Germain-Robin Select Barrel XO Brandy

It smells mainly of wood and alcohol. The palate is creamy with vanilla, butterscotch, hints of orange blossom, and more alcohol than I would like. There is some spicy harshness, but the creaminess makes it a bit smoother. The bitterness is a bit much unfortunately. There's a decent amount going on here, but it isn't a tremendous amount overall, the flavor doesn't quite land and that is a problem. This is better than the younger Germain-Robin and it surpasses the apple brandy as well, but it's still just not super exciting. The cherry does come out, but it is subdued enough. The drink's real problem is that it has this biting alcohol element and also is kind of weak with no flavor really expressing itself successfully. Still, it's a decent sipper. There's enough going on here that it's kind do interesting. It isn't quite hedonistic, but it is worth contemplating.