Pacory 15 Calvados

I was a big fan of the cask strength Pacory Reserve Calvados that K&L brought in last summer.  Now they have a 15 year old Pacory, though not at cask strength. Pacory is in the Domfrontais sub-region which means that it must be composed of at least 30% pear. This one is 100% pear.

Pacory 15 year old, 42% abv ($60)

Despite the 100% pear composition, the nose still has strong apple notes with just a hint of pear. On the palate it starts with sweet fruit then turns dry and spicy. The finish is spicy and just slightly bitter.

This is great stuff, balanced and drinkable. I think I like it even better than the Reserve, which I liked a lot.

Pacory Calvados

Pacory Calvados is a new Calvados being carried by K&L. It's from the Domfrontais AOC, which requires that at least 30% of the brandy be made from pears. This one is 70% pear and 30% apple, and while there is no age listed, K&L tells us it is five years old and bottled at cask strength.

Calvados Pacory Reserve, 54% abv ($40)

The aroma on this is huge. Just popping the bottle fills the air with fruit. It's got a powerful apple/pear nose with a bit of sourness on it, much like a good cider. The palate is much drier than you would expect from the nose. It opens with wood and a slight bitterness, yielding to some medicinal notes and then a touch of sweetness with some acid at the end, all of which comes together very well. The finish is long lasting and brings back the pure fruit of the nose.

This is a really nice brandy. The fruit on the nose is balanced nicely by the wood on the palate.  It tastes very mature for a five year old spirit, and it drinks very easily for its proof (and cask strength Calvados is pretty tough to find).  It's good stuff, very drinkable and a great deal at $40.