It's been a little while since I've tasted an
Old Master Spirits release for the blog, but as a quick refresher for those unfamiliar, OMS was founded by Melbournites Deni Kay and David Vuu to
"find liquid treasures from across the globe with a focus on provenance and bottling spirits in their most natural form". Think small, family-run houses, single barrel / limited releases, quality spirit and great value.
5 years on (time flies), David and Deni are celebrating the 5th Anniversary of
Old Master Spirits with what can only be described as an incredibly fitting release - a Cognac that's been aged for
100 years in French Oak! The release in question is the
Old Master Spirits A.100 Famille Cabanne 100 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac, and there'll be only
42 bottles available (actually,
41 now as
Deni recently opened one).
Distilled in the early 1920s by the Cabanne family in the village of Bourg-Charente, this eau de vie was produced on lees, over direct fire, in a still that's long since been decommissioned (though it still sits at the Cabanne distillery as a heritage piece). It then slumbered for a full century in refill "Seguin Moreau" coarse-grained French oak barrels (themselves ~15 years old when filled), before being bottled in November 2025 at a natural cask strength of 46.6% ABV.
Famille Cabanne itself is a name I wasn't familiar with, but the story goes back to 1810 when Monsieur Francois Cabanne first settled on the banks of the river Charente. Over 200 years and four generations later, the house remains family-owned (as do most of the houses
Old Master Spirits work with), with 74 hectares of vines and - incredibly - current stock holdings featuring cognacs dating back to the early 1800s!
(You can read my thoughts on several of Old Master Spirits' previous releases here — including their Tiffon V.45 Petite Champagne Cognac, previously the oldest spirit independently bottled for Australia) Made from 100% Ugni Blanc grapes and sitting firmly in the Grande Champagne cru, this release ticks the type of boxes you (or at least I) want in serious old Cognac: natural strength, unfiltered, single estate.
When you consider that no commercially-available whisky has ever reached 100 years of age (and many of them in the 50+ age bracket require a mortgage),
$1,399 AUD for a 100-year-old single-estate Grande Champagne Cognac at cask strength, bottled exclusively for Australia, seems a remarkably fair price
...but of course, age, exclusivity, provenance are one thing, but taste is another. Does it live up to expectations? Read on for my thoughts...
Old Master Spirits A.100 Famille Cabanne 100 Year Old Grande Champagne Cognac (46.6% ABV, 100yo, Cask Strength, France, One of 42 bottles, $1,399 AUD)
Colour: Deep dark rich copper (but the first thing you notice is the viscosity - this thing is THICK)
Nose: Immediately jumps out of the glass, with intense prunes, dates, coffee, sweet apricot and mango. I tasted it twice (about a week apart) to see how it evolved with a bit of air in the sample bottle, and the second tasting brought more tropical notes, with the mango stronger on the nose for me.
Palate: All the notes from the nose, but with additional notes of milk chocolate, orange, more mango, peach, cherries. It's super viscous, and feels more flavoursome than 46%, but at the same time incredibly elegant and refined. These are BIG, but very elegant flavours.
Finish: Long, warming, fruity coffee (think Ethiopian Yirgacheffe-like coffee notes),
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100 (Martin). Honestly, an incredible spirit, genuinely one of the best Cognacs I've ever had.
Thanks Deni & David for the sample.
Cheers,
Martin.
