Lustau Solera Reserva

This is a young brandy. The sniff followed by its first swirl would show your nose its youth. It jumps at you with its fruitiness —I got some orange peels, a bit of banana, and vanilla. All of which transitioned nicely in the palate upon sipping. It has a long sweet finish. I would say this is slightly thicker than the younger Solera brandies I've had but has the same sweetness. I had a bottle served following a Spanish-themed dinner and it proved itself a good digestif for all my friends.

Amazing value and flavor. Great nose, some orange zest, nuttiness which follows through on the palate. Adds some vanilla to the mix and has a beautiful long finish. Just a delicious dram. Cheers!

I dipped into armagnac and found the experience to be very rewarding and figured for $20 this was worth a shot. Why? I don’t know but time to stop with the random bottles. Or maybe not. Rusty amber in color. The aromas of concord grape and strawberry jam along with banana and vanilla rise from chest height. There is a flinty-funk at the chin, slight leather and more Sherry with a hint of salt. The palate is lightly viscous and mildly warming. There are no sharp or off-putting notes, no ethanol. The flavors come along like a frontal weather pattern. Rich vanilla and fig predominate and then a bit of banana, caraway and leather and tannins. Some of the flint from the nose shows up in the palate but is something I think I’m particular sensitive to. I get that note on a lot of cognac finished bourbons. Overall this lands well, albeit with a few predominant sweet notes. I miss the wood and tobacco of a well aged armagnac (coming from bourbon) but this doesn’t disappoint. Very jammy and lasting finish with less raisin than straight Sherry but with the proper neurologic sequelae of higher ABV. Nice bedtime alternative to a fiery pour of bourbon and less complex than a sherry finished scotch. More likely to become a mixer than a sipper but nothing wrong with sipping either.