unclebunk Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Both Cognac and Armagnac have a somewhat shy palate relative Bourbon and Rye. Don't expect to be slapped in the mouth with flavors, particularly at 80 proof. Coming from whiskey the flavors in all but a few bottles will seem less than impressive.The nose on the best bottles is subtle, complex, deep and magical, but you won't find much of that magic in the $30 to $50 range.The finish can be another exceptional strong point for fine Brandy, but again not at that price point.Marie Duffau also bottles a "Hors d' Age" 12yr bottle for about $60 that will probably give you a little better hint of Armagnac's charms than it's younger sister but even it is a bit light compared to something like the the DeLord 25yr Armagnac. If your interested in further exploration then the DeLord would be a much better starting point IMHO.There are some barrel proof Cognacs and Armagnacs appearing that are designed to be something the typical whiskey drinker might find interesting....stay tuned, this could get really interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Very fine points indeed. Having said that, I found the Marie Duffau Napoleon to be quite an amazing bottle and an extraordinary value for the price. Its charms are subtle, to be sure, but for $30 I was blown away and reckon that if it were bourbon or SMS, the price would be twice as high. Unfortunately, my pockets aren't very deep these days, so I will have to aim for the 12-year-old as my next purchase, given that the DeLord is well out of my price range. Anything else that you guys feel is a "must purchase" in the neighborhood of $50? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclebunk Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I have not tried the younger Chateau de Pellehaut available on K&L but based on the one I have they seem like they might be worthwhile. A 14yo at $50 and an 18yo for $60 (this I have and it is very good). These are both K&L exclusive bottlings. Not sure if the regular Pellehaut is available near you but I didn't see the Pellehaut Reserve at Binny's so perhaps not.Thank you for the information. I seem to recall that K & L won't ship to Illinois for some reason but I will have to see if they ship to Wisconsin, as I am there semi-regularly visiting relatives. This is a slippery slope (quite like the rum slope you put me on, in fact[emoji3]) but a rewarding one I'm sure. In the end, it may actually prove to be less costly because none of my friends cared for the Napoleon, they just seemed not to get it. More for me and less outlay when the guzzlers choose not to partake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thank you for the information. I seem to recall that K & L won't ship to Illinois for some reason but I will have to see if they ship to Wisconsin, as I am there semi-regularly visiting relatives. This is a slippery slope (quite like the rum slope you put me on, in fact[emoji3]) but a rewarding one I'm sure. In the end, it may actually prove to be less costly because none of my friends cared for the Napoleon, they just seemed not to get it. More for me and less outlay when the guzzlers choose not to partake!Drink Up NY has the Pellehaut Reserve and they seem to be willing to ship most anywhere! Although a quick search finds Massachusetts, Nevada, Texas, Utah Washington and West Virginia are on their current naughty list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjbeggs Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Drink Up NY has the Pellehaut Reserve and they seem to be willing to ship most anywhere! Although a quick search finds Massachusetts, Nevada, Texas, Utah Washington and West Virginia are on their current naughty list.Texas is on just about everyone's "no-ship" list...:smiley_acbt: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclebunk Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Anyone had both the Marie Duffau Hors d'Age and the DeLord XO 15? They are of a similar age and both are priced at $50 at Binnys. The DeLord 25 is $70. Having only had the $30 Marie Duffau Naploeon, I'm guessing I'll be happy with the intermediate step up until I can scratch up the dough to get the 25 year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Anyone had both the Marie Duffau Hors d'Age and the DeLord XO 15? They are of a similar age and both are priced at $50 at Binnys. The DeLord 25 is $70. Having only had the $30 Marie Duffau Naploeon, I'm guessing I'll be happy with the intermediate step up until I can scratch up the dough to get the 25 year old.I have not had either but would be curious to hear what others think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Had an Oban 18 in hand but ended up putting it back to buy my first bottle of armagnac. DeLord 25 yr bas armagnac. Wasn't sure if it was worth the price ($80), but my liquor guy recommended it as approachable but interesting and a good example of armagnac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamera Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 For anyone interested in the Laird's Straight Apple Brandy, K&L just got some in. They've got another 10 bottles right now. I ordered one and am really looking forward to trying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fussychicken Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Popped a Chadville tonight. Yowza. Nose full of stewed apples. Palate of fruity spices like cardamom. Long cinnamon honey finish. This is some great stuff. Come on K&L Davids, keep this going. This is the brandy renaissance you were shooting for. This is a Cognac? Wow. Fantastic juice. I also love how it has a lightness to it in both in color and taste. No boise here. It stays crisp and clean on the finish. Not a sticky artificial feeling that most Cognac/Armagnacs have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 For anyone interested in the Laird's Straight Apple Brandy, K&L just got some in. They've got another 10 bottles right now. I ordered one and am really looking forward to trying it!You might find this discussion of interest. Which is not to say that the 100 proof Laird's isn't a useful complement in your cocktail armamentarium! But the surge in cocktail popularity seems to have caught them short as well. New bottles say "Founded in 1780" (I think) on the red stripe on the bottom of the label. The old ones say "Bottled in Bond". Worth grabbing one of the BIB bottles if you see it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Had an Oban 18 in hand but ended up putting it back to buy my first bottle of armagnac. DeLord 25 yr bas armagnac. Wasn't sure if it was worth the price ($80), but my liquor guy recommended it as approachable but interesting and a good example of armagnac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I had a sample of it a while ago and always regretted not buying a bottle. When I decided to splurge, the local liquor control board were all out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Popped a Chadville tonight. Yowza. Nose full of stewed apples. Palate of fruity spices like cardamom. Long cinnamon honey finish. This is some great stuff. Come on K&L Davids, keep this going. This is the brandy renaissance you were shooting for. This is a Cognac? Wow. Fantastic juice. I also love how it has a lightness to it in both in color and taste. No boise here. It stays crisp and clean on the finish. Not a sticky artificial feeling that most Cognac/Armagnacs have.Yup. (he said with apparently too few characters) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Glad to hear from someone who's had it. If you're ever stateside, there's plenty of bottles floating around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portwood Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I had a sample of it a while ago and always regretted not buying a bottle. When I decided to splurge, the local liquor control board were all out.Hey, FrodoA heads up ... a bottle of the Delord 25 just showed up in inventory at the Bay/King (First Canadian place) store. You might want to check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjbeggs Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Had an Oban 18 in hand but ended up putting it back to buy my first bottle of armagnac. DeLord 25 yr bas armagnac. Wasn't sure if it was worth the price ($80), but my liquor guy recommended it as approachable but interesting and a good example of armagnac.I've gotten emails from several online retailers who have the DeLord 25 YO available, but of course cannot ship to TX. Strangely, I can't find it anywhere locally. Guess we aren't a big Armagnac state... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frodo Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Hey, FrodoA heads up ... a bottle of the Delord 25 just showed up in inventory at the Bay/King (First Canadian place) store. You might want to check it out.Thanks. A bunker of 50+ makes me reluctant to buy more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Trying some Clear Creek 8 yr Apple Brandy. Pretty good, but a little hot for the proof and very dry. If this was whiskey, I'd say the distillation was rushed. Good stuff overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numen Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 · Hidden Hidden I finally got on the board here. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Chadeville cognac. I think that Sku was right; it's unlike any cognac that I've had before. It also took a lot of time to open up and seemed to be a bit finicky for me with the glassware. It just always came off as a bit closed in a glencairn, but blossomed in a more traditional tulip. Link to comment
numen Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Yup. (he said with apparently too few characters)I finally got on the board here. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Chadeville cognac. I think that Sku was right; it's unlike any cognac that I've had before. It also took a lot of time to open up and seemed to be a bit finicky for me with the glassware. It just always came off as a bit closed in a glencairn, but blossomed in a more traditional tulip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garbanzobean Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Trying some Clear Creek 8 yr Apple Brandy. Pretty good, but a little hot for the proof and very dry. If this was whiskey, I'd say the distillation was rushed. Good stuff overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) I finally got on the board here. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Chadeville cognac. I think that Sku was right; it's unlike any cognac that I've had before. It also took a lot of time to open up and seemed to be a bit finicky for me with the glassware. It just always came off as a bit closed in a glencairn, but blossomed in a more traditional tulip.That generally matches my impressions. I used a large Brandy snifter and can see how a glencairn wouldn't be appropriate. The nose is especially dense and complex and requires time and patience to appreciate. It's very rewarding if you take your time. That being said it's a little spirity and that will likely push away some brandy drinkers who aren't well acquainted with whiskey.I found the palate dominated by the wood, the nuts and fruit from the nose were completely overpowered. The wood spice or tannin is the note that reminds so much of whiskey. And it's a big loud note that lingers for the loooonnnng finish that is all wood without ever going completely dry. So the nose is complex and rewarding in a Brandy sort of way and the palate is bold, hotish and spicy in a whiskey sort of way. That disconnect is both this bottles failing and it's charm.Some years ago Daniel Bouju bottled some barrel strength Cognac that was similar but not as successful. Edited February 17, 2015 by sailor22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
numen Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Some years ago Daniel Bouju bottled some barrel strength Cognac that was similar but not as successful.Just to go down that road again a bit, I bought a few more bottles of Bouju's stuff from the same shop in France. It seems that he's getting regular and more frequent batches. I realized that most of the bottles of his stuff that I liked had actually been sitting on shelves in the US for years. I'm not sure what happened in the production methods or anything, or if they just got sloppy and stopped caring, but it was entirely disappointing. I wound up dumping almost all the Tres Vieux, Tres Vieux Brut de Fut, Extra, and XO. The Royal was still good, but more straightforward and sweet. At some point, I'm going to go back and retaste some of the bottles that I got from my initial tranche of US-based purchases. As a result, I wound up taking down most of my scores for Bouju because of the major change. I'll drink out the rest of my Royal and Family Reserve, but the rest of it... I'm sadly expecting to wind up losing most of it. I did try a TVBdF again recently, and it was very good, but it was also from a 750 and a more recent US stock. It was an interesting experiment, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Yeah, my Tres Vieux suffered the same fate. As black as that stuff was I always suspected that he was using LOTS of caramel coloring. I know that stuff has a bitter taste when overused and I'll bet he WAY overused it. Just my personal suspicions on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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