New K&L Brandies

This is the third year of K&L's exclusive brandy program in which they tour Cognac and Armagnac looking for great brandy for us.  The selections in the past years have been exquisite; some of my top spirits picks for last year were K&L's exclusive brandies.  This year's selection is now available, and K&L kindly sent me some samples from one of their tastings.  I'll start with two days of Armagnacs and end with a day of Cognacs.


Chateau de Laballe Armagnac

This is K&L's frist set of bottles from Chateau de Laballe in the Cazaubon area of Bas Armagnac.

2004 Chateau de Laballe, 10 yo, 52.4% abv ($100)

The nose is spicy and woody.  The palate begins with some acidic (though not off putting) apple cider notes then fades to spice and some good bitter notes.  The finish is vanilla and spice.  This is a nice one that could almost be mistaken for a Calvados with its bright fruit notes. It's very nice.

1992 Chateau de Laballe, 22 yo, 49.5% abv ($120)

The nose is musty and oaky like an old bourbon.  The palate has some of the same acidic notes as the 2004 but balanced by a heavy measure of oak.  As with the nose, there are a lot of bourbon notes and even some aged rum taste flavors.  It has a nice sweet/oaky balance.  The finish is the first time I get any of the more typical Armagnac spiciness. This one is also very nice and the big oak notes make it a great brandy for bourbon lovers.


Domaine de Baraillon Armagnac

Since K&L has been offering up Domaine de Baraillon Armagnac, it has become one of my all time favorite brandies, characterized by bold spicy notes.  Here are this year's bottles.

Domaine de Baraillon 20 yo, 46% abv ($70)

The nose on this one has lots of the same spice you get in old ryes with some sandalwood.  The palate has fruit juice and spice with the spice leading into the finish which has a peppery note.  This is a nice Armagnac with a great balance between sweet and spicy and at this price, it's a no-brainer.

1995 Domaine de Baraillon Folle Blanche, 19 yo, 45% abv  ($90)

This one has a subtle nose with light spice notes.  The palate has mild spice with some rancio bitterness, then the spice grows into the finish.  This is a really nice one that has some nice spicy action.

1988 Domaine de Baraillon Folle Blanche, 26 yo, 46% abv ($110)

This one has a really nice nose with lots of oak and some spice. The palate has molasses, oak and baking spices.  It's syrupy and thick in a very satisfying way.  The early molasses sweetness yields to a nice bitter note that carries into the finish where it meets up with the spice.  This one's a keeper, carrying all my favorite traits of Armagnac in general and Baraillon in particular.

1974 Domaine de Baraillon , 40 yo, 42% abv ($140)

This is a 100% baco brandy.  The nose is a big fruit bomb.  The palate has a nice balance of fruit and spice.  Some oak and bitterness comes in late palate and the finish is slightly medicinal.  Oh, and did I mention this is a 40 year old brandy for $140...as I'm fond of saying, it's the golden age of brandy.  Unfortunately, it's already sold out, but hopefully they will get some more eventually.


1986 Domaine de Pouchegu, 27 yo, 45% abv ($110)

It's worth reading David Driscoll's write up of his visit to Domaine de Pouchegu, a very small producer in the Tenareze region.  Pouchegu had already stopped distilling for the foreseeable future when, sadly, their proprietor passed away, so this may the last bottle around.

The nose on this 1986 Pouchegu is very bourbon like with huge oak notes. When you spend time with it though, some fruit comes out.  The palate is huge too with dried fruit, mulling spices, wine, cinnamon, slightly acidic; there's just a whole lot going on in here.  The finish is a spice box with a good measure of that wood from the nose.  This one is a big winner.  Get a bottle now!


Conclusion

As usual, the quality of these brandies is exceedingly high.  The Laballes marry an acidic fruity note with Armagnac spice while the Baraillons have a milder fruit note with more spice.  The Pouchegu has all of that with a good measure of wood.  They're all good.

My favorites of the Baraillons were the '88 and the '74 which are both great, the '88 being a bit sweeter and the '74 having heavier oak notes.  That being said, for the price, it's hard to beat the 20 year old Baraillon as an enjoyable but not simplistic sipper.

But the Pouchegu blew me away with its bold flavors and wood and spice balance. It's wonderful stuff, and if you're a bourbon fan, in particular, this is the brandy for you.  

Tomorrow, I'll look at K&L's new Armagnacs from one of my favorite houses: Chateau de Pellehaut. 

Domaine de Baraillon 1986

There are a few brandies that are so consistently of excellent quality that I will reflexively buy them whenever they come out, sort of how I used to with new Ardbeg releases before they started to suck. Included in these automatic buys are 1990s Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnac, Navarre Cognac and 1980s Domaine de Baraillon Armagnac.

Knowing how good those brandies are, I jumped at the chance to get another when K&L announced a new, 1986 Domaine de Baraillon, bottled this year.  Let's see if it measures up.

Domaine de Baraillon 1986, 30 years old, 46% abv ($80)

The nose is beautiful and what I've come to expect from Baraillon with fruit and spice, almost like a mulled wine. The palate opens with the spice, cinnamon and clove, then develops orange rind and sweet brandy notes. Like the nose, it has mulled wine notes and maybe even Vermouth. The finish is dry and spicy.

This is a classic Baraillon, fantastic stuff and a great deal for a 30 year old brandy.

Unfortunately, it looks like this one sold out quickly, but sometimes additional bottles of these releases do pop up, so you might want to watch for it.

Younger Armagnacs from Baraillon and Darroze

Today I taste two Armagnacs from two of my favorite producers.  

Domaine de Baraillon 10 year old, 2003 42% abv ($53)

Domaine de Baraillon has blown me away with some of their older vintages.  This is by far the youngest Baraillon I've tasted.  It was bottled for K&L.

This has a really nice nose with honey and floral notes.  The palate is sweet and fruity and the finish has raisins. With the sweet and fruity notes, it's more like a Cognac than a typical Armagnac.

This is light and sweet and not very complex but totally enjoyable.

Darroze Les Grand Assemblages 20 year old, 43% ($100)

Darroze is the most prominent independent bottler in Armagance.  Most of their bottlings are vintage bottlings which disclose the (usually very small) distillery.  This is age stated but there is no distillery listed so it is likely a blend of Armagnacs from different distilleries.

The nose is spicy with a touch of fruit slipped in between the spicy notes. On the palate, it's rich and spicy with a touch of sweetness, a typical Armagnac mix.  The finish surprised me with Christmas spices, especially ground ginger but also some clove at the end of the finish.

As with the Baraillon, this Armaganc is not overly complex, but fun to drink with a nice balance of sweet and spicy notes.   

Thanks to Funky Tape for the samples.

Depression Era Brandy: Domaine de Baraillon 1933

Domaine de Baraillon is one of my favorite Armagnac houses, and I was lucky enough to have enough friends who were interested to make a split somewhat reasonable for this rare brandy that K&L plucked out of France this year. I've done lots of previous reviews of Baraillon Armagnacs, including an even older one from 1893.

This Armagnac was distilled in 1933 and moved to glass demijohns in the mid-1980s, so it had about 50 years in wood.  It was bottled at cask strength.  Unfortunately, it's no longer available, but I thought it was unique enough to be worth recording.

Domaine de Baraillon 1933, 40% abv ($800)

The nose on this is massive and just bursting with fruit.  There's grape, raisin, prune and it just comes rushing at you like a big fruit bomb.  The palate gives a quick burst of sweet then quickly turns dry, spicy and oaky with pepper.  It trails off with light bitter notes that grow into a very earthy, bitter finish, but the fruit is still there on the nose of the finish.

This is a pretty extraordinary brandy.  Like the other Baraillons, it has elements of fruit, spice and oak, but where the others balance them together, this one divides them, giving you one after the other - fruit on the nose, spice and oak on the palate, earthiness on the finish.  While it's less balanced at any given point, the progression is really interesting and makes me keep going back for another sip to start the whole thing over again.   

This is a really wonderful brandy.  Yes, $800 is really expensive, but it's about as much as you would pay for this year's Pappy 20 on the secondary market, so there's that.

UPDATE: A few people have asked me how this can be  cask strength if it's only 40% abv.  Well, it's old and it lost proof over the years.  It's likely that Baraillon was monitoring the abv and moved it to glass when it hit 40% to keep it from dropping any further in the cask.  Interestingly, despite its low proof, it doesn't taste at all diluted, which makes me wonder if there is a flavor difference between a brandy (or whiskey) that naturally reduced to a certain proof over time versus one that had water added prior to bottling in order to dilute it.

Ninteenth Century Armagnac: Domaine de Baraillon 1893

When K&L's spirit buyers, the Two Davids, go to France, they can find pretty extraordinary stuff, but perhaps nothing as extraordinary as an Armagnac distilled in 1893.  Distilled by one of my favorite Armagnac houses, Domaine de Baraillon in the Bas-Armagnac region, this Armagnac would have been made in the wake of the devastating phylloxera epidemic which hit the Armagnac region in 1878, a few years after it showed up in Cognac.  According to K&L, the family told them the brandy was transferred from oak to glass demijohns sometime in the 1930s and has been stored in glass since then, so it is around 40 years old.  It was bottled at a cask strength 40% abv.  The price on this was originally $2,500 but K&L recently dropped it to $1,500 (which made it workable for a group buy).  While that's still quite high for a bottle of anything, it's nothing compared to what a nineteenth century whiskey would cost, demonstrating again that we are, indeed, living in a golden age of brandy.

Domaine de Baraillon 1893, 40% abv. ($1,500)

The nose is well balanced with sweet brandy notes along with oak and tons of spice.  There's cinnamon, ginger, clove and some good, earthy notes.  This is a really complex nose that I've come to associate with some of the best Armagnac.  Air is very important to these very old spirits, and the more air this one gets, the fruitier it becomes, picking up stewed plums and raisins.  The palate starts sweeter than I expected with light fruit notes before taking on some bitter notes and picking up some spice which takes into the finish which is both bitter and spicy.   Again, air makes a huge difference.  On my first sip, the bitter notes were overpowering, but as it sits, they fade into a pleasant, earthy note that's balanced with the spice and fruit notes.  The balance in this is extraordinary between the sweet, spicy and bitter notes; each are bold but none manages to subsume the others.  It's also a really delicious and drinkable brandy.

Comparing this to the 1985 Baraillon, one of my favorites from Baraillon, distilled almost a century later, the 1985 is much less complex on both nose and lighter on the palate.  Though it's very drinkable, and still one of my favorites, it doesn't match the boldness, complexity and balance of the 1893. 

Interestingly, he 1893 profile isn't that different from the great Armagnacs I've had of more recent vintage.  The fruit, spice and earthy bitterness matches the profile I've come to expect, even if all of those notes were bolder in this bottling.

So here's to the golden age of brandy.  This is an amazing deal for a rare brandy, and an even better deal if you've got a group of friends to split it with.

New Armagnac: Domaine de Baraillon 1988 Folle Blanche

Today I taste a 1988 Folle Blanche Domaine de Baraillon. I enjoyed a similar 1988 Baraillon that came out two years ago. This one is available now at K&L.

Domaine de Baraillon 1988, Folle Blanche, 28 yo, 46% abv ($120)

This one has a really wonderful nose with nutmeg and roses. On the palate it's spicy, woody and earthy with a thick mouthfeel.  There's just a touch of fruit underneath. The finish is dry and earthy with a slight bitterness.

These Folle Blanche Baraillons tend to be drier and earthier than those made from Baco and Ugni Blanc grapes. The Folle Blanche barndies may not be as balanced, but they pack a lot of flavor in a profile I really enjoy, and this one is a great example of that with a lot of punch. I would definitely recommend it.

Three More K&L Armagnacs: Domaine D'Ognoas 2000, Domaine de Lassaubatju 1989 & Domaine de Baraillon 1985

Today I'll be tasting my final three Armagnacs from K&L's exclusive barrel series.

Domaine D’Ognoas 2000, 46% abv ($56)

Domaine D'Ognoas is a prestigious producer in the Bas-Armagnac that is part of a state funded school teaching brandy production. The 2000 Domaine D'Ognoas offered by K&L is one of the lowest priced bottles in their series. It is a blend of 30% Folle Blanc and 70% Ugni Blanc grapes.

This has a really nice nose with apple, pear and some floral notes. The palate is a massive spice box with cooking spices, earthy notes and a bit of oak. It turns nutty on the finish and ends with a touch of bitterness, though not in a bad way, more like you get in a Campari.

This is really wonderful stuff at a great price. There's a boldness of flavor that is hard to find at this price point. If this was cask strength, I bet it would be unstoppable. This is one I would definitely recommend. (Note: per K&L's David Driscoll in the comments, there are only a few of these in the stores right now but more on the way).


Domaine de Lassaubatju 1989, 44.2% abv ($80)

On the nose this is quite spicy with pepper, fresh cut wood. On the palate, this is perhaps the driest of the Armagnacs I've sampled so far with the spice taking on almost a chile like hotness and then fading into wood. The dry spiciness might appeal to rye whiskey fans. This was very good, but I'm not quite as excited about it as either of the other two in today's review.

Domaine de Baraillon 1985, 48% abv ($116)

Domaine de Baraillon is a small grower in the Bas-Armagnac region that makes only about two barrels of brandy per year. This bottling is a 1985 vintage made from ugni blanc and baco grapes.

This has a fantastic nose with fruit but also earthy notes, like a forest after the rain. That same earthiness shows up on the palate along with some sweet sherry or port notes and some of the lovely damp mildew you sense when visiting a winery. The finish is slightly spicy and very earthy.

This is just lovely stuff. In fact, I think it's my favorite Armagnac of the K&L series. It actually reminds me of some of the old, dusty bourbon I've had which has a certain earthiness to it. If you're interested in Armagnac, it would be hard to go wrong with the Domaine de Baraillon.


Note on disclosure: Someone asked in the comments yesterday if I am getting these brandies for free from K&L. The answer is no. While I rarely get free samples, it does happen occasionally and if I'm reviewing something I received from someone in the industry, I will always disclose it. Later this week, I will have a review based on such a sample, and I'll let you know, but the vast majority of the spirits I sample are things I have bought myself or that non-industry friends have kindly shared with me. As always, though, I am happy to accept anything for free, including bottle sweaters, key chains, distillery trips, pharmaceuticals or cash. Of course, none of these will impact my reviews, except the bottle sweaters.

My Favorite French Brandies of the 2010s

Following up on the list of my favorite whiskeys of all time, I thought I would do something similar for brandy. Listed below are my ten favorite French brandies released in the last five years. As with the whiskey list, I made this without regard to price or current availability, though I limited it to brandies available at retail in the U.S. since 2010 (i.e., the Golden Age of Brandy). They are listed in alphabetical order by type of brandy.

Cognac

Navarre Vieille Reserve, Grande Champagne, 45% abv
Paul-Marie & Fils Cognac, Borderies, Faultline Spirits, 61% abv
Paul-Marie & Fils Devant La Porte 1951, Grande Champagne, 51% abv

Armagnac

Domaine de Baraillon 1893, Bas-Armagnac, 40% abv
Domaine de Baraillon 1933, Bas-Armagnac, 40% abv
Domaine de Baraillon 1985, Bas-Armagnac 48% abv 
Chateau de Pellehaut 1996, Tenareze, 17 yo, 50.4% abv
Domaine de Pouchegu 1986, Tenzareze, 45% abv

Calvados

Camut Privilege 18 yo, Pays D'Auge, 40%
Henri Bernard Beudin Calvados, Eric Bordelet Selection, 18 yo, 53% abv

Armagnac Producers

As I've become more and more interested in brandies, and Armagnac in particular, I thought I would try to put together a list of producers along the lines of my list of whiskey distilleries. In his excellent but regrettably out of print 1998 book Armagnac - The Definitive Guide to France's Premier Brandy, Charles Neal says that there are 800 producers in the Armagnac region. That is a pretty daunting number and covers many producers who sell to negociants and don't bottle their own product. As a more reasonable endeavor, I put together a list of major Armagnac producers whose products are more likely to be found in the U.S.

Much as whiskey production includes distillers, blenders and bottlers of sourced product, Armagnac includes a number of different types of producers.  There are grower/producers who grow their own grapes and make their own wine (which is often distilled for them by a traveling distiller), distillers who buy wine and distill and age it, and negociants who buy distilled Armagnac to bottle and/or blend.

The list below is divided into four sections. The first three sections list grower/producers in the three regions of Armagnac (though Haut Armagnac barely has any producers) which are listed along with their locations. Some of these growers bottle their own Armagnac while others sell casks to Darroze, the one Armagnac negociant that regularly lists the provenance of its casks.

The last list shows firms that distill and/or bottle Armagnac from other growers. Some of them grow some portion of their own grapes as well. As with whiskey, it's not always clear who does what, but I've tried my best to get it right.


Bas Armagnac

Artez, Arthez d'Armagnac. More information available on their distributor's website.

Baraillon Domaine de, Lannemaignan
Barigos, Domaine de
La Beroje, Chateau de,  Le Houg
Bernadotte, Domaine de, Parleboscq
Bertruc, Domaine de, Le Frêche
Boingneres, Domaine, Le Frêche
Bouillon, Domaine de

Briat, Chateau de, Mauvezin d'Armaganc
Busquet, Domaine de, Labastide d'Armagnac

Charron, Domaine de, Perquie

Coquillon, Domaine de, Le Frêche
Couzard Lassalle, Domaine,
Ducs, Domaine Aux, Le Bourdalat 

Esperance, Domaine de, Mauvezin-d'Armagnac
La Gardenne, Domaine de,
Garreau, Chateau, Labastide-d'Armagnac
Gaube, Chateau de, Perquie
Guillemouta, Domaine de

Jean Bon, Domaine de, Toujouse
Jouanchicot, Domaine de (aka Domaine de Dupont), Mauléon-d'Armagnac
Jouanda, Domaine de, Arthez d'Armagnac
Joy, Domaine de, Panjas

Laballe, Chateau de, Parleboscq
Laberdolive, Domaine de, Labastide-d'Armagnac
Laburthe, Domaine de, Lacquy
Lacquy, Chateau de, Lacquy
Lamarquette, Domaine de
Laree, Chateau de, Laree
Lassaubatju, Domaine de, Hontanx

Lasserade, Chateau de, Lasserade

Laubade, Chateu de, Sorbets
Loujan, Domain (Armagnacs labeled just "Loujan" are sourced).
Luquet, Domaine de, Labastide-d'Armagnac

Maouhum, Domaine de

Marie Duffau
Martet, Chateau, Vic-Fezensac (owned by Maison Gelas)
Martin, Domaine au, Hontanx
Millet, Chateau de, Eauze
Miquer, Domaine de, Hontanx

Ognoas, Domaine De, Arthez d'Armagnac

Papolle, Domaine de, Mauléon d’Armagnac
Petita, Domaine de, Perquie
Peyrot, Domaine de, Sainte Christie d'Armagnac
Pounon, Domaine de, Labastide d'Armagnac
Pouteou, Domaine de, Lannemaignan

Ravignan, Chateau de, Perquie
Rieston, Domaine de, Perquie
Rimaillo, Domaine de,
Saint Aubin, Chateau du
Salie, Domaine de, Landas
Sandemagnan, Chateau, Cazaubon
Tariquet, Chateau du


Haut Armagnac

Grand-Comte, Domaine de, Roquelaure.

Tenareze

Arton, Domaine de, Lectoure.

Aurensan, Domaine, Cassaigne (common ownership with Leberon)

Busca, Chateau du, Mansencôme
Cassaigne, Chateau de, Cassaigne
Grangerie, Chateau de, Lannes

Ladeveze, Tenareze de

Leberon, Chateau de, Cassaigne (common ownership with Aurensan)
Pellehaut, Chateau de, Montréal
La Poste, Domaine de, 
Pouchegu, Domaine de
La Salette, Domaine, Condom (aka Domaine Duffour)


Negociants

Baron de Castelnau, Ayguetinte (Distills and ages purchased wines)
Baron de Lustrac, Magnan
Castarede, Maison, Lavardac. (Also use the label Chateau de Maniban). They distill in-house, except for some of their oldest vintages.
Cavé, Lannepax
Chabot, Villeneuve-de-Marsan
Cles des Ducs, Panjas
Darroze, Bas Armagnac. Darroze purchases Armagnac and discloses the producer on the label as well as making blends.
Dartigalongue, Nogaro (also uses the label La Croix de Salles). Use their own grapes as well as purchasing.
Delord, Lannepax (also sell under the Marie Duffau label). Delord has its own vines as well as purchasing wines.
Eric Artiguelongue, Arblade le Haut
Ferrand, Maison, This Cognac bottler also bottles Armagnac under the Cerbois label.
Gelas, Maison, Vic-Fezensac. Owners of Chateau Martet bottle it as well as other Armagnacs.
Janneau, Condom (Distills and ages from purchased wines)
Kelt, Nogaro. A Cognac bottler that also makes Chateau du Saint Aubin Armagnac.
Lafitte, Domaine a, Sion
Larressingle, Condom
Loujan, This new producer has purchased a vineyard but, prior to having its own wines, bottled sourced Armagnacs under the Loujan label. Now they have produced some Armagnacs from their wines under the label "Domaine Loujan.".
Marcel Trepout, Vic-Fezensac
Marquis de Montesquiou, Eauze (Pernod Ricard)
Marquis de Sauval
Montal, Nogaro.
Ryst-Dupeyron, Maison, Condom. Using the label J. Dupeyron.
Samalens, Laujuzan
Sempe, Villeneuve-de-Marsan
Veuve J. Goudoulin, Maison, Gondrin

Ask Me Anything!

I got tons of great questions in response to my Ask Me Anything post.  Here are answers to a number of them.

Years ago, you wrote an article for one of the whiskey magazines titled "Craft Whiskey Sucks." Now, many years later, would you write the same thing? Do you still think it mostly sucks? 

It was back in 2010 that I wrote on the Malt Advocate blog that "Most Craft Whiskeys Suck" (Whisky Advocate seems to have taken down the old blog archive but I cross posted the piece on my blog). For the most  part, I think that's still true. There are over 800 craft distilleries making whiskey in the US, but I can count the ones I've had anything good from on two hands: Charbay, Balcones, Cut Spike, Old Potrero, Seven Stills Tom's Foolery...maybe a few more, but not many. It's surprising because seven years ago, I assumed that the reason most craft whiskeys sucked was that they were too young, but now there are a number of four and five year old craft whiskeys, even BIBs, and they still mostly suck. If it isn't age, what's the issue?  I've heard lots of theories, from the stills to the yeast to the length of fermentation, but I can't claim to know.

Sku - at what point does a whisky that you own become too expensive that you don't open the bottle? For instance, I have a 2012 FR Small Batch that I'm told now sells for over $700 - that seems a ludicrous amount to spend on a bottle, and I wouldn't spend that amount on it and I'm happy I got it at retail back then. But now I find that decision to open is harder and harder, and I might not ever.

I do my best to ignore the secondary market. Every bottle in my closet is there to drink. I don't think of it as an investment except in my own happiness, so I don't hesitate to open anything.

Do Armagnac houses/domaines have recognizable profiles? For example are there specific differences in notes between Chateau de Gaube and Domaine de Busquet that you could expect to find despite the vintage?

I can't speak to your two examples as I've don't think I've had them, but Armagnacs absolutely have house styles. There are a number of variables which contribute to house style including grape varietals, types of barrels used and use of additives. Even within houses, there are recognizable differences, such as a Domaine de Baraillon Armagnacs made from Folle Blanche, which tend to be dry and earthy, vs. those made from Baco/Ugni Blanc. which tend to be fruitier.

How many spirits bottles do you tend to have in your personal collection at any given time (more or less)? of that group, what percentage consists of whiskey v. brandy v. other spirits at this point? do you have any favorite spirits categories other than whiskey or brandy (e.g. mezcal or Jamaican rum)?

-JCR 

I keep a list, so I can tell you exactly. I currently have 269 bottles of whiskey (115 of which are open), 55 bottles of brandy (25 open), and 14 bottles of rum (9 open). Beyond that I have a handful of Mezcals and  Absinthes and a dozen or so spirits I mostly use as cocktail ingredients. Other than whiskey and brandy, I love super-funky rums, and in the summer, I drink a lot of amaro (Aperol, Campari, Cynar, etc.).

1. in your opinion are micro-distillers pricing their bourbons too high?
2. is the bourbon renaissance a bubble?
2a. if it is a bubble how bad will the pop be?
3. are "tech" whiskies like cleveland viable? that is, in the long run, can a "whisky" that's aged for an hour really compete on price/quality with a bourbon that's aged for 10 years? in fact, i have seen cleveland priced higher than eagle rare and laughed all the way home.
regards,

-dan

1.  Yes.
2.  Not entirely, but there is a bubble.
2a.  Somewhere between Bordeaux and Beanie Babies.
3.  I doubt we will see amazing tech whiskey that connoisseurs will seek out, but eventually, technology will likely allow for the production of whiskey that is close enough to standard aged whiskey that it will sell successfully. I'm guessing one day there will be hour-old tech whiskeys competing with standard Beam and Jack Daniel's. Even if they aren't quite as good, if the price is significantly lower, they will be fierce competitors.

Simple: 100 duck sized horses or one horse sized duck?

The duck, assuming I get to eat it if I win.

How does it feel to be the dean of American whiskey bloggers? How much longer do you think you'll keep going? Do you think blogging about whiskey is still relevant?

1.  I appreciate the accolade, but if there is a dean of American whiskey bloggers, it's Chuck Cowdery. He had already been at it for years when I showed up on the scene.
2. At least through the end of the week.
3. Blogging, in general, is much less relevant than when I started ten years ago.  These days, people spend a lot more time on social media than on blogs, but I still find blogs relevant and read them, both for reviews and information. That being said, it does seems like a dying form...like books.

1. What is the next big thing in spirits and why is it Armagnac?
2. Do you believe that dusty bourbon/rye has a familiar profile that you don't find in today's products, i.e. "dusty notes"? If so, do you believe that's due to bottle conditioning or some other factor(s)?
3. Given the current boom and scarcity of anything allocated or limited edition, are there bottles you regret passing on years ago that you wish you would have bought more of?

-signde 

1.  I love Armagnac, but I actually think full proof, additive-free rum is more likely to be the next craze. Serge at Whiskyfun recently compared Hampden Jamaican rum to 1970s Ardbeg which pretty much guarantees that thousands of malt-heads will be seeking it out, and they should. In terms of Armagnac, there's a new new generation of Armagnacs aged in new oak (e.g. Charron, L'Encantada) which may well catch on with the bourbon lovers.
2.  That's a great question. My experience, and I think most folks who drink a lot of dusties would agree, is that those bourbons definitely have a different profile and one that's changed through the years.  For instance, prohibition era bourbon tastes much spicier than today's stuff whereas '70s bourbon is like liquid candy.  I have no idea why the differences exist and how much of it is related to so-called old bottle effect. I don't think we will ever know for sure, since there were many differences between how they made bourbon and rye decades ago and how they make it now - lower entry proofs, differences in fermentation and distillation, etc.
3. There aren't really bottles I regret passing on because I didn't pass on much. I was lucky to get into this whiskey in the early 2000s when things were cheap and plentiful, so I had some great stuff at ridiculously low prices (some of which seemed ridiculously high at the time). In terms of bottles I wish I had bought more of, one of the first bottles of bourbon I purchased was the old Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve 10 year, 101 proof - that's one that I really miss, though not enough to pay secondary prices for it.

Why "Sku"?  

It's my initials.

We often talk about the downsides of the bourbon boom? From your perspective, what are some of the positive aspects?

Great question! With all the complaining about prices, loss of age statements and the secondary market, it's easy to forget that thirty years ago, almost no one was drinking bourbon, and there were only one or two ryes on the shelf, if that. No one bothered to do special releases, experiment or put out well aged whiskey because no one cared about American whiskey. Fast forward thirty years and there's bourbon everywhere. I just did a tasting of 20 currently available, affordable rye whiskeys, and we could have probably done 40. We have a diversity of mashbills, yeast, proof and nearly everything else. It's true that compared to ten years ago, prices are higher and well-aged whiskey is harder to come by, but there are more choices in the American whiskey aisle than there have ever been, and more is coming. Everyone talks about the craft distillers, but the growth of mid-sized Kentucky distilleries is what I find most promising. These larger distilleries like Willett, Michter's and New Riff are going to have the means and capacity to produce great bourbon and rye, and I'm betting they will.

Does MAO still make you swoon? 

-Jealous in Jersey

 Nah, that guy's annoying.

Do you ever have any regrets about spending so much of your life on this whisky hobby?

Not at all. On the contrary, I've met amazing friends, had a lot of great times, and I have been endlessly impressed by the kindness and generosity of the other folks in the hobby.


That was fun! Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.

No, I Can't Recommend a Good Armagnac

For the past few years, I've been singing the praises of brandy, and Armagnac in particular. As a result, I get a lot of requests for Armagnac recommendations. This is always tough. While there is great Armagnac to be had at great prices, it's not very widespread.

There are just two people who seem responsible for bringing in the majority of the great Armagnac (and many other French spirits for that matter) available in the US.  Charles Neal, in California, is a long-time importer of French spirits. He brings in all of K&L's special Armagnac picks as well as many others. Nicolas Palazzi is a New York based importer/distributor. His company, PM Spirits, brings in tons of good stuff from all over France. The problem is, these guys have limited reach. Neal's best stuff are the K&L picks, but he also brings in barrels for D&M in San Francisco.  In Southern California, you can find Palazzi's stuff at K&L and Everson Royce in Pasadena, and it's in a number of NY venues including Astor Wines.

But what if you're not in New York or California?  Well, you can order on-line from K&L or Astor, but if you're in a no-shipping state, you're in trouble. The Armagnac selection in most liquor stores, including many that have huge whiskey selections, is tiny, and the stuff that is there tends to be from a few big producers or blenders that make fairly indistinct stuff (Tariquet, Laubade, Castarede, etc.).

As for all of those fun things I write about, Pellehaut, Baraillon, Domaine d'Aurensan, you're probably out of luck. The big exception is Darroze. They are one of the best bottlers in Armagnac and bottle lots of cask strength, single grower expressions as well as a number of excellent blends. They are the one really great Armagnac bottler that has more widespread availability, though they are also more expensive than most smaller producers.

And while it would be great to have fantastic Armagnac available everywhere, it's probably never going to happen. Most Armagnac producers are tiny. Neal and Palazzi (and the K&L Davids) spend their time hunting around dusty barns in Gascony to find the good stuff. It's like American Pickers, but with brandy and in France. And the same is largely true for Calvados and even Cognac.

So, I'm sorry that I can't recommend a great Armagnac, even though you live in a big city with great liquor stores, but who knows what the future holds? There is definitely room for more Armagnac in the US and so hopefully, as it grows in popularity, we will start to see more of it in more places.

Brandy Gifts

It was frustrating putting together my Whiskey Gifts post this year because of the unavailability of so many of the good whiskeys.  Brandy, though, is a different story.  As I've been fond of saying, we are living in a Golden Age of Brandy; the quality has never been better (at least not in my lifetime), the price is insanely reasonable for what you get, and most of it is still on the shelf.  Most of the best new spirits I had this year were brandies.  If you're shopping for spirit gifts, you might want to skip the whiskey aisle altogether.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Cognac Navarre Vieille Reserve ($200). This Cognac from Jacky Navarre includes brandies that are 50 years old.  It's a beautiful, oaky, earthy brandy.  Yes, it's pricey, but it's one of the best things I tasted all year. It's still available at Astor Wines.

Domaine de Baraillon 1985 ($116).  This K&L exclusive shows the best qualities of Armagnac; it's at once fruity, earthy and spicy.  It was one of my two favorite Armagnacs this year.

1996 Chateau de Pelleahut ($60) This was my other favorite Armagnac this year and also a K&L exclusive (kudos to K&L for jumping on the brandy brandy-wagon with both feet in their excellent exclusive barrels program).  Deeply earthy, it tastes much older than its 17 years.  At $60 per bottle, this is the best spirit deal of the year.

Osocalis Brandy The Heritage ($130) is the masterpiece of this California distiller, but their whole range is great.  For a budget pick, it's hard to beat their Rare Alembic Brandy ($43).

Navazos Palazzi Brandy de Jerez ($80 for a half bottle).  Nicolas Palazzi's sherry aged brandy is rich and dry, a perfect brandy for lovers of sherried Scotch.

Domaine D'Ognoas 2000 ($56).  Another K&L exclusive, this is a bold, assertive Armagnac that's a great deal at the price point.

So don't despair of the state of whiskey. Drink brandy!

Happy holidays!

New Whiskey Labels: Basil Hayden, Balvenie, Bagels and More

This week's most interesting new labels from the federal TTB database:

Beam Suntory cleared a label for Basil Hayden's Rye which they call a "very limited release." It is "aged and blended with a rebarreled in rye re-barreled in new charred oak quarter casks." The label carries no age statement and says the whiskey will be bottled "at a smooth 80 proof."

William Grant cleared a label for a peated 14 year old Balvenie for Peat Week. While Balvenie has released whiskeys aged in peated casks before, I'm not aware of them releasing an actual peated whiskey.

Three Springs Bottling cleared a label for a ten year old expression of Calumet Farm Kentucky Bourbon.

A label cleared for the new 40 year old Deanston.

Brandy lovers take note, there are new labels for Domaine Baraillon Armagnacs from 1976 and 1987, a 1995 Domaine D'Ognoas and a 1980 Lemorton Calvados.

News of the Weird. Seven Stills cleared a label for Sea Farmer Whiskey, distilled from grain and hops...with salt. Oh, and here's a whiskey distilled from bagels.

Note:  The fact that a label appears on the TTB database does not necessarily mean it will be produced.  In addition, some details on the label, such as proof, can change in the final product.

Brandy Gifts

K&L and Nicolas Palazzi again dominate my brandy gift recommendations, and for the second year running, some of the best spirits I tasted this year were brandies.

Cognac: I just reviewed Palazzi's great, single barrel, cask strength Gourry de Chadeville ($150), which is as bold and intense as any spirit I've had. If you're looking for a more traditional Cognac with sweeter flavors, K&L's 2002 Claude Thorin ($60) and 1996 Giboin Fin Bois ($55) are great picks that are super-drinkable.  These are great holiday party picks.

Armagnac:  This year, K&L brought back new Armagnacs from what have become two of my favorite houses: Domaine de Baraillon and Chateau de Pellehaut.  One of my favorites of this year's Baraillons was the 1988 ($110) which is still available. At a bit cheaper price point, I also enjoyed the 20 year old ($70). My favorite of the Pellehauts was the 1994 ($70), but they were all good and are all still available.

Happy holidays!