Malternative "Avant" Cognac Borderies 1925 Belgium 49%

Today’s review is of a 1925 Borderies from Malternative, an independent bottler based out of Belgium (owned by Pieter Knape) focusing on bottling 30+ year cognacs. Honestly, it’s nice to see cognac get more attention from indie bottlers run by spirits geeks (outside of the Norwegians who were definitely first to the table and been in the cognac game for at least a minute). 

This bottling dates back to at least 1925 but is likely a tad older - when dealing with spirits this old records simply disappear into the void and bottlers have to rely whatever archival information they can find. It was obtained from a French family related to Rene Rivieres and distilled in the Borderies region. There are not a ton of Borderies options on the market which makes this bottling even more interesting. I will say that I don’t fall for what I call the “terroir trap,” meaning I don’t have strong preconceived notions about a cognac’s profile or quality solely based on where the grapes were grown...at least not yet. Ryan was messaging me the other day saying that he’s been noticing some distinctions between the regions and that there might be some truth to terroir profiling. 

With that said, onto the review…

N: plenty of fruits up front...apricots, citrus, and Trader Joe's dried mango strips...along with some confectionary baking spices, rose petal, and a decadent creamy note that I can’t put my finger directly on, but I want to say it reminds me of ChiChi’s fried ice cream (oh those childhood memories).

P: it's amazing how NOT oaky and fresh this is, even if it spent a substantial amount of time in a demijohn. The fruits from the nose translate to the palate (so apricots and mandrin)...the citrus takes on more of a creamy texture rather than the typical acidity notes, and I’d say the citrus flavors are similar to something you’d get from orange marmalade...there’s some sweet cereal notes hanging around in the background (I’ve been eating Honey Nut Chex so lets say that) and hints of green apples. 

F: very nice length, the whole experience is finished off with a mild smokey note that reminds me of burnt incense (like when it's finished burning and there are small wafts of char in the air that you can subtly taste).

Thoughts: This is a very nice cognac and checks all the boxes for what you’d look for - a standard setter. But with that said, there wasn’t that extra “wow” factor that would cause me to aggressively chase down a bottle. If I was drawing analogies, this bottle is more of a Scottie Pippen than a Michael Jordan. But remember that Pippen is a legend in his own right, and this bottle is fantastic. If I had a spare $400 would I buy one? Heck yeah I would. But this was an extremely limited release and tough to locate these days - so am I going to aggressively pursue one? Probably not.

Thanks Zac for the sample!

Grade: A Minus  

Navarre Cravache D'or Grande Champagne Cognac 45%

 

Here’s another cognac by way of PM Spirits. Ryan briefly reviewed this bottling while visiting the Navarre estate, but I think ultimately it was overshadowed by the incredibly intimate experience he had (Ryan kept telling me he couldn’t keep track of all the fantastic spirits he drank while in France). This is the youngest of the OB Navarres you can buy and is a blend of ~20 year cognac. PM Spirits was nice enough to send me a sample for review.

N: There’s tons of fruits here...mango, lychee, papaya...also getting some woodshop sawdust, citrus peel, and wax candy (orange Starbursts)

P: The body is rich...and waxy, not incredibly waxy but noticeably, indeed. Flavor-wise the mango jumps right out along with papaya, traces of orchard fruits, and pear skin...it also has one foot in white wine, perhaps a tad resiling-esque (I am by no means a white wine expert).

F: nice length and balance, there is literally nothing harsh or offensive about this spirit.

This is truly an everyday cognac. It's something I could drink in the morning, afternoon, or at night...I could drink it with friends, while reading a book, or relaxing and channel surfing on the couch. This is the very definition of “everyday” when spirits geeks refer to the word “everyday.” It’s priced at $150 which is a little more than I would like it to be, but at the same time it's not going to stop me from buying these (cough cough please stock these Binnys cough). To me, this is the Talisker 10 of brandy - something that will always have a place on my shelf...something I’ll take to the grandparents at Christmas...or on camping trips...or to parties attended by carefree drinkers. 

Grade: B+ (a high B+).

Corman Collins 50 Year Old Spanish Brandy

Review by Patrick:

Nose: Insanely dense. Sweet PX sherry smacks you in the face with rich chocolate and currant jelly. After a bit of air, some of that tart fruit comes in which reminds you that you smell a brandy and not just sherry.

Taste: Dark chocolate, almonds, dried apricot, dates. The mouthfeel is uncharacteristically thick for a brandy of this proof, which likely speaks to the amount of sherry influence

Finish: Coffee, toffee, licorice. Just a hint of green apple. It lacks in length but not bitter or unbalanced.

While not a surprise that this is a sherry head’s brandy, it’s worth noting that this is certainly a brandy and tastes nothing like heavily sherried malt. The whole experience is pleasant, though I do find myself wishing that both the distillate could speak more to me and that the finish lasted a little longer. All that said, I found the whole experience pleasant (as a sherried malt lover myself) without any glaring weaknesses.

B (for sherry lovers)

L’encantada Lous Mouracs 1983 Armagnac for Lincoln Road Package Store 48.6%

 

This bottling comes from the same Tenareze estate of the 1979 Mouracs that was distributed by PM Spirits...it’s just a little bit younger and bottled exclusively for Lincoln Road Package Store in Hattiesburg, MS. For the uninitiated, Lincoln Road is a fantastic independent liquor store that has some of the best barrel picks across many types of spirits; Jaimie Farris, the owner, knows his business. The cost is a tad over $200, so let’s see if it is worth it (TL;DR it most definitely is):

N: this is kind of reaching old Bernheim territory...Heath Bars and maple syrup and maraschino cherry liqueur, oh my! There’s some varnish’ish qualities along with some confectionary grape aromas, too.

P: Dense and rich with fantastic structure...great flavors all around! There’s toffee, chocolate covered coffee beans, cotton candy, and Faygo grape soda (whoop whoop).

F: Nice length with the fruit forward flavors continuing on and drowning out the rest as the party comes to its end.

Grade: A

I hate comparing brandy to bourbon, I mean I really really do. It casts a corn shadow over beautiful grape distillate which should otherwise be respected for what it is...and not be recognized on the basis that it shares some bourbon’ish traits. With that said, this bottling tastes like fantastic bourbon - like the bourbon of yesteryear that people irrationally chase with end-of-the-year bonuses and second mortgages. There is plenty of brandy character, too, which should please the burgeoning American brandy drinkers looking for good brandy (and not just bourbon-like brandy). This bottle is also completely different from the 1979 Mouracs; personally I prefer the 1979 but that comes down to preference and there is no distinctive quality difference between the two bottlings. I bought a couple of the 1983s, and I feel like maybe I should sell something to buy a couple more if they're still around.