The variety of armagnacs on our desk retains rising, so we’ll make a small effort to make our backlog smaller.
Armagnac Aurian 35 yo 1988 (47,4%, Spheric Spirits 2024, cask #43)
Nostril: near cognac when it comes to brightness. Honey, white grapes, oranges and raisins. Candy berries, perhaps even a whiff of raspberry. A layer of furnishings polish, actually stunning. Faint leathery hints. Then again to apple sauce, dried rose petals and aromatic hints of oak spice.
Mouth: a bit extra oak than anticipated, however nonetheless very enticing. Peaches, whitecurrants and bitter cherries. Then minty notes take over, with hints of white pepper and a touch of clove. Bergamot, marmalade, a touch of salt. Some roasted nuts and fir sap too.
End: relatively lengthy, with well-steeped tea and a few resinous notes.
Lighter and brighter than different Aurians I’ve had earlier than. Superb Armagnac. Spoiler: even after the 1983 this one nonetheless takes the lead – it’s merely extra refined and chic.
Armagnac Aurian 40 yo 1983 (48,2%, Spheric Spirits 2024, cask #M6)
Nostril: related furnishings polish, at all times a great begin. Barely darker although, with salted caramel and a faint trace of espresso beans within the distance. Then plums, pink grapes, strawberry and a few eucalyptus. A tad much less refined than the 1988.
Mouth: tobacco notes, some natural tea and extra of that salted caramel. Then additionally a light-weight umami trace, pine needles and roasted nuts. Liquorice. Will get fairly dry at instances, with some lively woody notes that carry it nearer to bourbon whiskey at instances, however there’s a minty contact that retains it contemporary.
End: medium, with toffee sweetness, berries, latte and wooden tannins.
For me personally, Aurian means extremely fragrant noses but additionally a agency woody footprint within the mouth. This evolution usually means I begin with a excessive rating after which decrease it as time goes by. Rating: 86/100
Laballe Bas Armagnac 1970 – Baco (48,5%, OB 2020, dame jeanne)
Nostril: fairly some nutty notes now, pecans and peanuts. Hints of mushrooms and dusty cabinets. Previous books and tobacco. Some apricot and berry notes, however the fruit is shy and the wooden is stronger. Toast and leather-based.
Mouth: a touch of apricots once more, with golden raisins but additionally a whole lot of minty notes. Then liquorice and plain oak. Leathery dryness units in, together with clove and cocoa. Plenty of rancio notes and a agency tannic (vinous) aspect in the direction of the top. There’s even a touch of previous bottle impact, though that appears unusual.
End: medium, with loads of natural notes, pine wooden and tannins.
This was most likely transferred to a dame jeanne a bit too late. Now keep in mind official bottlings are sometimes in a special model than what we’d prefer to see. Clearly beneath the Laballe 1991 ‘Journal des Kirsch’. Rating: 83/100
Domaine de Baraillon Bas Armagnac 1976-1979 (42%, OB for Ardour for Whisky 2024, 60 btl.)
Nostril: fairly succulent and wealthy, with a jammy layer of candy grapes, dried mango, baked apples and sweet sugar. Then a berry sourness lifts it to new heights. Possibly a whiff of lychee. Darkish honey, with some oriental wooden and darkish plums. Elegant wooden polish rounding all of it off.
Mouth: darker and extra woody now, with a number of cigar containers and sandalwood. Additionally previous Oloroso notes, with tart cranberries, nutmeg and ginger. Bitter plum and plenty of tobacco leaves, together with darkish chocolate. Then rancio units in, in an oaky method, additionally bringing a great deal of black tea and leather-based, together with tannins. This heavyweight tea aspect and the mere woodiness brings it down a little bit, for my part.
End: fairly lengthy, with extra closely steeped tea, tobacco and drops of natural bitters.
The nostril is completely beautiful: wealthy, rounded and complicated. Too unhealthy there are some heavy tannins on the palate, which prices a couple of factors in my e book. Near a highflyer although. Nonetheless out there from Ardour for Whisky. Rating: 88/100
Pellehaut Armagnac 35 yo 1988 (49,7%, Grape of the Artwork 2024, cask #6, 230 btl.)
Nostril: caramelly notes, candy wooden, dried apricots and plums, in addition to cinnamon and butter pastry. Wealthy begin. Then some minty notes, oak polish and hints of tea, together with candied ginger. Whiffs of orange peels and a few ‘noble’ tannins as nicely.
Mouth: oily texture, much less candy than anticipated after the nostril. Extra mint, dried and candied fruits, in addition to natural honey and a gentle bitterness. Seville oranges aplenty. Then a particular mixture of darkish chocolate and tart lemon, with some burnt caramel beneath.
End: fairly lengthy, on espresso notes, grapefruit, fragrant herbs and a few tobacco leaves.
A extremely stable armagnac once more, but additionally missing one thing particular. Some bitterness too, which makes it one other shut name, beneath many different releases from this bottler. Rating: 88/100
