Category Archives: Caps – Spirits

Passover spirits: San Francisco treats from No. 209 Distillery

For those who keep kosher for the Jewish holiday of Passover, a California distillery offers a gin and a vodka that meet religious requirements.  They’re definitely worth a shot.

Kosher for Passover gin and vodka from Distillery 209.

Kosher for Passover gin and vodka from No. 209 Distillery.

Why is No. 209 Distillery different from all other distilleries?

Because it may be the only distillery in the world producing certified kosher for Passover gin and vodka. Which is good news for those who would are to imbibe something other than wine during Passover, which begins at sundown on March 25 and lasts for eight days.

To be sure, there are other kosher-for-Passover vodkas, including Kedem; Zachlawi, from a craft distillery in New Jersey, and L’Chaim, an Israel product.  Alas, I did not taste these.  Nevertheless, I’ve found no other distillery that produces both kosher for Passover gin and Vodka,

No, 209 distillery is a small batch distillery on San Francisco’s Pier 50 and is owned by wine and food entrepreneur Leslie Rudd, who also owns Dean & Deluca, Rudd Oakville Estates and upscale kosher wine producer Covenant Wines. These kosher spirits are the result of Rudd’s decision to task the distillery to produce white liquors that could be enjoyed by observant Jews during Passover.

No. 209’s regular gin and vodka are made from corn ethanol, but grain-based alcohols are prohibited during Passover, because they are considered chametz, or leavened. In other words they’re the same as bread, which observant Jews are not allowed to own or consume during Passover.

The kosher gin and vodka, released in 2010 and 2012, respectively, are the work of No. 209’s “ginerator,” Arne Hillesland, and Covenant associate winemaker Jonathan Hadju. They’re produced under Orthodox Union (O-U) kosher supervision. Both are based on sugar cane, the same base used by Caribbean distillers to produce the white rum known as Rum Agricole

The vodka is a four times, column-distilled base spirit that is filtered through activated charcoal and combined with what the distillery claims is snowmelt from Sierra Nevada Mountains. Tasted chilled and straight, it’s smooth and sweet with no aftertaste. A 750 ml bottle retails for about $30.

Producing a kosher-for-Passover gin was more problematic. Not only could the distillers not use grain, but they also had to pass on several key botanicals that are not Passover approved. As gin fanciers know, it’s the botanicals that make gin, gin. Using the same sugar cane base spirit as used for the vodka, 209’s distillers used Juniper as required by law, but also eight to eleven different botanicals that all adhere strictly to Kosher dietary law. The juniper, from Tuscany, is blended with bergamot orange from Calabria, California bay leaf from Napa Valley’s Mount Veeder, lemon peel from Spain, cassia bark from Indonesia, angelica root from the United Kingdom and coriander seeds from Romania. Cardamom, an essential flavoring in 209’s regular gin, also was forbidden by the Orthodox Union, so the distillers recreated the flavor profile using the bay leaf and other botanicals.

Tasted neat, powerful, but delightfully sweet aromatics of the OU-okayed gin gave way to citrus notes, some sweetness, herbs and a pepper spiciness on the palate. The juniper is subdued. Nevertheless, still quite nice.  A 750 ml bottle sells for $35-$46 at spirits shops throughout the New York metropolitan area, and across the country.

Need a kosher for Passover dry vermouth to make a martini? No problem Kedem, the kosher wine behemoth, makes one.

L’Chaim!

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Thanks for an amazing first year

As Corkscapsandtaps.com marks its first anniversary beer has become the topic of choice.

What a year it’s been! Corks, Caps and Taps was launched just a year ago.

In that time I’ve written 81 posts —  this will be No. 82 . Not bad considering that this is just a part-time thing.

And, there have been 13,381 visits to the blog and 18,251 pages  have been viewed. More than three quarters of you are from the U.S., largely concentrated in metro New York — not a surprise, really. I’ve written about beer, wine, spirits and cider over the past year. Judging by the numbers, readers mostly have enjoyed reading about beer. And there will plenty more on that ahead.  I’ll be traveling this week to the American Brewers Association Conference in Washington, DC and writing about what American craft brewers  are up to.

To be sure, I haven’t forsaken my wine loving friends or those who prefer spirits.  They’ll get their due — as they happen. The craft beer world, it seems, is much more active.

I thank you for your readership and continued support.  I’m looking forward to another amazing year.

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James Beard Foundation lists wine, beer and spirits pro award semifinalists

Who’s the top wine, spirits or beer professional in the country?

You’ll find them among The James Beard Foundation’s 2013 list of semifinalists for its annual award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries.

Finalists will be announced March 18 and the award will be presented on May 6 at Avery Fisher Hall at New York City’s Lincoln Center.

award-largeThe James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based foodies’ organization, named for the late cookbook author, educator and champion ofAmerican cuisine.  The Beard Foundation offers a variety of events and programs designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster a deeper understanding of American  culinary culture.

The list of semi-finalists, in alphabetical order:

The 2012 award winner in the category was Paul Greico, owner of Terroir Wine Bar in New York City.

The nominations were derived from  an online open call for entries that began in mid-October. This year, more than 44,000 entries were received, a list which the foundation’s restaurant and chef committee reviews to determine eligibility and regional representation. Based on the results and eligibility requirements for each award, the committee then produces a nominating ballot that lists the semifinalists in each of the 20 restaurant and chef awards categories, which include outstanding wine, spirits, or beer professional. The list of semifinalist nominees is then sent to an independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges from across the country. This panel, which includes  leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard Foundation winners, votes on specific award categories to determine  final five nominees in each category. The same judges then vote on these five nominees to select the winners. The governing awards committee, board of trustees, and staff of the James Beard Foundation do not vote, and the results are kept confidential until the presentation of winners on  May 6.

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Jan. 25, a fine night for Scotch whisky and haggis to mark Bobby Burns Day

St. Andrew's Burns Night menu

St. Andrew’s Burns Night menu

Every Jan. 25, Scots celebrate the life of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.

Whether in Scotland or elsewhere in the world, they take the time for a wee dram of whisky as they carry out the long-standing tradition of reciting Burns’ famous poems over a sumptuous traditional Burns supper.

The tradition, begun a few years after Burns death in 1796 by some of his close friends, has been marked in New York City by a supper at St. Andrews Restaurant and Bar, in the city’s Theater District.  Mark and Martin Whelan, who own the St. Andrews, also own Maggie’s Place, Stout, The Half Pint, Feile, Amity Hall and the Long Room. This year will be no different.

Mark Whelan, who’s the chef at St. Andrews, has been hosting the diner for about 15 years. In the early years, he recalled, the event attracted just a few dozen patrons.  This year it’s sold out at about a hundred guests. Many will arrive wearing kilts.

The dinner starts with the saying of grace, bag pipers, followed by the presentation of the haggis, a sheep’s belly stuffed with organ meats, spices, and oatmeal and the recitation of Burn’s poem, “Address to a Haggis.”

The reading can get very dramatic, says Whelan, “People are really into, it. People love the haggis. They eat it by the handful.”

What follows is essentially a Scottish meal with each course accompanied by a different whisky.  Haggis with neeps (parsnips) and tatties (potatoes) is one of the first course selections. Yes, people eat it, says Whelan. This year, various Bowmore Islay whiskies are on the menu, including Bowmore Legend, Bowmore 12 year, Bowmore 15 and for a night cap, Bowmore 18, accompanied by a along with a sing along that ends with Burns’ 1788 work, “Auld Lang Syne.”

Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on Islay (pronounced ‘eye-la’) and one of the oldest in Scotland. Islay malts are renowned for their peaty smokiness.

Whelan, who has worked with Bowmore on other whisky dinners, says the pairings must be done with care to work with the different characteristics of the whiskies. The food has to be prepared to match the whisky, he says. “You want something that will stand up to it. You don’t want to serve the 18 year with the entrée.” That fruity, chocolately elixir is too strongly flavored. Better suited, the 12-year with its notes of smoke, citrus and honey.

St, Andrews is the perfect New York bar for a Burns supper. Named for the famous Scottish golf course – golf pro Ernie Els was to be an original partner, there’s no doubt about the restaurant’s theme. Tartan patterns cover the seats of the bar stools that stand along the polished wooden bar and the dining room chairs and banquettes. Servers, mostly Scottish, wear kilts. “That’s the uniform,” says Whelan.

Meanwhile, the bar offers a selection of more than 200 single malts and 23 blended whiskies, plus Irish and malt whiskies from elsewhere, not to mention a few Scottish beers. Interestingly, the Whelans are Irish, not Scotch. In opening the pub, they decided New York had too many Irish places.

And what of Bobby Burns Day? Says Whelan, “It’s an excuse to eat good food and drink good Scotch.”

How will you mark Robert Burns day?

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Glenmorangie adds a 1993 ‘virgin’ American oak single malt, Ealanta

Ealanta PackshotFans of Glenmorangie single malt Scotch whisky will soon have something  to cheer about: a new expression to sample, Glenmorangie Ealanta, part of the distiller‘s Private Edition range.

Scots Gaelic for “skilled and ingenious,” Ealanta is a 19-year-old Glenmorangie that’s been matured exclusively in virgin American white oak casks from the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains.

Glenmorangie, a Highland distiller, is renowned for its research into the effect of wood on whisky maturation and its previous expressions in the Private Edition range have been aged in barrels previously used for sherry and Tuscan wine. All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three years

“It’s no secret in our industry that it’s the ‘wood that makes the whisky’ and for many years my team and I have been carrying out detailed research in this area,” Dr. Bill Lumsden, the company’s distilling and whisky creation director, said in a press release. “Ealanta is an experiment dating from the early 1990s. The casks selected from oaks of the Mark Twain National Forest were absolutely top quality and were unusual in that they had not previously held any liquor, such as bourbon.”

Lumsden said the interaction of the whiskey with the “virgin” wood made for intriguing flavors, which he described as a “huge mouth-filling, buttery, creamy, vanilla flavors – somewhat like a crème brulee topped with almond and marzipan.”

According to the distiller’s tasting notes: “Glenmorangie Ealanta has a soft toffee and butterscotch aroma, followed by vanilla and a curious strong hint of stewed fruits with a hallmark Glenmorangie top note of menthol. On the palate, candied orange peel, sugar coated almonds and sweet vanilla are to the fore, wrapped in an unusual nuttiness reminiscent of Brazil nuts in toffee. The finish is long with virgin oak derived spices such as clove, ginger and a hint of aniseed.“

Glenmorangie Ealanta is bottled at 46 percent abv and is not chill-filtered. It will be available in limited quantities, which once depleted won’t be refilled. New York, a major market for the brand, can expect distribution, said a spokeswoman.  The suggested retail price is $119 per 750ml bottle.

Glenmorangie Ealanta is the latest addition to the ongoing limited Private Edition range, comprising, so far, Sonnalta PX (aged in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks), Finealta (aged in American white oak and Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks) and Artein (aged in rare Tuscan wine casks).

 

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Buffalo Trace tasting offers an education and 6 satisfying bourbons

I’m the first to admit that I don’t know a heck of a lot about bourbon, so when a nearby wine and spirits merchant announced an in-store seminar on this all-American whiskey, I was there. And happy I went.

The seminar at Post Wines in Syosset proved to be both an educational and delicious experience. In realty it was a guided stand-up tasting led by David Harper, euphemistically called a brand ambassador for Sazerac, the New Orleans-based distiller,

Born of a cocktail in the 1800’s the Sazerac Co. today is an independent, American family owned distilling company that owns such venerable brands as Buffalo Trace Distillery, A. Smith Bowman, Glenmore Distillery, Barton, Fleischmann, Medley and Mr. Boston.

So what is bourbon? It’s a distilled spirit whose grain recipe must include at least 51 percent corn and it may distilled at no higher than 160 proof (80 percent alcohol by volume). Moreover, it may not contain artificial additives; flavorings or caramel color and it must be made in the United States (though some might think, erroneously, only in Kentucky).

This tasting featured six bourbons from the 200-year-old Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, Ky.

Buffalo Trace

Eagle Rare

Harper started his “students” with Buffalo Trace ($26.99 for 750 ml. – prices shown are those at Post), which he described as an easy drinking, everyday spirit, good for making Manhattan cocktails.  I started my evaluation using a method taught to me by a Scotch whisky maven, putting a dab of each on my wrist as you might a sample of perfume, let it dry and then sniff.  Then I nosed the bourbon – with a splash of water – in an old fashioned glass and then sipped, judiciously, because there’s no spitting out in a whiskey tasting. At 90 proof, the amber-hued Buffalo Trace was a smooth sipper with aromas of citrus and vanilla and sweet and spice notes on the palate.

Up next was Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 years old ($29.99), also an amber-colored whiskey at 90 proof. But this whiskey’s grain mix called for more rye and as a result, it seemed fuller in body with a fruity, peppery nose and on the palate sweet, hot, spicy notes.

Our third sample was Blanton’s Single Barrel ($45.99), with a nose that exuded vanilla. It was intensely flavored with notes of caramel and spice and at 125 proof it’s definitely hotter on the palate. It finishes quite dry.

Rock Hill Farms

Blanton’s

We’re then on to Rock Hill Farms ($47.99), also a single-barrel bourbon, this time 100 proof. There’s no age statement. Deep copper in color with a chary/tarry nose, this spirit shares a rye-heavy mash recipe with Blanton’s. I don’t detect as much spicy character, but I taste candied fruits, chocolate and sweet oak and more heat. My lips feel the same zing that they might after eating a dish loaded with spicy Szechuan peppers. Definitely a winner!

Our fifth pour was Elmer T. Lee ($31.99), which is labeled a sour mash, meaning an older fermenting grain mixture was added to start the fermentation. The grain recipe is the same as for Blanton’s and Rock Hill Farms. The nose screams English Leather aftershave lotion, but it also has notes of sweet vanilla and pepper.  Medium-gold in color, there’s a gentle spiciness and honey notes on the palate and a long finish. Also a big winner on my scorecard.

Col. EH Taylor

Elmer T. Lee

To finish us up, literally, not figuratively, Harper poured samples of the recently released Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. ($64.99). Named for one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, this 100 proof, single-barrel whiskey comes from 93 barrels aged exclusively in the top two levels of the distillery’s Warehouse C, which was built in 1881 and which survived a 2006 tornado.  The most delicately flavored of the evening’s samples, this whiskey showed light, smoky and dried figs aromas. Candy sweetness, fruit and spice could be found on the palate. Relative to the other whiskeys, it finished short.

Now that I’ve sailed through previously unchartered waters, I’m ready to continue my bourbon education with much enthusiasm. Are you a fancier of bourbon?

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Remy Cointreu buys Islay’s Bruichladdish distillery

Remy Cointreu has acquired the fiercely independent Islay single malt Scotch whisky brand Bruichladdich, marking the French spirits giant first move into the rapidly growing premium single malt Scotch whisky market.

The companies announced the £58 million ($89.9 million) deal in a July 23 press release issued by Remy’s London-based subsidiary, Remy Cointreau UK Ltd.

The Bruichladdich (pronounced  Brook Laddie), distillery, one of eight on the Island of Islay and until now the only one not part of a big group, had been owned since December 2000 by a group of private investors led by Mark Reynier of Murray McDavid, who resurrected the Victorian distillery with its unique tall and narrow-necked stills. Today it produces more than 50 different expressions.

“The acquisition of Bruichladdich, a renowned Islay single malt with a rich and exciting heritage, is a great opportunity to enrich our high-end portfolio of brands and to confirm our strategy in the spirits luxury segment,” Remy CEO Jean-Marie Laborde said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with Bruichladdich’s experienced and passionate management team”.

Sir John Mactaggart, chairman of Bruichladdich said, “This is an excellent transaction for Bruichladdich, the Islay community and a wonderful opportunity for the company to reach its full potential, under the stewardship of Remy Cointreau with their strong distribution network and their experienced brand development. I’m confident that Bruichladdich will establish itself as one of the Scotch whisky industry’s best known and acclaimed premium brands.”

Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 in the western part of the island of Islay and was shuttered in 1994. It was resurrected in 2000. Bruichladdich single malts are distilled, aged and bottled on site. Port Charlotte, a heavily peated expression, and Octomore, the world’s most heavily peated whisky, are also distilled there.

The Rémy Cointreau Group, whose origins date back to 1724, produces Remy Martin and Louis XIII cognacs, Cointeauthe orange-peel liqueur, Metaxa brandy from Greece, Mount Gay Rum from Barbados; Passoa, a passion-fruit liqueur; Saint Remya French brandy among others. Remy’s U.S. distribution portfolio also includes Piper-Heidsieck Champagne,  the MacCallan, Famous Grouse and Highland Park Scotch whiskies and Russian Standard Vodka

 

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3 new gin discoveries

Making gin is like painting a blank canvas. It’s a collage of flavors. And some new micro distillers, I‘ve found, are painting with a colorful palette.

Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin

Recently, I discovered some new flavorful renditions of this spirit, whose origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, at Elixirs & Eats: Bacon, Beer, Booze, and Burlesque, an event at Hudson Terrace put on by food and beverage promoter Jimmy Carbone, who owns Jimmy’s No, 43 bar in Manhattan and Food Karma Projects, an event company. He received assistance from Gregg Glaser, editor of Modern Distillery Age.

Bluecoat Gin from Philadelphia Distilling

● Bluecoat American Dry Gin, from the Philadelphia Distilling Co., Sold in a cobalt blue bottle, this gin is far from the typical London dry gin. It’s made with wheat,  organic juniper berries, citrus and botanicals. The taste is firmly focused on the spicy juniper and citrus.

● Brooklyn Gin, produced under contract for Jose Santo’s Brooklyn Distilling Co. by the Hudson Valley-based Warwick Winery and Distillery. Santo’s recipe includes hand-cracked juniper berries, 11 botanicals, five types of citrus peels, lavender and cocoa nibs. It’s floral and citrus forward.

Brooklyn GIn

I’ve always found gin much more interesting than vodka, largely because of its complex flavors. To me, a martini is tastier with gin than it is with vodka. And nothing beats a gin and tonic on a hot summer day, though a gin greyhound cocktail may come close. Or, perhaps, this gin punch recipe from Brooklyn Distilling’s Jose Santos:I must lament that it’s difficult to find these distinctive gins outside of New York City.  You’ll find retailers listed on the producers’ respective web sites.

Gin Punch 

Adopted from a recipe from Brooklyn Distilling

1 bottle of Brooklyn Gin or other small batch gin

3 Earl Grey tea bags

12 oz. agave syrup

12 oz. pear purée

20 oz. water

10 oz. lemon juice (12 fresh lemons)

Nutmeg

Pour the gin into another a pitcher or jug and add the three Earl Grey tea bags. Stir/shake occasionally for up to 20 minutes, tasting along the way to ensure that it doesn’t get you too bitter for you.

Remove the tea bags.

Pour the infused gin into a punch bowl.

Add all other ingredients (except the nutmeg) and stir.

Add some ice to the bowl.

To serve, add some ice to a glass, pour punch in glass, and sprinkle some ground nutmeg on the top.

Notes

Agave syrup is available in most supermarkets

If commercial pear purée is unavailable make it yourself using 6 pears. Peel and core the peers and then puree with a little water in a food processor.

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Rocky Point Artisan Brewers gets micro brewery license

From left, Voight, Jenssen and Hall at a recent Long island beer festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No. 1260239.  This number means everything to Mike Voight and Donavan Hall, principals of Long Island’s Rocky Point Artisan Brewers.  It’s the serial number on their just-granted New York State micro brewery license.

The brewery submitted its application on Jan. 3 and five months and 20 days later, it became a realty on June 20. The project has been in the works for three years.

“It just took so long,” Hall told Corks, Caps and Taps. “They kept giving us so many problems that we thought for sure we’d never get it. It was kind of a shock when the license arrived.”

Hall added, “Now we’re trying to get some beer out the door.”

The 1.5 bbl.-brewery, built in a converted residential garage four doors down from Hall’s home, has minimal beer on hand and shipping won’t begin until the brewer’s labels get government approval, probably in about a week, Hall said. The first release is likely to be Rocky Point Pilsner, which has been part of the brewery’s repertoire  and received favorable notices at beer festivals.

Rocky Point is using a system similar to that originally used by Barrier Brewing in Oceanside. “He’s been brewing twice a day to keep up with demand,” Hall said of Barrier owner Evan Klein.

Rocky Point’s fermenters hold 300 gallons, just under 10 barrels. A house fronting the brewery remains a residence, but may someday be converted into a tasting room, he noted.

Hall, a writer, and partner Mike Voigt, an electronics repairer, both from Rocky Point, met as home brewers and began brewing in Voigt’s basement in 2006. They were joined in 2009 by Yuri Janssen, a research physicist at Stony Brook University, who for now is one of the brewers.

Rocky Point, Long Island’s tenth commercial brewery, is a “nano” in size. “We’re going to stay small for a while,” Hall said. Nano brewers generally produce under 4 barrels of beer at a time.

Other breweries in Nassau and Suffolk Counties (including brew pubs) are: Barrier, Black Forest Brew Haus, Blind Bat, Blue Point, Brickhouse, Greenport Harbor, Fire Island, John Harvard’s, Long Ireland, Port Jefferson , Southampton Publick House and Spider Bite.

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Prunier Cognacs Dazzle

Mention Cognac and what names come to mind? Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell, Remy, are the obvious choices since they produce 90 percent of the world’s cognac. But how about Prunier?  Bet you never heard of it.  Neither did I — until last week, when I had the good fortune to attend an in-store tasting at Post Wines in Syosset, Long Island, conducted by Gerald Cogen, president of Prunier Cognac’s distributer, Select Brands International Inc.

The tasting, gratis and open to all, was sparsely attended, but the few there, including myself, were richly rewarded. I was dazzled by the Prunier samples, poured with a gracious hand by the soft-spoken, knowledgeable Mr. Cogen. All told, over the course of 90 minutes I tasted six Cognacs, an Armagnacs (brandy from the Armagnac region in southwest France) and two Calvados, brandies distilled from apples.

Cognac (pronounced kon-yak) is a brandy named for the French wine growing region and town of Cognac in the French Departments of Charente and Charente-Martime. For a distilled brandy to be called cognac, which is a AOC, or appellation d’origine contrôlée, it must be made from the Ugni Blanc gape, twice distilled in copper pot tills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais.

Cognac matures in a similar manner to whiskies and wine when aged in barrels, and most cognacs are aged considerably longer than the minimum legal requirement. Cognac, raw from the still is colorless and gains its hues, from deep gold to russet, from the casks in which it ages. The raw spirit — Mr. Cogen provided a sample of this, too — resembled a fruity eau de vie, but harsh and fiery, not unlike some Italian grappas.

But the stuff that’s been aged in barrels, well, that’s quite a different story.

Starting at the low end of the brand portfolio there’s the VS ($23).  Aged four to six years, it’s soft and fruity, but hardly complex.

Next, the 10-year-old Axel Gay ($40), named for Prunier’s cellar master, and a soon-to-be discontinued label we were told, is smooth and soft with hints of fruit as well as fire.

The Prunier Family Reserve ($63) was among my favorites. Russet hued from a stay of 15 to 40 years in oak and blended together, it offered up a complex array of flavors, fruit, oak and hazelnut, heat and a touch of what I perceived as sweetness.

Prunier 20 Years Old Cognac ($80), is a single vintage spirit aged for 20 years. It’s golden color pales next to the Family Reserve, but while soft, it lacks the complexity of its blended brethren.

XO, or extra old Cognac, by French law must be aged for at least six years. Prunier’s XO ($105) includes in its blend spirits aged for more than 80 years. Russet hued, its has an exuberant nose and a full body. It’s silky on the palate and its finish is lengthy.

Cogen hadn’t planned on opening the XO Litz ($200), bottled in a handcrafted glass decanter, but he relented with a nod from Post Wine’s co-owner Mike Douglas. It’s blend that ,includes brandies from the 1937, 1939, 1947 vintages, Cogen explained. Amazingly soft, well-balanced and russet colored and with a finish that won’t quit. It’s a fine as you’ll get.

Onto the Armgnac Sauval ($NA), a more rustic, coarser tasting brandy than the cognacs, it offers prune notes on the palate. It’s aged 18 to 30 months.

Finally, we move on to Menorval Calvados Prestige AOC ($NA). Aged for four years its comes across as bitter and harsh. The Menorval Calvados XO Tres Vieux ($NA), aged for 17 years, is sweeter and smoother.

Maison Prunier S.A. has been produced Cognac since the 17th Century and began exporting a century later. The company remains family owned today.

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