent home. The VSOP bottling is a blend of eaux-de-vie that have aged between five and twelve years.

This is the calling card of the fantastic Camut estate located in the Calvados "Grand Cru" Pays d'Auge. Here, a complex system of two pot stills creates a very fine distillate that will be aged for almost two decades in the Norman countryside. The secret of Camut's incredible lush and rich spirits is that only 2/3-3/4 of the barrel is filled leaving lots of room for oxygen to interact with the aging brandy. The interchange causes the alcohol to evaporate and concentrates the natural apple flavor making for brandies with incredible texture, length, and richness.