skillerified
Eric Artiguelongue X.O.
Armagnac — Bas-Armagnac, France
Reviewed
July 22, 2022 (edited July 28, 2022)
N: Bit of a coy nose - feels like it's holding back, even with hard swirls. Red fruit with a cherry cola sort of effervescence, oddly. Bit of citrus, bit of oak. Definite ethanol presence - more than is expected (or welcome) at 80 proof. Some caramel with maybe a dash of chocolate. At times it smells more like a whiskey than Armagnac.
P: Chocolate and lemons at entry. Some black licorice notes - ex-bourbon barrels maybe? Subdued cherry notes with a touch of cough syrup bite. Very dry. Some earth and chalky mineral with an inhale across it. Much like the nose though, it feels like it's holding back, or maybe worse, missing something. Finish is short with a touch of heat and a lingering citrus note with some bitterness.
Bought this on a whim when wanting to branch out into some Armagnac. I've had a brandy or two, but never Armagnac best I can remember. This seemed like a low-level investment with at least a few years on it. I'm not terribly impressed. The core of the profile - dry cherry with some herbal/licorice type notes - could be interesting, but it really needs more to sing on top of it. There's really just not much here. It's drinkable, but basically forgettable.
_______
Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord: https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH.
We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together.
(If the link is expired, post a comment and I will provide a new one.)
68.0
USD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@skillerified Yep sounds about right! This is one I wouldn’t turn down if offered (😊) but wouldn’t seek out. Thanks for the opportunity to try it and the generous pours! Btw, I thought the entry level rum we also poured (Santa Teresa?) was more impressive than the XO. All in all, a nice way to cap off a Bruichladdich tasting night!
@Anthology I considered going lower, but defintely not higher. In the end, I finished it and fairly quickly (with a little help 😁) and never thought it was actively bad. I guess I tend to think of 3.0 as about average and anything 2.5 to 3 as below average, and then anything below that is some variation of actively bad. I didn't think this was quite that, but pretty damn close.
I remember this one from our hang out. Your notes would seem to line up with where my head is at for this one if/when I put down my review. Overall felt very restrained. I think I would have landed at 2 - 2.25 stars…prolly on the lower side of the range range.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I've looked at Labaude, but was trying to cheap out here. This had a couple of 95 point reviews according to the site I ordered it from (but I did not read them, so...). Might be I don't really have many points of reference for comparison. I'll have to short list Labaude for the next exploration.
That’s a shame. My limited experience suggests that blended products are less risky than single vintage bottlings. Chateau Laubade XO really appealed to me a whiskey lover.