At the end of 2021 Malternative Belgium secured a number of casks from Cognac Laurichesse, a house they more or less discovered at least brought to the attention of a wider audience. Since then you may recall a lovely Lot 75 (joint bottling with The Whisky Jury), another Lot 75 and a great Lot 76.
Today they’ll start selling their fourth bottling, another Lot 75 Grande Champagne. It was bottled in June 2024. One third of this bottling goes to Maltopedia in China.
Laurichesse Lot 75 ‘Les jeux de fruits’ – Grande Champagne (46,8%, Malternative Belgium 2024, cask #122, 528 btl.)
Nose: as expected. Tangerines and quinces, with mango and candied pineapple underneath. Then lemon cordial, nectar and juicy nectarines. Maybe a hint of lychee. Nicely fruity indeed, with a jammy side. A fine Earl Grey note appears, as well as polished furniture, spearmint, whiffs of cigar leaves and the scented hint of women’s powder. Rather gorgeous.
Mouth: so smooth! The slightly lower strength really makes it dangerously drinkable, although some would argue the previous ones offer a bigger ‘boost’. More apricot, mango, quince and papaya, with the refreshing acidity of maracuya. Then hints of beeswax, light leather, various floral honeys and orange peels. Mild menthol. Really close to the echoes of 1960s whisky that brought us to cognac.
Finish: long and very fruity still, mixing nicely with mentholated hints, fruit teas and oak spices.
It’s always risky to score sister casks that were bottled months or years apart but this is certainly on the same height as the brilliant bottling from 2022. Excellent, almost ridiculously good value for money too. Available today from Malternative Belgium.