Calvados 'Hors d'Age - Couvreur Ex-Sherry Cask'

• Sherry-cask-finished Calvados produced by seventh-generation producer Jean-Francois Guillouet in Caligny, Suisse-Normand, under the AOC appellation
• Distilled from 100% apple
• Cider is naturally fermented sur lie in fiberglass, stainless steel, and enamel-lined tanks for 8–12 months
• Distilled on a traveling, wood-fired copper column still
• Hors d’Age Calvados aged in French oak is finished for 2 years in ex-Amontillado sherry casks in the cellars of famed French whisky producer, Michel Couvreur, in Bouze-les-Beaune, Burgundy
• Bottled in May 2021
• Aromas of flambéed Honeycrisp apples, Demerara sugar, toasted pecans, and a subtle, oxidized note of sherry lead to a palate of vanilla custard, dulce de leche, and candied apple with a midline of confident acidity throughout. Savory herbs and dark caramel languish on a bittersweet finish.
• 43.5% ABV

The late Michel Couvreur dedicated his life to understanding and celebrating the effects of maturation on the great spirits of the world. He became renowned for his whiskies, distilled in Scotland and aged in the 15-meter-deep tunnels of the custom cave he built behind his house in Burgundy. Michel’s preference for using dedicated sherry casks for maturation (versus casks seasoned with sherry for secondary aging purposes) is still maintained by the estate today. These complex Amontillado casks have lent their dimension to Huard-Guillouet’s already stellar Hors d’Age, resulting in a Calvados that plumbs new depths of maillard-reaction-like lushness while retaining a bright, acidic spark.

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