Nose - grape must, toffee, brown sugar, nutmeg, clove, bitter herbal notes, coffee, black cherry, plum, lemon, vanilla, polished oak, fig, mint, anise, dark chocolate, hazelnut, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - tart grape, black cherry, plum, fig, ginger, white pepper, toffee, orange, allspice, nutmeg vanilla, floral notes, mint, anise, walnut, sweet oak, chocolate, brown sugar, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with toffee, musty grape, nut, and chocolate flavors. Day four of my Laubade journey brings me to this 1988 vintage, bottled at the ripe old age of 31 years. Now this is starting to smell more like the really good, old Armagnacs I’ve tried previously. It’s super dark. Dark fruits, dark chocolate, oak, toffee. It’s decadent and highlights that great Armagnacs can easily hold their own against some of the best whiskey noses. As expected, the palate doesn’t quite match the nose, but it’s easily better than its younger counterparts’. And fortunately, the bitterness and sourness are kept in check. This is great Armagnac, further highlighting that 30 years seems to be inflection point between good and great examples of the category, at least to my preferences. There are still flaws here, and as expected I wish this were less diluted, but I’d happily drink it any day. Tomorrow, I’ll wrap up the series with a 40 Year version from the brand. And once again, a big thank you to @ContemplativeFox for the sample!