Rating: 19/23 Blind Armagnac tasting. N: Woody and spicy with sort of a candy sweetness that leads into a little fruit - orange and cherry. The wood and spices have tremendous complexity and are intensely hedonistic. They're rich and fairly full. Just a delight to nose. P: Tart, then rich, then very woody, then spicy, then tart again. It burns a bit from all of the spice, but it isn't harsh. This is much drier than I'd expected. It isn't as sweet or laden with varnish as Delord 25 and it has a much punchier flavor. Though there is some varnish here. Taking another sip, The tartness starts developing into kind of a blood orange flavor. Faint, faint cherry is hidden deep in the bitterness. Occasionally, a faint hint of chocolate. Quite a complex palate! And aside from being a bit too woody, the flavors are all good. That said, the woodiness really does border on over-oaked. This is Armagnac, so the intense bitterness is acceptable, but it isn't delightful I think that the bitterness might have gone a little bit far here though, interfering with the other flavors. Still, this is quite a sippable and enjoyable dram. F: Wood, spice, varnish. Very bitter and quite long-lasting, though not the most complex. Super dry. - Conclusion - The nose here is the best part and it is stunning! The palate is very good as well, but the finish is a bit flat. Despite having a bit too much of a varnish flavor, I think that the Delord 25 (20) is a bit better executed than this is with its lesser austerity and greater sweetness and fruitiness. I do like the increased fullness here though. I am kind of thinking that I might have overrated Delord 25 a bit at a 20, so maybe it's more of a 19. With that in mind, I'm looking at an 18 or 19 for this. Yeah, I'm thinking a 19 for the Delord and an 18 for this. I like spicy, woody brandy and this is great, but it's just a bit too much in those directions for me. Coming back for a final side-by-side, I like the balance of the Delord better, but this is more complex and doesn't have that excessive varnish flavor. The Delord actually tastes young in comparison to this. I'd guess that this is at least 30 years old. The more I sip this, the more its spiciness grows on me and I start to get a little bit of brown sugar sweetness from the spice. It seems competitive with Delord 25, A De Fussigny XO (18), and Hennessy XO (20). I can see this going as high as a 21. It certainly isn't below an 18. I'm leaning toward a 20 for this right now, but considering that I was at an 18 to 19 originally, I'm going to give it a 19. A very fine Armagnac. Thanks for sharing this, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington ! I like maturity and nuance that this one expresses. I really only wish it were a bit less woody.