Delord Armagnac XO

This is interesting. There is a lot of depth here with punch wood and smoke up front followed by rich red fruit and a dry finish that mixes tart and sweet. While I do wish the finish were less dry, I appreciate that the dryness combats the tendency of brandy to otherwise be overwhelmingly sweet. Creaminess, rich milk chocolate, mild cinnamon: this has it. There is just enough spice to provide flavor whole maintaining a smooth spirit. This is possibly the Brandy equivalent of the Compass Box Spice Tree. Alternatively, with its balance in all situations, it could be compared to Highland Park 18 (though it is notably inferior).

91,5

The XO version of Delord in larger part feels the same way VSOP did. Although it is not really XO in the usual sense of regulations as it contains just 50% of 15 years old armagnac distillates while the other half is just 6 years old. So it's not exactly the twin brother to VSOP but looks more like its more skilled, "pro" version, and it also left me an exclusively positive impression. There's not much added to the taste or to the aroma but its intensity is definitely swelled in comparison with the younger version. To the nose: some leather and rubber (like a vehicle tire) in the beginning, vanilla, different sweet and ripe tropical fruits like papaya or muskmelon, nutmeg, sweet refreshing menthol, grape juice, perfume. To the palate: pineapples on the background, many of various sweet, moderately hot spices, honey cake, milk chocolate with a citrus stuffing, raisins, mango and a pine nut. The finish is bright and lingering, mouth-filling, even, slightly mint and sweet.

Nose: Raisins, fragrant floral hints (violets, honeysuckle, queen-of-the-night), fresh walnut, clove, cinnamon, honey, a mild earthy oak aroma, brown sugar, dried fig, dried date, prunes, rancio. There is a faint smoke-like note (but it's definitely not a "smoky" spirit). [The dry-glass aroma is highly reminiscent of a oloroso sherry-finished whisky]. Palate: A warm, sweet oaky arrival with no tannic intrusion. As the palate develops, licorice and fruity notes emerge (apricot, peach) but the spirit always remains light and uplifting with a crème brûlée heart. There's an aromatic pastis-like flavour that you get on the roof of the mouth. Finish: Medium/long. A sweet grapey note that tails off into a hint of bittersweet chocolate and a tinge of white pepper. Full of character and constantly evolving in the glass, particularly the nose. The profile is complex and rewarding and the texture is "perfectly neutral" - by which I mean it is balanced so precisely that it simply disappears on the palate. For review number 400 I thought I'd step outside my comfort zone and taste something with which I'm not so familiar. It's literally decades since I last tasted an armangac and I've only had a bottle three or four times but I've always enjoyed it. There is an earthy, rustic, compelling nature to armagnac on both the nose and palate and a touch of something like hogo. One tasting inevitably makes me want to pour another glass. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Dear Whiskey, This is a hard note to write, so a few things up front. First, and most importantly, you will always be my first love and I never, ever want us to break up. You mean too much to me, and I will treasure you always. Second, I don't want you to interpret what I'm about to say next as a personal attack - I know it's not really you, but the people who make you, who are to blame. That all said... I think I'm in love with brandy, too. And gin. And rum. You see, my heart is too big to ever be owned by just one spirit, and I think we're all better when we share, and live, and love together. Also, your prices suck right now. Some hipstery asshole with a waxed mustache in Brooklyn can pay a guy in Indiana to make whiskey for him, age it in tiny barrels for 6 months, and try to charge me $100 for a 375mL bottle of underaged crap right now...and enough people will buy it. Meanwhile, big transnational spirits corporations can phase out age statement whiskies for NAS bottlings of noticeably different quality, charge more for it, and have it flying off shelves...and don't even get me started about the "For Hedge Fund Managers Only" price tier stuff. Or...I can drop $50 for this armagnac and get a well-aged, complex spirit bursting with flavor and character. I love you, whiskey, but until the bubble bursts...you're gonna have to share me with some other spirits. Ridiculous conceit for a tasting note aside, this is a beauty. The nose is gorgeous - dried fruit, nuts, brown sugar, syrup-poached dried fig. The palate, similarly, is a complex, flavorful exploration of the nose, with virtually no burn (but a pleasantly gentle heat), a rich and round mouthfeel, and a salty, savory finish that lifts this into the heavenly realms for me. The care taken in cask selection and aging is noticeable here - only quality spirit in quality wood allowed to rest in a well-maintained environment can yield something like this.