ContemplativeFox
Delamain Pale & Dry XO Cognac
Cognac — Grand Champagne, France
Reviewed
June 5, 2021 (edited June 6, 2021)
Rating: 17/23
E: Lighter than Pierre Ferrand Double Cask. They must not have been lying about the "Pale" aspect of this brandy.
N: On the dry side with a slightly waxy orange peel. A hint of candied orange comes out when I dig and I get some faint , mellow wood and spice.
P: Dry, smooth, light. Some sweet fruitiness comes out that's almost like thinned orange Jello. As the palate progresses, a big bitter character comes out - almost like a braaap of wood with the faintest of creosote, but it gradually mellows out. Sparkles of spice dance around. This doesn't taste super young so much as it tastes refined like a nice champagne. There's enough subtlle nuance that I really have difficulty describing to keep me engaged with this one. It has far less forceful of a personality than Pierre Ferrand Double Cask, but it also has less of an alcohol character coming through. Still, I'd like this to be less of a challenge and it certainly isn't at the level of A De Fussigny XO.
F: I really like the finish here. I get that bit of orange Jello lingering for quite some time along with a faint bitter orange oil and some subtle woody spices.
- Conclusion -
I was pretty disappointed at first sip, but this grew on me. It's a fine dram, but it's certainly very mellow and subtle. This is for those looking for the smooth experience rather than the interesting one.
14 is as low as I'll consider and 17 is the high end.
It's so different from Pierre Ferrand Double Cask that doing them side by side might just have created confusion. If I had to guess which was older, I'm pretty confident that I could identify that the Pierre Ferrand is not super old, but I'm less sure that I could guess the age of this. It's smooth enough that I'd probably guess it had been decently aged, but it's like those scotches that sit in tired barrels for ages - they could be 15 years or they could be 50. I think if you offered me a bottle of one of the two for the same price, I'd take this one. That maturity really is showing through for me here. in a way that demonstrates sophistication not present in the Pierre Ferrand. I would take the A De Fussigny XO over either though. I'm starting to think that this maybe could be as high as an 18. And that 14 ship has sailed.
I also opened a bottle of ABK6 VSOP. It struck me as similar to this in profile, but a bit sweeter and less sophisticated. I like them both, but this is clearly better. I gave the ABK6 VS a 14 when I last tasted it. That might have been high, but I'm pretty confident that the ABK6 VSOP is no worse than a 14. This is better, so it must at least be a 15, and that also seems a bit low.
As a final point of comparison, I opened a bottle of Rémy Martin 1738. The Rémy was better than I'd remembered, but it wasn't quite at the Delamain's level.
Most realistically, this is going to be a 16 or 17. Actually, I completely take back that statement about it being an 18 maybe - that isn't happening. I'll go with a 17. I'm really surprised - based on my first sip, I really didn't think I'd go anywhere near this high. I spent a while on the border between 16 and 17, but now I'm pretty set on 17.
Thank you @ctbeck11 for sharing this!
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@ctbeck11 totally agree—-your dollar goes much further with Armagnac than whiskey. Thank you—-yeah, save me a pour whenever you open it! Would love to try either of those
@PBMichiganWolverine Oh yes. I love what the independent, brut-de-fut Armagnac bottlers like L’Encantada and Darroze are doing for the category. I have two L’Encantada bottlings, 30 and 31 year from Domaine Le Freche and Domaine Del Cassou. Also have a 40 year Darroze from Domaine Le Tuc. I love that you can still buy such well aged bottles at a reasonable price. Don’t think I paid much more than $200 for the 40 year. I’d be happy to save you samples of any you may not have tried already. Hell, I think the popular Delord 25 year is delicious as well, and it’s a great value at around $75 a bottle. Generally, I prefer armagnac to cognac, likely because I find the average profile to be rougher around the edges and closer to whiskey.
@ctbeck11 that explains the few time I’ve had it, I’ve always preferred the smaller Armagnac or cognac makers. Have you ever tried L’Encantada Armagnacs? Those are from these small obscure Armagnac makers
@PBMichiganWolverine It doesn’t appear the brands are required to disclose those specifics. However, I think it’s safe to assume if you’re buying a product from one of the Big Four (Hennessy, Martell, Courvoisier, and Rémy Martin) which control upwards of 90% of the world’s cognac market share, it’s likely to be adulterated in one way or another. You can find some forums online that explore this in more depth, but the consensus is you’re more likely to find additive-free cognac from smaller, farm-to-bottle producers. I’ll add the caveat that I’m not an expert by any means and would appreciate anyone with more experience jumping in and correcting me on any of this.
@ctbeck11 that’s interesting —had no idea. How does one know if sugar is added ?
@PBMichiganWolverine Had to look that one up. In America, a liqueur is required to have at least 2.5% of its weight comprised of sweetening agents. When sugar is added to cognac, the amount is generally only a gram or two per liter, and is legally required to be less than 2% sugar to retain the designation.
@ctbeck11 i didn’t realize that as well. Isn’t that then more of a liqueur ( b/c of addition of sugar )
@ctbeck11 I didn't realize they did that! I don't object to additives of they enhance the overall experience, but when I taste on of those rum or tequilas that has clearly had sugar dumped in it's a turn-off. Delamain does a good job without playing those games :)
Great review. What I really like about Delamain is it’s pure and unadulterated. Most cognacs achieve their profiles through the liberal use of color, flavor, and texture additives. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this practice (and indeed it has a long history in the majority of cognac houses), Delamain never uses any additives, which would explain why it’s comparatively thinner, lighter, and less obviously aged. And I appreciate spirit producers that are true to the spirit. With the way things are heading, specifically with whiskey and tequila, it wouldn’t be surprising to have greater difficulty finding offerings in the future that don’t include some sort of enhanced filtration, coloring, flavoring, or texturing as part of the production process. And I like to support brands that take a stand against it.