Chateau du Breuil, Calvados VSOP & Cognac Park Cognac VS, 40%

I do like miniatures.

The opportunity to explore new categories of spirits with contrasting styles at reasonable prices.

Doing an WSET L2 in Spirits course a while ago widened my horizons to the tasty delights of Brandy – under which Calvados & Cognac both reside.

Calvados – made from apples – & Cognac – from grapes – adhere to French rules & regulations relating to how, where & what they are distilled from.

Picking these up in the Celtic Whiskey Shop allows me to compare the two differing spirits.

Chateau du Breuil, Calvados VSOP, 40%

Quite a distinctive bottle on this one!

Exhibits a shade lighter pale brown than the cognac. Fresh, fruity dry cider nose with caramelly undertones. Clean & crisp on the palate. The barrel ageing is evident with some tannic spiciness & a decent warmth.

A pleasantly refreshing little number.

Cognac Park, Cognac VS, 40%

Presented in an elegant elongate bottle.

A deeper, richer caramelly nose presents itself. The palate has a rounder feel, redolent with fruity warmth flowing into a surprising tangy, lip-smacking spicy finish.

Nice

Thoughts

I like the cidery start to the Calvados – & the spicy finish of the Cognac.

Both of these brandies show the diversity of the category.

It’s a category I enjoy exploring.

Sláinte

Distiller article on Calvados here.

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Martell VS, Cognac, 40%

Martell Cognac is available in virtually every Irish supermarket.

Not too surprising – Pernod Ricard own the brand.

I picked up this miniature to give it a whirl.

The nose was quite expressive, rich, warm & inviting with a touch of nuttiness.

The nuttiness followed through on the palate which was pleasingly smooth yet offered some depth & fruity complexity.

A welcome soft tannic spice livened up the finish.

Before the phylloxera bug nearly destroyed the vineyards of the late 1800’s Cognac was the spirit of choice.

I can see why after enjoying the flavoursome delights of this Martell VS.

Worth trying.

All images authors own.