Here is our timely session with cognac from different bottlers. We’ll go back to the 1930s and the youngest component is well over 40 years of age.
We kick things off with two releases from Mauxion, bottled for Passion for Whisky.
Cognac Mauxion 1960 – Fins Bois (42%, OB for Passion for Whisky 2024, 78 btl.)
Nose: plenty of fruits, like stewed peaches, raisins and oranges. Orange blossom honey. Becomes more floral after a while, with light leathery notes, beeswax and polished furniture. Then soft caramel and cinnamon in the background.
Mouth: similar hints of peach, plum and citrus. Quickly the minty side takes over, along with heavily steeped fruit tea. Dried herbs, with a hint of white pepper. Clove and liquorice leads to a slightly astringent woody edge. Light hints of tropical fruits in the aftertaste.
Finish: not too long (low ABV) with more herbal tea and tobacco, as well as light tannins. Dried fruit in the distance.
After a lovely nose this Mauxion becomes a little oak-driven on the palate. It reminds me of the Lot 31 Borderies in that sense. Still available from Passion for Whisky.
Cognac Mauxion Lot 36 – Borderies (43,2%, OB for Passion for Whisky, 42 btl.)
Nose: more expressive, even though the ABV isn’t that much higher. Peaches and pears, with leathery notes and a light whiff of copper polish. Subtle figs adds weight. This evolves towards camphory notes, minty freshness and herbal honey. Elegant hints of rancio.
Mouth: nice fruity sourness (always a sign of freshness) – oranges, bergamot, peach. Beautiful verbena, floral honey and spearmint. Then mild tobacco leaves and hints of oak spice. Just a dollop of caramel in the background.
Finish: long and slightly drying, with more citrus, along with herbs and cloves, as well as beautifully polished oak.
Truly excellent, and Borderies, mind you! Lovely pre-WWII cognac, which had eighty years in the cask, by the way, and then some extra ageing in demijohns. Sold out… Score: 92/100
Cognac Vaudon Lot 75 / 78 / 80 – Fins Bois (48,1%, Grape of the Art 2024, 298 btl.)
Nose: a different kind of woodiness, more oriental with sandalwood and cigar boxes. Cinnamon, hints of walnuts, nice beeswax. Then wildflowers, stewed pears, orange oils and mirabelles. Mint and jasmine in the end.
Mouth: rich and minty, quickly brightened up by Earl Grey, orange peels and sour plums. Hint of apricots. Then more jasmine, herbal oil and whiffs of violets. Just a little liquorice root in the end.
Finish: long, with a bit more woody notes, along with caramelized notes, figs and oranges.
One + one + one is four, you know. I love the slightly oriental notes in this cognac from Vaudon, along with the fruits and floral notes. Everything is really well balanced. Score: 91/100
The next one is an ‘assemblage’ of different vintages: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 et 1962. It comes from JL Pasquet and it was bottled for Ws Spirits Collection.
Cognac JL Pasquet Lot 57-62 – Grande Champagne (49,9%, Ws Spirits Collection 2024)
Nose: a nice whiff of diesel at first, with a hint of batik wax and exotic wood oil. Then a juicy fruitiness grows stronger, on apricot, orange peels and orange blossom. Also pollen and lightly roasted nuts in the background. Complex but not a fruit bomb so far.
Mouth: still more on the oily side, which is really interesting. Beeswax, pine oil, resinous hints and walnuts. This moves towards earthy notes, peppermint and herbal tea, even chestnuts. Tangerine peels and spiced honey underneath.
Finish: quite long, still herbal, with a pinch of salt, verbena, clove and a firm mineral side.
A rather uncommon cognac – although you’ll recognize the profile if you’ve had the similar release from Swell de Spirits. Fresh but rather un-fruity cognac for experienced palates. Score: 89/100
We proceed with Vallein Tercinier. It is a single cask bottling but I noticed Valinch & Mallet also chose this as their first ever cognac bottling. Same ABV, which may be coincidental, or simply a split cask?
Cognac Vallein Tercinier Lot 74 – Fins Bois (50,9%, OB for Wealth Solutions, Harmony & The Antelope 2024)
Nose: it’s one of these heady and fragrant noses that show a faint soapiness. Floral notes, some metallic hints, voilet essence or lavender. Underneath there are greengages, melons and peaches, with bergamot. Then minty notes, rose pepper and pine sap, as well as some light linseed oil.
Mouth: still quite floral, but also very fruity. There’s apricot, plum, drops of orange liqueur and tangerine. Grapefruit peels too. Then herbal notes, aniseed and eucalyptus come out. Lemon tree oil. Some (very lightly bitter) walnuts and mint in the end, against a backdrop of fragrant wood and mild pepper.
Finish: quite long, with hints of liquorice, citrus zest and aniseed.
Quite an authentic Fins Bois, with these floral notes and lightweight fruitiness. Perhaps a bit overdone / over-aged for my taste. Looking back at the six VT bottlings I’ve reviewed in the past two years, only two managed to break the 90 points barrier. That’s less than we expected. Score: 88/100
Cognac JL Pasquet Lot 70 – Grande Champagne (52,1%, Maltbarn 2024)
Nose: much richer and more aromatic than the Lot 57-62. Great rancio and polished oak up front. Then raisins, juicy plums and tangerines, as well as sweet grape and apple pie. Beeswax, mint and almonds in the distance. Really lively.
Mouth: really fruity again (tangerine, apricot, sour grape) although there’s a bit more gritty oak and quite some drying spice underneath. Tannins, some tobacco leaves and bergamot, with clove and candied ginger. Chestnut again. Becoming less fruity and more oily towards the end.
Finish: quite long, with citrus oils, tart berries and mildly tannic and polished wood.
Excellent nose here, with a few points lost on the palate due to the slightly tannic footprint. I’m a fan though – it’s probably thanks to the slightly more active wood that this turned out so luscious. Score: 90/100