Who could resist a 130 year old Brandy? Distilled right around the moment Mao Zhedong was born. The year Ivory Coast comes under French rule. And also the Chicago World Fair. I believe the eau de vie was left in the barrel for many years. 40% abv. Tropical fruits. Complex. Layered. Surprisingly that...

Thanks Ton. That makes sense actually, about the closures. As for the age of that bottle; one can only hope

Cognac Avery’s Lot #2006v (Esquin’s Private Selections) According to Christie’s Auction House, these are believed to be from 1893. If that were true, then the ‘Esquin’s Selections’ would equate to the Avery’s own ‘Averys 1893 Cognac Reserve de la Maison Bot.1960s’. Could anyone verify that? I have t...

Domaine de Baraillon Bas Armagnac 1987
Bottled in 2023. 36 year old at 42% abv.

On the nose: less sharp than the 28 year old. More mellow. Caramel. Stew fruit.

On the palate: layered. Vanilla. More elegant.

Medium finish. Same fantastic value as the 28 year old.

Domaine de Baraillon Bas Armagnac 1995
Bottled in 2023. 28 year old at 43% abv.

Brown sugar on the nose. Caramel. Stew fruit.

On the palate: stewed peach carries over. Vanilla. A few drops of water mellows it out a bit.

Finishes rather short. But a fantastic value though.

Macallan 12
43% abv. Sherry cask
$100 now. Wow. The old brown box version was only $45, and I felt it was more smooth and complex. This black box seems more peaty. Nevertheless, it’s still pretty good.

Has anyone else had this bottle before? Did yours also turned out uninteresting? Was my bottle an anomaly?

Pierre Ferrand Abel. 40% abv. Grande Champagne 45 years in the barrel and another probably 20 years sitting on the shelves. This cognac have either become faible or I was sold a bad bottle. The entire content felt watered down. Nose muted. The palate unimpressive. I had high expectations for this bo...

Pierre Ferrand Abel.
40% abv. Grande Champagne

45 years in the barrel and another probably 20 years sitting on the shelves.

Francois Voyer Lot 93
45.9% abv Grande Champagne

This is probably a 25 year old.

The extra 5.9% abv delivered a more aromatic bouquet over the XO. Tropical fruits on the palate. Medium length finish.