Christian Drouin XO Calvados (700ml)

Other reviews... For their XO product, Drouin incorporates a portion of ex-cognac casks into the usual mix, otherwise dominated by ex-Bordeaux barrels. The youngest spirit in this bottle is eight years old, but it includes some far older stocks as well. The influence of cognac and sherry casks here is almost unmistakable, but adds a welcome aromatic signature. The nutty, saline and sea-breeze character form a nice counterpoint to the dense, vivid, ripe apple component. This has clearly gained depth and complexity with age, but it has not fallen into the trap of becoming too oxidative or overwhelmed by wood. 90 points - distiller.com

Notes from the producers... offers a harmonious nose mixing baked apples, almond and spice hints. The mouth is supple, soft and well developed. Fruity at first it evolves towards vanilla and woodier notes.

Score 90+, Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge.

Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirit Competition (USA) 2019

Drouin Calvados began rather unintentionally. Christian Drouin Sr., grandfather to the current head of the company, purchased a country house in the Pays d'Auge area of Normandy in 1960. The house sat on a farm with an apple orchard and Drouin Sr. harvested the apples on his estate in hopes of seeing a return. He was disappointed to find that the price for apples was so low that he wouldn't even recoup harvesting expenses, so he held onto his fruit and sought an alternative solution. His friend, Pierre Pivet, had a mobile still and would travel to various farms to distill cider into calvados. He agreed to advise Drouin on pressing his apples into cider and distilling the cider into calvados, teaching him the art from start to finish. Thanks to Pivet, even the earliest bottlings from the company were of a consistent and high quality. For the next twenty years, Drouin dived headfirst into the distillation process, before putting eux-de-vie aside for aging. Ever since, the family business has continued to blossom with his grandson, Guillaume now at the forefront of production and business management.