This Cognac Comandon is that most unusual thing, a cask strength, single barrel Cognac. A Borderies Region Cognac, this Comandon is 18 years old.
Cognac Comandon XO 18 years old, Barrel #524, K&L Exclusive, 45% abv ($100)
This has a beautiful nose with apples and spice and maybe a touch of mustiness like a damp, fall day. The palate comes on candy sweet, then picks up a bit of spice and ends on a drier, spicier note. The fruit on the nose isn't apparent on the palate. The sweetness on the palate is sort of a generic sweetness more than a fruit sweetness. The finish is spicy with just a slight bitterness.
This Cognac had a promising nose, but I felt the palate didn't follow through and was overly sweet. I prefer K&L's Famille Esteve Coup de Coeur, which is $10 less than even the reduced price of the Comandon.
2 comments:
I am enjoying these cognac reviews! This sounds on paper like it would be similar to the Paul Marie and Fils Faultline Single Barrel Cask Strength release from K&L from a couple years ago which you really liked. That one was also a cask strength Borderies cognac of around the same age, but with higher ABV (61%). It seems that you enjoyed that bottle a bit more. I bought one when I was in San Francisco, but have not cracked it open yet.
Ken, you're right that, like the Comandon, that Paul-Marie & Fils was from Borderies, and they were about the same age, but there is no contest between them. The Comandon was fine, but too sweet for me. The PMF, on the other hand, was fantastic, dry, spicy and complex. I wish I had bought more than one.
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