Christian Drouin 10yo Calvados Pays D’Augue Experimental Rhum JM Angels Cask Finish

Description

Calvados and Rhum?  Yep, that’s right.  And what a combo.

Christian Drouin is one the ace producers of Normandy’s famed apple brandies, Calvados.  But where we think of French spirit producers being so wedded to tradition that they would generally avoid innovation.  Not with Christian Drouin.

Founded in the 1960’s , the company mainly gained a reputation for fine quality, aged Calvados.  But a newer generation of Drouin’s  decided to look beyond tradition and started an experimental range of cask finishing their Calvados.

The first I came across was Drouin 17yo Calvados finished for in  a Caroni rum cask.  And the taste was was sublime.

The Rhum JM casks comes from Martinique, so it’s that classic French influenced fragrant style called rhum agricole.  A complete contrast to the funky, big bodied British influence Caribbean rums.  So, apple brandy meets a very elegant and lifted rhum.

This seventh release of Drouin’s Experimental range and for this edition their famed Calvados was extra matured for 18 months in Rhum JM casks.

According to Christian Drouin, ““We have chosen a fairly tender and gourmet Calvados for this association with the world of agricultural rum. The barrel of rum gives Calvados a vanilla caress and extra roundness. JM Angels is, without doubt, the most delicate finishing we have achieved in this range with old rum barrels.”

From Libbotique, “The nose opens with notes of vanilla, brown sugar and toast bread before releasing aromas of roasted apple and apricot.  The palate is frank, with a nice balance between power and roundness, skin and apple seeds on the finish”.