Tastes

A delicate; second vintage of this single estate Grande Champagne Cognac from Hine, taken from only 19 barrels, all of which were refill French oak - for the 2006 vintage. It opens with notes of mixed peels & licorice with hints of Parkin & honey, dates & custard. The palate has some minerality for balance, with buttery cake, allspice, dried apricot, red apple & quince notes. While the finish is soft with notes of Shortcrust pastry, some citrus curd & cape gooseberries. September 2017

A rich, 1978 vintage Bas Armagnac from Armagnac House Delord Freres in Lannepax, France. It opens with notes of grape, prunes & plums; while the palate adds notes of walnuts & marzipan, that lead to a long woody finish. January / June 2018

A rich, Bas Armagnac, by the family estate of Domaine de Guilhon d'Aze. Denis Tastet aged in oak barrels Hors d'Age (at least 10 years old). It has an intense birth with notes of candied fruit, vanilla & aged wood; while a fresh & tannic life adds notes of grape, prune & blackberry; that leads to a long & delicate death with notes of caramel & orange peel. November 2018 / January / February 2019

An intense, 'traditional Peruvian grape Brandy, by Meg MacFarland with her all-female team at the Pisco Logia Distillery in Peru. It is made from estate-grown grapes; a blend of Brandies made from Quebranta (the strongest & most flavorful of all Pisco grapes), Torontel &amp other aromatic Italian grapes; using native yeasts & a single distillation with a copper pot still; & aged for 6 months. It has an aromatic birth with notes of chocolate, jasmine, hints of green apple, citrus & Muscat; while a bold life adds notes of dried fruits, grapes, pecan, dried apricot; that leads to a long & balanced death. December 2019 / May 2020

An elegant, Grappa by Distillerie Camel Spa in Friuli, Italy made with red grapes coming from nearby vineyards, matured in French oak barrels that were toasted & smoked by burning oak flakes & Kentucky tobacco leaves; before being bottled at 40%. It has an aromatic birth with notes of smoke, tobacco leaves & wood chips; while a delicate yet spicy life adds notes of cigar box, black pepper, caramel & cinnamon; that leads to a complex & balanced death. August 2020

An intense, Brandy by the Nonino family, founders of the Nonino Distillery in Friuli, Italy made from the fermented & distilled left-overs of Moscato grapes after being used for wine making. It has an aromatic birth with notes of roses, vanilla & herbs; while a rich & creamy life adds notes of sultanas & lemon zest; that leads to a bold & floral death of medium length. December 2020 / January 2021

An intense, young Grappa by the Poli Distillery in Schiavon, Veneto, Italy made with a blend of 60% Merlot & 40% Cabernet pomace distilled in an alembic still with 12 copper cauldrons. It has an aromatic birth with notes of herbs & flowers; while a bold life in blooming garden adds notes of mint, rose & geranium; that leads to a long & intense death with notes of plum, grape & fig. June /July 2021

An elegant, Brandy from Italy made with a grape-based pomace from the Nobile di Montepulciano vineyards distilled in copper boilers with a low level of alcohol aged for 6 months in stainless-steel tanks with intense grape skin notes. August 2019 / April 2020

An intense, young-special-edition-single-vintage Grappa by the Poli Distillery in Schiavon, Veneto, Italy. It has a penetrating birth with citrus, rose petals & green vine shoot notes; while a dry & bold life adds notes of grape, citrus peel oil, lavender, plum, fig, herbs, violets, coffee & anise; that leads to a long & hot death with a hint of fruit. April 2019 / April / June 2020

An elegant, Annual Limited Release Cider by Cyril Zangs in collaboration with Roger Groult Calvados from Normandy, France; hand crafted from 69 varieties of estate-raised apples. It fresh-pressed, naturally fermented & effervescent, hand turned in the bottle racks, & even have each bottle reopened to remove the sediment before being resealed at 100 proof. It has an aromatic birth with notes of tart apple perfume; while a crisp & tart life adds notes of apples, apricot, peach, baking spices & graham crackers; that leads to a long & fruity death with hints of pear & plum. December 2019