Old Master Spirits' A.100 Famille Cabanne Grande Champagne Cognac - 100 Years in Oak! [Tasted #708]

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

As mentioned, there are just 42 41 bottles in existence, officially launching on 30th April (with 24-hour early access via the OMS mailing list from the 29th). 

...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)

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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.

Old Master Spirits' Tiffon V.45 Petite Champagne Cognac [Tasted #678]

 We've tasted plenty of pretty old spirits on the blog over the years (and some very old ones), but I'll never say no to another. So when Deni from Australia's Old Master Spirits reached out to say there was a care package of samples on the way, I was pretty excited. 

That care package included some beauties I've already covered like their 63yo Peyrot Cognac (which was a steal at $349AUD), but it included one sample I had to keep quiet about for a while. One special sample - in the form of Old Master Spirits' 1945 Tiffon Petite Champagne Cognac.

The oldest release so far by Deni & David from OMS, this nearly 80 year old war time Tiffon was distilled in 1945 and bottled in 2023 after more than 60 years in refill troncais and limousine barrels (in Tiffon's humid cellars) followed by the remainder in Demijohn. 

I'll admit I wasn't overly familiar with Tiffon, but learned that much like the other houses OMS work with, it's a family-owned house (currently run by the fourth generation), founded in 1875 on the banks of the River Charente located in Grande Champagne cru (not far from Courvoisier). The current generation harvests grapes, distils cognac and cares for the still-maturing stock from previous generations - like this release.

Bottled at natural cask strength of 45.2% ABV and made from Ugni Blanc grapes, this release is limited to a minuscule 24 bottles only, available by ballot with results to be announced on 31st October 2024.

So let's try this #malternative shall we?

 

Old Master Spirits' 1945 Tiffany  V.45 Petite Champagne Cognac (45.2% ABV, 77-78yo, Cask Strength, France, One of 24 bottles, $1,299AUD)
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Colour: Burnished copper gold.

Nose: Initially there's a well-balanced mix of mandarin and varnish, but almost instantly comes notes of milk chocolate, herbal jelly & cigar box. Give it some air though, and some beautiful tropical notes start to emerge - lashings of guava, more mandarin and tangerine, and some underripe mango.

Palate: Mandarin again, fruit compote, raisins and fresh apricots, then oranges, more guava, some pineapple, and a slight hint of varnish. With some Cognacs of this age, I find the varnish / furniture polish notes can dominate. Here, they're perfectly balanced with significant amounts of fruit - much of it tropical.

Finish: Long and citrusy, with orange chocolate notes partnering with sweet hints of oak long after the liquid is gone.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). This has amazing freshness for something over 75 years old. It's incredibly balanced, AND delicious (OK that's subjective, but I suspect most will agree).  

Thanks yet again Deni & David for the sample.

Cheers,
Martin.

Old Master Spirits' 1974 Chateau Garreau 48 year old Bas Armagnac [Tasted #659]

A while ago I suggested we were covering enough non-whisky dark spirits on the blog to have a "Monthly #malternatives" post. Whilst that hasn't quite come to fruition (see last month's post on our recent blog hiccup...), I don't plan to stop enjoying great malternatives alongside my whisky, and so on that note, here's a #malternative for March...

Arriving once again courtesy of those affable Melburnians behind Old Master Spirits, this release is a 48 year old Bas Armagnac from Chateau Garreau, distilled in 1974 and bottled at a natural cask strength of 51.2% ABV.

(You can read my thoughts on several of Old Master Spirits' previous releases here, including previous vintage and NAS Brandies. In those posts I cover why I love what these guys do, and how their #malternatives are very much made for whisky lovers.)

According to Old Master Spirits (and the producer) 1974's season saw a perfect balance of sunshine and rain. A combination of Baco & Ugni Blanc grapes were distilled using a 100+-year-old traditional alembic column still (from 1919), and matured for 48 years in a single French oak cask from Gascony in Chateau Garreau’s underground wet cellar. 

The Armagnac was bottled in late 2022, but has been delayed to 2024 so those turning 50 years old could have a fairly-priced birthday vintage spirit (as someone who held a birthday tasting last year with ~20 bottles from 1983, I absolutely love this approach). This will be Old Master Spirits' only Armagnac release this year, and there are only 152 bottles.

The thing that sets Garreau apart is its underground wet cellar, built by Prince Soukowo Kabylin in the 19th century. The only underground cellar in the region, it's nicknamed ‘the burrow’ & made simply of four dirts walls, with roots visibly breaking through the dirt. The walls soak up water from each rainfall to keep a wet and humid environment. All casks in use are Gascon Oak from Cooper Bartholomo. 

We've enjoyed all of Old Master Spirits' releases so far - so how does this one stack up...?

Old Master Spirits 1974 Chateau Garreau 48 year old Bas Armagnac (51.2% ABV, 48yo, Single Cask, France, One of 152 bottles, $269AUD)

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Colour: Copper-brown Gold

Nose: Spiced fruit and pot-pourri at first, followed (after some air) by some rich, almost port-like berry notes. There are hints of confectionary, alongside stewed cherries / cherry pie.

Palate: Slightly savoury at first - minced pies, oak, with some herbal dried fruit notes. After some time in the mouth, more fruit comes through - cherries again, apricot and some lemon peel. This is really good stuff.

Finish: Very long, with oak, fruit and Christmas spices in perfect balance. Basically imagine you took a bite of mum's Christmas cake and you could still taste it 15 minutes later. Yum!

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). Another winner from these guys, what more is there to say? Brandy lovers should love this, but I reckon most whisky lovers will too.

Old Master Spirits' 1974 Chateau Garreau  Bas Armagnac 48yo goes on sale this Thursday (14th March 2024) for a very reasonable $269AUD. 152 bottles in total.

Thanks Deni & David for the sample.

Cheers,

Martin.

Old Master Spirits 1978 Domaine de Papolle Bas Armagnac 44yo [Tasted #637]

It's getting to the point now where we could almost call these posts "Monthly #malternatives" (and I'm OK with that)! This month's comes once again from Melbourne-based bottlers Old Master Spirits, and like their "XXO" reviewed in March, is another Bas Armagnac - though this time it carries an age & vintage statement - being bottled from a 44yo single 1978 cask, ex Domaine de Papolle.

(You can read my thoughts on several of Old Master Spirits' previous releases here, including why I love what these guys do, and how their #malternatives are very much made for whisky lovers.)

Distilled from 100% Baco grapes, the spirit matured for 44 years under the watch of master distiller Bernard Piffard, who now manages the estate, vines and production along with his son Frederic Piffard.

Old Master Spirits' previously releases have all been high quality, but does this (their 8th) continue that trend? Let's dig in...

Old Master Spirits 1978 Domaine de Papolle Bas Armagnac 44yo (40.3% ABV, 44yo, Single Cask, France, One of 132 bottles, $249AUD)

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Colour: Deep, dark rich mahogany.

Nose: Fresh and fruity at first, with cola chews & red jubes, turning into sherry-soaked apricots, raisons and some almond oil. With a little time in the glass, coffee grounds and a hint of furniture polish emerge.

Palate: Super balanced - there's oak, raisins, peach, vanilla chews and caramel all playing nicely together. Then some milk chocolate, cigar box and more of the almonds from the nose (though more of an almond nougat this time). Super drinkable and moreish.

Finish: Long, largely following the palate with some more oak towards the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100 (Martin). Complexity and approachability, in a delicious package. The guys have done it again.

Old Master Spirits' 1978 Domaine de Papolla Bas Armagnac 44yo goes on sale this Thursday (25th May 2023) at https://www.oldmasterspirits.com.au/. With only 132 500mL bottles (each selling for a very reasonable $249AUD), I can't see this one lasting too long on the virtual shelves...

Thanks Deni & David for the sample.

Cheers,

Martin.

Old Master Spirits Extra Extra Old (XXO) Bas Armagnac Garreau [Tasted #626]

For a whisky blog, I've covered a few #malternatives recently, but as I always said at the start of this blog, I've got no qualms featuring the occasional aged brandy/rum/whatever, if it's good. Old Master Spirits have certainly met that brief so far, with a number of quality Cognac and Armagnac releases, and even a rum, sherry and whisky, so when the Aussie outfit recently sent me a sample of their latest release Bas Armagnac, I had high expectations it would follow suit.

The Armagnac in question (officially "Extra Extra Old Bas Armagnac Garreau XXO") is founders' Deni & David's first non-vintage Armagnac, and is being released in response to many of the XO Brandies from various luxury houses you see on shelves today. i.e. deemed rare and luxurious, but often watered down to the minimum strength legally allowed of 40% ABV, flushed through a system of filters, with added sugar, caramel colouring & even wood flavouring, to make it appear and taste old.

Deni explained this release represents the opposite - a natural/unadulterated product from a passionate producer. A better experience...and for less money.

Deni explained:

"We want consumers to put our next release to the taste test and compare it to their usual XO at twice the price, or whatever their usual brandy tipple is. We know that this is far older, but for once we want to put age and vintage aside completely, to show Australian Armagnac and Cognac drinkers that natural purist brandy is what they should be buying. It's red hot in Europe for a reason and prices have already started to rise so it's now or never."

Produced by Chateau Garreau and distilled using a 100+ year old still, the eau de vie uses 100% Baco grapes, and was matured in French Oak casks from Gascony in the Chateau's underground wet cellar (nicknamed "the burrow").

Old Master Spirits recommend pairing it with a favourite Cigar - which is definitely something I'm going to have to try soon. As for how it tastes on its own though, read on....

Old Master Spirits "Extra Extra Old Bas Armagnac Garreau XXO" (44.8% ABV, NAS, Single Cask, France, One of 170 bottles, $159AUD)

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Colour: Ochre sunset.

Nose: An initial big fruity hit, though it's hard to pin it down to a single fruit. There's definitely apricot and peach, but also some sultanas, red grapes and after time, red jelly babies.

Palate: Sweeter than the nose suggests initially, with some choc-coated caramel chews, more peach, and chocolate orange slices. After time, more dark chocolate. The ~45% ABV keeps it super drinkable, but it doesn't feel lacking in anything. Moreish, easy-drinking & delicious. 

Finish: Long and full of raisins, figs and peach.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). For the price ($159AUD) you'd expect this to be an easy drinker - and it is. What I wasn't expecting was the complexity though...lots of complimentary flavours all working together, in an easy-drinking, well-rounded package. Another great cask pick.

Extra Extra Old Bas Armagnac Garreau XXO goes on sale tomorrow (30th March 2023) at https://www.oldmasterspirits.com.au/. If previous releases are anything to go by, it won't last long.

Thanks Deni & David for the sample.

Cheers,

Martin.

Dead Reckoning Rum: Independently bottled rum from around the World [Tasted #605 - 607]

We don't feature a lot of malternatives on the blog, but when we do, we prefer them to follow the same types of whiskies we typically like to drink - i.e. cask or higher strength, single cask, and/or independently bottled. So when Justin Boseley of Dead Reckoning Rum (IG) reached out recently, it only took a quick Google to learn this was the sort of malternative that ticks the TimeforWhisky boxes...

Justin runs La Rumbla Imports, a premium spirit store based in South Australia focusing on (you guessed it) rum, but also runs his own independent rum brand Dead Reckoning Rum, described as "An Australian Independent label specialising in master-mixed rum blends, single casks and some rare, forgotten ‘barn-finds’ of the Rum world".

Justin was kind enough to send through three samples of recent and upcoming releases, specifically:

• Dead Reckoning Rum Mutiny - South Pacific Cask Strength 21 Year Old (65%)
• Dead Reckoning Rum South Pacific Muscat Cask 10 Year Old (47%); and
• Dead Reckoning Rum Mhoba - South Africa 2 Years 5 Months Old ex-Red Wine Cask (56%)

Being a relative newbie to rum, I hadn't heard of South Pacific Distillery, but a little Googling led me to learn it's from Fiji, owned by Coca-Cola, and has been bottled by other independent bottlers (Samaroli, Kill Devil etc..) previously. Whilst the distillery does release some of own bottlings at the younger end of the spectrum, it seems they didn't quite know what to do with some of the older stock they had on-hand, which is how Justin came to bottle the 21 Year Old featured here (due for release in November in Australia, $200AUD RRP).

Dead Reckoning Rum Mutiny - South Pacific Cask Strength 21 Year Old (65% ABV, 21yo, 100% tropical aged, 85-90% angels' share, 285 bottles, Fiji, $200AUD)

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Colour: Deep burnished copper.

Nose: Grass-laden earthiness, stewed pears and peaches, along with banana & singed straw, funky, intriguing and inviting.

Palate: Big, mouth-filling Esthers give way to blackberry and blackcurrant notes, intense blackcurrant jubes, 85%+ dark chocolate and coffee beans then some black jelly babies. It’s big, very big, but not at all harsh. LOTS of flavour.

Finish: Long, dark chocolate coated coffee beans.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100 (Martin). At 65% this could've just been an overly hot mess, but it's not at all. It's complex, full of flavour, big, and delicious.

Dead Reckoning Rum South Pacific Muscat Cask 10 Year Old (47% ABV, 10yo, 100% tropical aged, 50% angels' share, 1,240 bottles, Fiji)
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Colour: Copper gold.

Nose: Esthers, grass, and a sweet fruitiness.

Palate: I get toffee at first, followed up by Sultanas and 70% Lindt Chocolate. These are big flavours, but they're refined, and at 47%, eminently drinkable.

Finish: Long, with slight oak tannins and coffee grounds.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100 (Martin). I like this.

Dead Reckoning Rum Mhoba - South Africa 2 Years 5 Months Old ex-Red Wine Cask (56% ABV, 2yrs 5mths old, 21% angels' share, 377 bottles, South Africa, $170AUD)
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Colour: Burnished copper-gold

Nose: Wow, instantly I just get huge amounts of blackcurrant juice, followed by some apple juice. It's intense, it's huge, it's obviously young, but it's packed full of flavour.

Palate: Big esthers, alongside fresh apple juice and juicy blackcurrants. I left the sample bottle half-full for ~2 weeks and after that oxidation, noticed some chocolate milk and caramel chews.

Finish: On the shorter side, with more blackcurrent and grape, hints of chocolate before ending in slight hints of drying oak.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 86/100 (Martin). Super unique, youthful and not overly complex, but definitely a well-made rum - tasty and in no way "harsh".

Thanks to Justin of Dead Reckoning Rum for providing these samples - definitely a brand I'll be keeping my eye on in the future.

Cheers,

Martin.

Old Master Spirits' 1972 39yo Baron de Sigognac Bas Armagnac [Tasted #585]

When I caught up with Deni & David from Old Master Spirits recently, they didn't just hand me a sample of their beautiful 1982 Armagngac, they also passed me a sample of their 1972 39yo, from the same Armagnac producer Chateau Bordeneuve (better known by the name "Baron de Sigognac")

The 10 year age gap also means this 1972 was distilled under the previous ownership, by then owner and distiller Monsieur Rambach (the distillery was sold to current owner Mr. Jean-Claude Gausch in 1974, and is currently run by his son Thomas). Comprised of 80% Baco 20% Ugni Blanc grapes, it was distilled in the same 100+ year old alembic still, and was aged in Limousin wood like all Armagnac produced at the distillery.

The eagle-eyed amongst you might note that whilst this is from a decade earlier than the 1982, it's also listed as a 39yo (the same as the 1982). The simple reason for that is the age is only counting the years matured in Oak, noting the extra 10+ years it sat in a glass Demi Jeanne (Demijohn) separately.

As mentioned in the previous article, the House has an all-natural, no additives policy - no water, sugar, colouring or any of that nature, and everything is bottled at cask strength (this one coincidentally right on 46%)!

Let's dive in...

Old Master Spirits 1972 39yo Baron de Sigognac Bas Armagnac (46.0% ABV, 39yo, 1 of 151 (500mL) bottles, France, $299AUD (available 20th October 2022))

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Colour: Orange copper

Nose: Rich vanilla wood spice, Madagascan vanilla essence, with hints of stone fruits - apricot, peach, then some leather and wood polish.

Palate: Initially quite "desserty" - vanilla ice cream, flambéed banana, then a hint of cherry after time. There's some funk (less so than the 1982), and some grape jam to round things out. 

Finish: Long, vanilla wood spice.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A complex, well-made and thoroughly enjoyable Armagnac. For me, the 1982 slightly edges it out, but in my view it's more of a "whisky drinker's Armagnac", whereas this is more of a "brandy drinker's Armagnac". A little more traditional, but very, very high quality. I spoke to Deni about this, and he said opinions from those who've tried both were split - some preferring the '82 (including some whisky-loving friends), and some the '72. Isn't that the beauty of spirits though?

Old Master Spirits 1982 39yo Baron de Sigognac Bas Armagnac will launch on 20th October 2022, at an RRP of $299 through oldmasterspirits.com.au. Get in quick as these never last long!

Cheers,

Martin.

Old Master Spirits' 1982 39yo Baron de Sigognac Bas Armagnac [Tasted #582]

Just over a year ago, I wrote about new Aussie independent bottler "Old Master Spirits", started by two whisky (and brandy) lovers Deni & David. Since then, I've been lucky to taste almost all their releases (including a 1957, 63yo Cognac - not bad for an inaugural product!), and more recently spent an evening with the gents in the comfort of Deni's incredible whisky room, enjoying great spirits and even better chat until the early hours.

The gents were kind enough to pass me a pre-release sample of their upcoming release - again grape-based, but this time an Armagnac - specifically a 39yo 1982 Armagnac from producer Chateau Bordeneuve (better known by the name "Baron de Sigognac").

Old Master Spirits continue their label theme, with scenes from the distilleries / Chateaux by the talented Fai

I won't profess to be an expert on any grape-based spirits (or anything, really), so won't attempt to coverall the complexities of how Cognac & Armagnac differ (for that, see here, here and here), but in a nutshell - in addition to being produced in a different part of France and often using alternative grapes, Armagnac is most commonly distilled in a single Alembic / column still, employing continuous distillation. In the case of Baron de Sigognac, said still is over 100 years old!

The Domaine matures stock in a warehouse from 1840, in a mixture of first fill and (mostly) refill casks - all strictly Limousin oak. Importantly (for Old Master Spirits, and for us) the House has an all-natural, no additives policy - no water, sugar, colouring or any of that nature...and everything is bottled at cask strength!

All grapes are pressed, fermented and distilled at the Domaine exclusively for the production of Bas-Armagnac. In the case of this 1982, those grapes are 65% Baco, 25% Ugni Blanc & 10% Folle Blanche.

So that's some quick background on how it was made...but I'm sure what you all want to know is how does it taste?

Old Master Spirits 1982 39yo Baron de Sigognac Bas Armagnac (47.6% ABV, 39yo, 1 of 122 (500mL) bottles, France, $249AUD (available 25th Aug 2022))

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Colour: Orange copper.

Nose: Cherries, rich fruit compote, peaches & cream, with a hint of funky old leather and rum'n'raisin dark chocolate.

Palate: Mouth-coating, warming yet very refined. Raspberry jam, oranges, mandarin, and then soon after, a noticeable earthy funk. I'm somewhat hesitant to say this, lest one of the keyboard warriors on my Facebook page claim I'm "biased" or "paid" again (I'm neither)...but f*ck it - the funk here genuinely reminded me a little of a good Springbank. This is a spirit you can sit, savour and soak up the complexity, but it's also one you can just sit back with a tumbler and enjoy.

Finish: Long and sweet, with more rum'n'raisin notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. This score seems to be becoming a theme amongst some of Old Master's releases...but in my view it 's justified. I tried this alongside a different, older Armagnac (more on that soon), which to me was much more of a "typical brandy". Very very good, but instantly a Brandy. This 1982 though, to be this is, in my opinion, a whisky drinkers' Armagnac. 

Old Master Spirits 1982 39yo Baron de Sigognac Bas Armagnac will launch this Thursday (25th Aug 2022) at an RRP of $249 through oldmasterspirits.com.au. I’ll be buying a bottle. 

Cheers,

Martin.

Thanks to Deni & David who provided the sample of this 1982 Bas-Armagnac (with absolutely no expectations that I write about it, or if I do, what I say!)

Old Master Spirits' 1970 51yo Maison Tribot Grande Champagne Cognac [Tasted #565]

I wrote back in August last year about new Australian independent bottler Old Master Spirits, founded by two whisky lovers focusing on bottling well-aged, unadulterated Cognac, highlighting smaller maisons and with a mission to:

"...find very old cognac exclusively for Australia, to bottle it in its raw form and save it from going to one of the big brand blenders such as Hennessy who would blend this with younger cognac, filter it, add wood flavouring and sugars and water it down to 40%"

At the time I tasted both their 63yo 1957 & 36yo 1984 Cognac and hugely enjoyed them both, so when co-founder Deni reached out and asked if I'd like to try their next release, a 51yo Grande Champagne Cognac from 1970, I wasn't about to say no...

The Cognac this time comes from Maison Tribot, in the heart of the Cognac region, Grande Champagne. Distilled in a traditional pot still by Fourth generation distiller Jean Michel Tribot, the spirit spent 51 years in French Oak in the maison's ancestral stone-walled cellar, and was the oldest stock from their cellar. 

With an ABV of 50.3%, no additives and full maturation in Oak (which might seem obvious, but this isn't the case for all old Cognac) this is clearly an "spirit enthusiast's" Cognac...one I was excited to dive into.

Old Master Spirits 1970 Grande Champagne Cognac Maison Tribot V.70 A.51 (50.3% ABV, 51yo, 1 of 120 (500mL) bottles, France, $365AUD (available early May 2022))

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Colour: Rich firey amber.

Nose: Right up there's some instant fruitiness - mango, rockmelon and sweet orange, but there's also some menthol and mint, and after some time, the orange turns more to orange zest / marmalade. So far, so good!

Palate: Follows the nose well - but with more pineapple, papaya, rockmelon and peach. There's some gooey sweet caramel too, which plays in nicely with the fruitiness. Delicious.

Finish: Some black tea, but with none of the astringency you might expect after 51 years in oak. Slight oak hints, along with mango and barbecued pineapple.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Extremely well-balanced, and delicious as well. Another absolute winner from Old Master Spirits.

Maison Tribot (label inspiration)

Old Master Spirits 1970 Maison Tribot 51 year old Cognac will launch in the first week of May 2022 at RRP of $365 through oldmasterspirits.com.au. Mailing list subscribers will have an opportunity for early access by subscribing at https://www.oldmasterspirits.com.au/#signup

Cheers,

Martin.